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Progress Report
Discussions on Future Collaboration Between the UNA-USA and the UN Foundation

Overview -- For more than a decade, UNA-USA and UNF have collaborated to bring the U.S. and the UN closer together, educating Americans and the American government about the good that the UN and UN agencies do and the role the U.S. plays in their work. The UNA-USA and UNF have agreed to try to formalize their strategic alliance, and, over the last six months, their boards of directors and staffs have discussed how to join together to create a stronger, more powerful base for the UN in the U.S. At the June Annual Meetings of the UNA-USA Council of Chapters and Divisions and the Council of Organizations (COO), UNA chapter leaders, COO leaders, and UNA members will have an opportunity to examine and question the potential alliance.

New Alliance – The UNF appreciates the success that UNA chapters and programs such as the Council of Organizations (COO), the Business Council for the UN (BCUN), and Global Classrooms have had in strengthening support for the UN in the NGO community, in the business world, and among students. Any new alliance would aim to build on this stellar record.

UNA Chapters: The UNA chapters excel at delivering grassroots support for a strong U.S.-UN relationship. By developing a UNA Membership Program -- like the UNF’s Nothing But Nets, The Energy Future Coalition, the Coalition for Adolescent Girls, and the World Heritage Alliance – the UNF aims to preserve the chapters’ ability to flourish while integrating them into the BWC’s advocacy and education apparatus.

Name: UNA chapters would keep their UNA name and distinct identities.
Servicing: UNF and BWC would provide to the volunteers who lead the chapters, new tools to advocate on behalf of the U.S.-UN relationship, raise funds for local activities, keep a higher percentage of membership dues, recruit new members, and retain them. BWC will also look to provide software that we hope will make it easier for the chapters and divisions to meet reporting requirements.
Advocacy: UNA membership will continue to receive alerts on issues relating to U.S.-UN issues and other UN related issues. Chapters wishing to advocate on unrelated matters should consult with the UNA Membership Office.
Information and Publications: UNF and BWC would provide to UNA members information related to UN issues, including: global health, human rights, women and population, environment and climate change, UN effectiveness and reform, and U.S. foreign assistance.
Web Presence: The BWC will provide UNA Membership with a unique website, associated with the BWC website, designed specifically for the program. There UNA members can share information about upcoming events, link to BWC advocacy requests, access a UNA membership blog, receive information about the latest U.S.-UN developments from Washington, DC and New York, and file appropriate chapter forms.
New Affiliate Agreement: UNF through BWC and the UNA chapter leadership will draft a new affiliate agreement for UNA chapters that outlines the relationship between the chapters and the central UNA Membership Office that covers all financial and legal obligations. An important goal of any new affiliation agreement is to ensure that chapters and divisions have the resources to bolster their numbers and capacity. Any changes will be subject to extensive consultation with the UNA Membership
Governance: The Council of Chapters and Divisions Steering Committee will continue to represent UNA members and work closely with the Executive Director of UNA Membership. Members will be able to access UNA Membership staff and debate important topics in the U.S.-UN relationship at the annual meeting
Staffing and Budget: The UNA Membership office would have its own staff and a budget sufficient to develop and expand the work of the chapters.

COO: The UNF’s Better World Campaign (BWC) operates an active, 50-member NGO coalition in Washington, DC designed to educate like-minded organizations about the work of the UN and mobilize them to advocate for it. Joining with the Council of Organizations would allow the BWC to reach out to the large national NGO community comprising the membership of the more than 90 COO member organizations throughout the country, to promote greater synergies among NGOs interested in UN causes.

Web Presence: The BWC will provide the COO with a unique webpage, associated with the BWC website, designed specifically for it, and the tools to create and disseminate newsletters and notices.
Staffing and Budget: BWC will provide sufficient staff and budget to develop and expand the work of the COO.

BCUN: The UNF and BWC strive to highlight how the UN contributes to U.S. economic prosperity and seek to expand support for the UN among the U.S. business community. UNF would recruit new BCUN members, increase BCUN sessions focused on topics useful to New York-based businesses and others, and make it easier for those businesses to access the UN.

Global Classrooms: The UNF hopes to bring UNA-USA’s successful Global Classrooms program under the same roof as UNF’s other programs involving high school students, including Nothing But Nets, Global Debates and the Better World Campaign, a move that should benefit all of the alliance’s initiatives oriented toward students.

National UNA: The national UNA (including its 501(c)(3) status) would be sunset after any legal and financial issues are resolved.

The Way Forward – At the June meetings UNA and COO members and leaders will be able to discuss the proposed strategic alliance between the two organizations in greater detail. After that an additional period will allow for further comments and questions from chapters and members. The final arrangements for the alliance between UNA-USA and UNF will be subject to a formal agreement to be signed by both organizations, as well as approval by the UNA-USA Board of Directors and UNA-USA "delegates" at a special meeting to be arranged by a telephone conference call in late summer or early fall. In addition, certain legal requirements under New York law will have to be met.