American Association for the United Nations

The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to building understanding of and support for the ideals and work of the United Nations among the American people. Its education, policy and advocacy programs emphasize the importance of cooperation among nations and the need for American leadership at the UN. UNA-USA is affiliated with the World Federation of United Nations Associations, which began in 1946 as a public movement for the UN. It has 135 community based chapters across the United States, and programs on five continents.

The American Association for the United Nations, UNA-USA'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 US representatives who set out to spread the word about these important proposals and to gain support for US adherence to the proposed new international organization-the United Nations.

When former First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt, a member of the AAUN Board of Directors, completed her term as a US Representative to the UN 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 US 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: Charles W. Yost one of the founders of the United Nations and US permanent representative to the United Nations; and Arthur J. Goldberg, former Justice of the US Supreme Court and US permanent representative to the United Nations; James S. McDonnell, former chairman of the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation; Elliot L. Richardson, former US Attorney General and US representative to the Law of the Sea Conference; William Scranton, former Governor of Pennsylvania and US permanent representative to the United Nations; Cyrus Vance, former Secretary of State; and John C. Whitehead, former Deputy Secretary of State.

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