History

The World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) was founded in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on 2 August 1946 by 22 United Nations Associations. The Constitution they adopted proclaimed that:

"We the representatives of the United Nations Associations in our respective countries,

Believing that since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed, and

Believing that the peace must be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of all peoples,

Have resolved to combine our efforts to form an association of the peoples...to be known as the World Federation of United Nations Associations."

This was one year after the UN Charter was proclaimed with the opening words “We the peoples of the United Nations”. Ever since, WFUNA has been the only global organization with the primary mission of supporting the principles and purposes of the United Nations.

Its founders had long experience in international cooperation and were aware of the fundamental importance of public understanding of the role of the United Nations in shaping international relations between nation states.

While the first objective of the WFUNA Constitution was "To be a peoples' movement for the United Nations" the 7 subsequent objectives included to promote tolerance, understanding, solidarity and co-operation among men, women and children throughout the world without distinction as to race, sex, language, religion, or political orientation; to contribute to the removal of obstacles to peace, to work for justice, security and disarmament, and to promote the development of peaceful co-existence and co-operation among nations.

Over the years, United Nations Associations (UNAs) have been established all over the world, as new nation states were formed and joined the UN. UNAs were born in a number of countries that were not yet UN members, serving as windows to the world organization. For example, this was the case in Hungary, Japan and Romania.

The UN General Assembly has adopted resolutions expressing appreciation for the Federations’ efforts to promote wider public support of the UN. In 1986 resolution 41/68 concerning questions relating to information dedicated an entire section to commending the efforts of WFUNA and UNAs around the world for their ‘mobilization of popular support for the programs and work of the United Nations’.

Eleanor Roosevelt was an active participant in WFUNA. Since the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which she chaired, WFUNA considered human rights advocacy as a central part of its programs. A number of international seminars in different regions of the world have been organized by WFUNA on the teaching of human rights. The proposal for creating the position of a High Commissioner for Human Rights was on WFUNA’s agenda for many years.

In practical terms, WFUNA played a crucial role by helping people in those countries where human rights were violated, such as Franco’s Spain, some of the former communist countries in Eastern Europe and in the Middle East. WFUNA brought together people of divided countries – such as East and West Germany and Cyprus, and the opponents in conflicts, for example between Israel and Egypt in the late 1960’s.

WFUNA helped promote ‘Security and Co-operation in Europe’ (CSCE) by holding in 1967 the first conference on this topic. Other NGOs followed WFUNA’s campaign which continued until 1975 when the Final Act was signed at Helsinki by 35 governments, including USA and Canada, establishing the CSCE process. Further campaigning led in 1994 to the CSCE process that consisted of a Biennial Review Conference being raised to a Permanent Organization (OSCE).

WFUNA, including its African UNAs members, made significant contributions to the NGO campaign for the abolition of Apartheid. The 32nd General Assembly of the United Nations, in 1977, received a resolution from the 117th WFUNA Executive Committee meeting, which requested:

“The Security Council of the United Nations to give urgent consideration to the taking of immediate steps to ensure that no State, multinational or other body or person be allowed to provide South Africa or Rhodesia with any equipment, technology or production of nuclear weapons of any kind”.

WFUNA facilitated high-level informal consultations on disarmament issues between key experts of the USA and USSR during the Cold War. It organized a number of NGO Seminars on Disarmament in cooperation with the UN, UNESCO and other NGOs.

During its history WFUNA has served as a forum for global dialogues on development. Several suggestions, like the establishment of an Economic Commission for Africa, were first adopted at WFUNA Plenary Assemblies and then endorsed by governments.

WFUNA has actively supported reform of the UN and its capacity to meet new tasks and challenges. WFUNA has continually received recognition from the highest ranks of the United Nations. The sentiments in this statement by UN Secretary-General, Dag Hammerskjöld, to WFUNA’s 12th Plenary Assembly were shared by his successors: “I wish.….. to express my appreciation of your most essential service. At the same time, I wish to urge you to fresh endeavors. Over the years you have accomplished much and have acted with an ever increasing sense of your great responsibilities.”

For many years WFUNA conducted a fund raising program based on the sale of first day covers of UN stamps and lithographs produced by artists and celebrities, such as Picasso, Lou Zheng Jang, Miro, Salvador Dali, Ruben Leyva, Al Hirschfeld and Andy Warhol to promote the ideals of the UN. This highly successful program ran for several decades during the 20th century.

Now in the 21st century, WFUNA sees a need for the UN to rise to the challenges of globalization. True to the vision of its founding members, WFUNA is searching for ways of giving voice to the peoples of the world. The monthly newsletter "UN Connections" aims to equip people with an appreciation of what is happening at the UN and provides insights into the partnerships being formed between the UN and NGOs and civil society to promote peace, sustainable development and human rights. Many member UNAs and WFUNA itself have been actively engaged in the various processes for reforming the UN with the aim of, in former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's words, "Making the UN a more effective instrument in the hands of the world's people".