ABOUT THE UNA-MD CHAPTER

• Chapter Goals and Objectives
• Chapter Bylaws
  
• Chapter Executive Board
• UNA-MD Brochure
  

(from the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) web site)

As the nation's largest grassroots foreign policy organization and the leading center of policy research on the U.N. and global issues, UNA offers Americans the opportunity to connect with issues confronted by the U.N.-from global health and human rights to the spread of democracy, equitable development and international justice. Through its work, UNA educates Americans about the work of the United Nations, and encourages public support for strong U.S. leadership in the United Nations.

Origin

The American Association for the United Nations, UNAUSA's predecessor organization, grew out of the League of Nations Association in 1943. A group of prominent citizens, including first Executive Director Clark Eichelberger, activated AAUN to promote acceptance of the Dumbarton Oaks proposals in the late years of World War II. Among the Association's early actions was a nationwide tour by a number of U.S. representatives who set out to spread the word about these important proposals and to gain support for U.S. adherence to the proposed new international organization-the United Nations.

When First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a member of the AAUN Board of Directors, completed her term as a U.S. Representative to the U.N. General Assembly in late 1951, she walked into the AAUN offices and asked to be given something to do for the organization. Her offer was gratefully accepted and in early 1953, she established an office at AAUN headquarters.

This was the quiet beginning of a major campaign in which Mrs. Roosevelt carried the message of AAUN across the country through personal appearances, recruitment speeches and fundraising efforts which continued until her death in November 1962. She was elected Chair of the Board of Directors of AAUN in 1961.

In 1964, AAUN merged with the U.S. Committee for the United Nations, a group composed of 138 national organizations supporting the work of the United Nations, thereby creating the United Nations Association of the United States of America. Since then, several distinguished Americans have served in positions of leadership at UNA-USA. These include: Arthur J. Goldberg, former Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations; James S. McDonnell, former chairman of the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation; Elliot L. Richardson, former U.S. Attorney General and U.S. representative to the Law of the Sea Conference; William Scranton, former Governor of Pennsylvania and U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations; Cyrus Vance, former Secretary of State; and John C. Whitehead, former Deputy Secretary of State. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford currently chair the Association's National Council, a group of distinguished Americans who actively promote U.S. leadership in the United Nations.

In 1999, the Business Council for the United Nations (BCUN) joined UNA-USA as a division. Founded in 1958 with the blessing of then U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, BCUN worked to build support for the U.N. among business leaders and employers of major U.S. corporations, enjoying the early support of leaders such as: former U.N. Secretary-General U Thant, and U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman.

UNA-USA Today

Today, UNA-USA is a leading center of policy research on the United Nations and global issues such as peace and security, health, development and human rights. BCUN is a leading catalyst for action, understanding and innovative business opportunities between member companies and the United Nations.

With more than 20,000 members nationwide, UNA-USA combines broad grassroots outreach with high-level policy studies involving scholars and government officials from many parts of the world to identify fresh ideas and areas of potential cooperation. Through a series of programs, UNA-USA continues to pioneer efforts to involve the American public in the discussion of foreign policy priorities as well as to provide information and educational materials for Congress, the executive branch, the corporate community, NGOs, the general public and the media.

Through its national network of over 175 community based chapters and divisions, and through its more than 100 member Council of Organizations, and its newly reinvigorated National Council, UNA-USA reaches out to millions of concerned citizens who want their voices heard in Washington and at the United Nations. UNA-USA is also part of the World Federation on United Nations Associations (WFUNA), a larger network of United Nations Associations around the world.With its headquarters a few blocks from the United Nations in New York and a Washington Office in the nation's capitol, UNA-USA operates with a staff of approximately 50 full-time employees and an annual budget of approximately $8 million. Operating funds are provided by private foundations, corporations, individuals and membership dues. Non-operating funds are provided by the sources mentioned above and by government grants.

Educating Americans about and building constituencies for the United Nations through our various programs and chapter efforts has always been our aim, and it continues to be our priority.