Featured Speakers

During his first months in office, President Barack Obama has met with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the White House and has announced a series of initiatives to enhance US participation in the world organization. The Administration’s very visible decisions to stand for election to the Human Rights Council, support the work of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and endorse multilateral efforts to address climate change, among others, signal a new approach to the United States relationship with the United Nations.

Meanwhile, the President is requesting that the 111th Congress appropriate $836 million in past US obligations to UN peacekeeping at a moment when the nation’s finances have been called upon to deal with an unprecedented economic downturn. How will Capitol Hill react to the Administration’s initiatives in the context of the FY2010 budget process that will get underway later this month? Susan Myers, Executive Director of the UN Foundation's New York Office joined us in this annual session on US-UN relations.

Susan Myers
Executive Director of the UN Foundation's
New York Office


A brief interview with Ms. Myers

To read the text of her remarks, click here to download.

Capitol Hill Seminar Series"This is the United Nations"
Each year in the spring and fall, the Council of Organizations in Washington DC has hosted a five-part seminar series designed to give new Congressional staff members and interns, as well as Council of Organizations staff and interns, an overview of the different issues and agencies of the United Nations and an opportunity to meet and network with others working on international issues. UN agencies and programs featured during this series have been UNIC, UNFPA, ILO, UNHCR, IAEA, UNDP, UNHabitat, FAO, WFP, IFAD, UNEP, UNAIDS, UNICEF, and PAHO/WHO.

UN Briefing SeriesThe Council of Organizations sponsors monthly briefings in New York and Washington DC featuring UN ambassadors, academics, US government officials, distinguished NGO leaders and top Secretariat officials which keep the NGO community informed while offering a forum to share educational information and advocacy plans regarding issues on the UN agenda.

 Learn more about the Speakers Series