PRESS CONFERENCE BY WORLD FEDERATION OF UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATIONS

Commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) at a Headquarters press conference today, Luxembourg’s Ambassador to the United Nations said the Federation, as both a source of inspiration and constructive criticism for the world body, was making an important contribution to the United Nations renewal.

Jean-Marc Hoscheit noted that, since its establishment in Luxembourg’s Parliament on 2 August 1946, the Federation, also known as the “People’s Movement for the United Nations”, had grown from 22 members to over 100 active associations worldwide.  The Federation had been insightful in its awareness of the need to give expression to the beliefs enshrined in the United Nations Charter not only through diplomats and inter-governmental bodies, but also through the activities and engagement of civil society.  Indeed, the World Federation was the first non-governmental organization that connected the United Nations with civil society.

In the wake of the Second World War, there had been a strong sense of enthusiasm about the United Nations Charter, he said.  That sense of support for the United Nations was being expressed today through the Federation’s multiple activities.  Luxembourg had been privileged to be present at the birth of the Federation.  More than ever, civil society participation in support of the United Nations was essential, he said.

As WFUNA marked its sixtieth anniversary, Gillian Sorensen, Senior Advisor of the United Nations Foundation and member of the Board of Directors of Friends of WFUNA, told correspondents she liked to think of the Federation as 60 years young.  The Federation was growing and expanding.  The fact that it was drawing in more young professionals was a sign of the Federation’s life and vigour.  At its founding, WFUNA had acknowledged the important truth that the United Nations needed informed public opinion to understand its work.  That purpose was as important today as it was 60 years ago.

In his message for the sixtieth anniversary, Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that WFUNA and its member Associations had rallied people in support of the work and ideals of the United Nations.  Education had been central to the Federation’s work.  By raising local awareness and ownership of the United Nations activities, WFUNA members helped make the Organization more responsive to people’s needs.  More recently, WFUNA had mobilized impressive grass-roots support for the Millennium Development Goals.  By giving priority to young peoples’ participation, the Federation was preparing a new generation of global citizens and helping the United Nations remain vigorous for another 60 years, he said.

The work of the Federation in education and information was important, Ms. Sorensen said.  Advocacy and constituency-building were essential for a strong United Nations.  As the voice of the people, United Nations associations were working hard to answer the Organization’s critics and put controversy into an accurate context.  That was an endless challenge for WFUNA.  She supported, in particular, the Model United Nations programme, as it was an empowering experience for young people, and a memorable way to connect them the Organization’s work.

The Federation’s international seminars had also been important, she said, discussing a range of critical issues.  UNA-Canada, for example, was celebrating with a series of conferences on the issue of peacekeeping, drawing the personal experience of Canadian peacekeepers.   Through the Internet, WFUNA had become fully linked in countries of both the North and South.  Indeed, the number of associations continued to increase, not just among the big Powers, but also among small countries and struggling democracies.  That expansion was significant, and she encouraged and supported it.

Pera Wells, Acting Secretary-General of WFUNA, said today’s commemoration was one of the most marvellous days of her five years with the Federation.  The United Nations realized the need for a movement to make the Organization more relevant to the lives of ordinary people.  WFUNA would hold its thirty-eighth plenary meeting this year in Argentina, marking the first time a plenary would be held in Latin America.  That meeting would discuss many of the issues on the United Nations agenda, including the Millennium Development Goals, human rights and migration.

WFUNA’s message for today was that, as a people’s movement in support of the United Nations, the Federation strongly endorsed the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, she said.  Member associations were paying attention to the way in which those principles were being developed.  In September 2005, Heads of State and Government had established the importance of the interdependence of peace and security, development and human rights.  WFUNA was also carrying that approach forward in its work.

One of the highlights of the upcoming meeting in Buenos Aires would be a youth conference, she added.  As a growing part of the Federation’s activities, young people would be looking at a mechanism to facilitate their networking.  The World Federation would also host an online global essay competition in honour of Dr. Hans Blix, who, in 1950, had been the winner of an essay competition conducted by WFUNA.  His prize for that competition had been a trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he had been inspired to pursue a career in international law.  Students were being invited around the world to write an essay on the recommendations of the recent report of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, chaired by Dr. Blix.

Addressing the issue of youth participation, Latha Nehru, Young Professionals for International Cooperation (YPIC), noted that that organization was present in 35 chapters of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA).  It was a programme of UNA-USA that sought to engage young professionals in the work of the United Nations.  It reached out to young professionals using new technologies, such as blogs.  Young Professionals had put together a kick-start guide on how to start a young professional’s organization in their chapter.  At the World Federation’s plenary meeting in November, a team of young professionals from the United States would be hosting a workshop on how to launch a young professionals group.

Asked how United Nations associations were started, Ms. Wells noted that the creation of an association often depended on the initiative of one person.  Some associations were growing out of youth and student associations in universities, following the Model United Nations programmes.

What did the federation do to address misperceptions of the United Nations? a correspondent asked.

Responding, Ms. Wells said the Federation did a lot of work to counter misperceptions about the United Nations, including by inviting knowledgeable people to speak with authority about the United Nations.  UNA-USA was doing a particularly good job in that regard.  It was unusual, however, for the WFUNA secretariat in New York to issue formal statements about developments, as it was the plenary assembly that formulated the Federation’s policy guidelines.

Asked how WFUNA brought attention to United Nations bodies other than the Security Council, Ms. Sorensen said association members understood that the United Nations was much more than the Security Council.  She thought of associations as constructive critics of the United Nations.  Associations tried to be thoughtful and intelligent in the way they expressed their support.  By and large, association members were supportive.  That did not mean, however, that they were naive or blind when the United Nations did certain things with which they took issue.

Mr. Hoscheit added that the associations played an important role in developing ownership for the United Nations. 

Asked about the future of WFUNA, Ms. Wells said one of the major priorities would be to see the establishment of an association in every United Nations Member State.  WFUNA was also interested in building partnerships within associations and among other groups around the framework of the Millennium Development Goals.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record