United Nations Association History

Origins

UNA-USA traces its roots back to 1943. Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt founded it that year, with the establishment of the American Association for the United Nations (AAUN), a citizen-based organization she herself led. AAUN merged with the U.S. Committee for the United Nations in 1964, creating the modern UNA-USA.

UNA-USA Today

Today, UNA-USA is bigger and more diverse than even its founder, Eleanor Roosevelt, could have predicted. We have more than 20,000 members spread among 175 local chapters in 43 states. What's more, we now are comprised of a number of affiliated organizations, including the Business Council of the United Nations, which promotes greater cooperation between the United Nations and the business community; the Council of Organizations, a program of affiliation for national organizations supporting the work of the UNA; and Adopt-A-Minefield, which helps the United Nations' effort to resolve the global landmine crisis by raising funds for mine clearance and survivor assistance.

These groups are just the beginning. Today's UNA-USA also boasts a National Council advisory body of prominent Americans, chaired by former presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. We celebrate excellence in foreign policy with our Global Leadership Award, presented annually at a gala dinner in New York City. UNA-USA coordinates the national observance of U.N. Day on Oct. 24 in hundreds of communities around the country. Lastly, we sponsor educational outreach efforts such as the popular Model United Nations program, which teaches young people at an early age what it's like to be a delegate to the U.N.

UNA-USA is part of a larger network of United Nations Associations around the world, as a member of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA).

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