Act Locally, Think Globally: How Local Communities Can
Work with the United Nations
Clean Cookstoves Campaign
Finally. A solution full of holes.
156 of ‘em per inch, to be exact. These holes are part
of a bed net – one of the most effective ways to
prevent malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa.
It’s a simple, life-saving solution, and all it takes is
$10 to buy a bed net, distribute it to a family, and
explain its use.
 nothingbutnets.net
 worldmalariaday.org
Shot@Life
Urge your Congressional representatives to invest
in a healthier world and immunize a child.
 shotatlife.org
Join over 200,000 girls across the U.S. who
are already helping to fund UN programs for girls in Liberia, Ethiopia,
Malawi and Guatemala.
 girlup.org
+SocialGood unites a global community
of innovators around a shared vision:
The power of technology and new
media to make the world a better place.
 plussocialgood.org
Giving Tuesday
#GivingTuesday™ is a campaign to create a national
day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season.
It celebrates and encourages
charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations,
including the UN Foundation.
 givingtuesday.org/about
Trick-or-Treat
for UNICEF
For generations, kids have
toted UNICEF’s iconic collection
boxes from door-to-door on
Halloween calling out “Trickor-Treat for UNICEF!” Join them
this October or help distribute
the UNICEF boxes to school’s
in your town or city.
 trickortreatforunicef.org
The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a publicprivate partnership that seeks to save lives, improve
livelihoods, empower women, and protect the
environment by creating a thriving global market for
clean and efficient household cooking solutions.
 cleancookstoves.org
Haiti Peacekeepers
celebrate Christmas
with local children.
For each answer you get right on FreeRice.com,
10 grains of rice is donated through the World Food
Programme to help end hunger.
Model UN and Global Classrooms
Model United Nations is a simulation of the UN
General Assembly and other multilateral bodies. In
Model UN, students step into the shoes of ambassadors from UN member states to debate current
issues on the organization’s agenda.
 unausa.org/global-classrooms-model-un
Follow the U.S. Youth Observer
at the UN.
The Youth Observer position is a part of the U.S.
effort to increase youth interest and participation
in international relations. In 2012, the first-ever
U.S. Youth Observer to the UN General Assembly
was selected.
 unausa.org/membership/us-youth
 facebook.com/UNYouthEnvoy
 usydi.org
Attend Special Events for Students
at the UN in New York.
The UN organizes special events for students in New
York and streaming live for the International Day of
Peace (September 21) and the Earth Society Foundation has an annual Peace Bell Ceremony in March.
 un.org/en/events/peaceday
 iapmc.org/international-day-ofpeace-2013-education-for-peacelive-streaming-event/
 earthsocietyfoundation.org
UNICEF Tap Project
The UNICEF Tap Project is a nationwide campaign that provides clean
water and adequate sanitation to
children around the world. Join the
UNICEF Action Center to plan or
attend a local fundraising event or
activity in your community.
 actioncenter.unicefusa.org
Young girl refills water pot
in Côte d’Ivoire
UN Photo/Ky Chung
Play an Online Game
and Feed the Hungry.
For the Holidays, Give Hope.
United Nations Day
UN Photo/Logan Abassi
Participate in local events marking UN Day on October
24. UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into
force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of
this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the
Security Council, the United Nations officially came
into being.
 unausa.org/membership/una-usa-events/un-day
The Billion Tree Campaign
Campaign, people, communities, organizations,
business and industry, civil society and governments
are encouraged to plant trees and enter their tree
planting pledges. The objective is to plant at least one
billion trees worldwide each year. Make your pledge
online!
 plant-for-the-planet-billiontreecampaign.org
Raise Awareness about the UN’s
International Days, Years and Decades.
United Nations observances help promote international and national action and stimulate interest in on
important political, social, cultural, humanitarian or
human rights issues. For instance, 2013 is the International Year of Water Cooperation and the International
Year of Quinoa.
 un.org/en/events/observances
 unwater.org/water-cooperation-2013/en
 fao.org/quinoa-2013/en
 un.org/en/events/desertification_decade
 roadsafetyfund.org/undecadeofaction
/pagesdefault.aspx
 cbd.int/2011-2020
 desd.org
Purchase UNICEF cards or gifts during the holidays
or send an eCard from the World Food Programme.
 shopcardsandgifts.unicefusa.org
 gifts.wfp.org
Thank UN Peacekeepers.
Thank the 120,000 brave men and women from
120 countries serving as UN peacekeepers in 17 of
the most difficult regions in the world, rebuilding s
ocieties wracked by violence and natural disasters,
and restoring confidence in people who have
known little but war.
 betterworldcampaign.org/un-peacekeeping/
get-involved
Move to the Head of the Class
by using UN Data.
The UN produces a vast array of global data. Make
your next project stand out by referencing one of
these datasets or using one of the many images
from their online library.
 unstats.un.org
 un.org/millenniumgoals/stats.shtml
 unmultimedia.org
 guides.library.yale.edu/unitednations
 calendarforpeace.org
Volunteer or Intern with a NGO
associated with the United Nations.
Many organizations partner with the UN’s Department of Public Information or the Economic and
Social Council (ECOSOC). Both agencies strongly
encourage youth participation. NGOs can also
arrange day passes to attend special conferences.
 outreach.un.org/ngorelations/youth
 outreach.un.org/ngorelations/membership/
dpingo-directory
 esango.un.org/civilsociety
Be a Citizen Diplomat and Host
an International Visitor.
Invite an international visitor to your school or home.
The National Council of International Visitors (NCIV)
coordinates local visits for the U.S. Department of
State and other international agencies. Many NCIV
chapters organize events around these visits.
 nciv.org
United Nations Intensive Summer
Study Program
This week-long program designed for graduate
students and advanced undergraduates familiarizes
students with the inner workings of the UN. Contact
the program to invite one of the participants to speak
at your school.
 shu.edu/academics/diplomacy/un-program.cfm
UN Academic Impact
Academic Impact is a global initiative that aligns institutions of higher education with the United Nations in
the areas of human rights, literacy, sustainability and
conflict resolution. See if your school can partner with
an area college or university.
 academicimpact.org
UN Volunteers’ Online Service
Everyone can make a difference. Share your skills,
knowledge and ideas from a computer anywhere
in the world and encourage others to do the same.
 onlinevolunteering.org/en/vol/index.html
Become a UN Insider.
Receive daily in-depth updates about the work
of the United Nations.

unfoundation.org/what-we-do/
campaigns-and-initiatives/un-wire/
 calendarforpeace.org
 un-ngls.org/orf/publications.htm
 un.org/en/documents/journal.asp
 webtv.un.org
What Does the United Nations Accomplish?
EVERY DAY THE UNITED NATIONS WORKS
TO TACKLE GLOBAL CHALLENGES
THE
UNITED NATIONS
PROVIDES
FOOD
TO
COMBATS
CLIMATE CHANGE AND
HEADS A CAMPAIGN TO
END LEADED FUEL
90
USE IN OVER
NATIONS
100
MILLION PEOPLE
IN 73 COUNTRIES
VACCINATES
ASSISTS
OVER
36
REFUGEES
OF THE WORLD’S
CHILDREN, SAVING
AND PEOPLE FLEEING WAR,
FAMINE OR PERSECUTION
KEEPS THE PEACE
120,000
WITH
2.5
MILLION
LIVES A YEAR
ADVANCES
DEMOCRACY
30
16
IN
ON
4
COUNTRIES
A YEAR WITH
THEIR ELECTIONS
OPERATIONS
CONTINENTS
PROTECTS AND PROMOTES
HUMAN RIGHTS
FIGHTS POVERTY
HELPING
ON SITE
AND
THROUGH
80
370
RURAL POOR
MILLION
ACHIEVE BETTER
LIVES IN THE LAST
YEARS
TREATIES/
DECLARATIONS
30
PROMOTES
MOBILIZES
12.4 BILLION IN
US$
HUMANITARIAN
AID TO HELP
PEOPLE AFFECTED
BY EMERGENCIES
MATERNAL
HEALTH,
SAVING THE LIVES OF
30
United Nations – Department of Public Information – 2012
Printed at the United Nations, New York
The General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of
the UN and is composed of representatives of all Member
States. The work of the United Nations year-round derives
largely from the mandates given by the General Assembly.
A revitalization of the Assembly is under way to enhance
its role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency.
General Assembly web site:  un.org/en/ga
The Security Council has primary responsibility, under
the UN Charter, for the maintenance of international
peace and security. A reform of the Security Council,
including its membership is under consideration.
 un.org/en/sc
Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), established
by the UN Charter, is the principal organ to coordinate the
economic, social and related work of the United Nations
and the specialized agencies and institutions. Voting in
the Council is by simple majority; each member has one
vote.
 un.org/en/ecosoc
The International Court of Justice, located at the Hague
in the Netherlands, is the principal judicial organ of the
United Nations. It settles legal disputes between states
and gives advisory opinions to the UN and its specialized
agencies. Its Statute is an integral part of the United
­Nations Charter.
 icj-cij.org
Trusteeship Council
The Trusteeship Council was established in 1945 by the
UN Charter to provide international supervision for 11
Trust Territories placed under the administration of 7
Member States, and ensure that adequate steps were
taken to prepare the Territories for self-government and
independence. By 1994, all Trust Territories had attained
self-government or independence. Its work completed,
the Council has amended its rules of procedure to meet
as and where occasion may require.
 un.org/en/mainbodies/trusteeship/
Secretariat
The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day work of the
Organization. It services the other principal organs and
carries out tasks as varied as the issues dealt with by the
UN: administering peacekeeping operations, surveying economic and social trends, preparing studies on
human rights, among others.
 un.org/en/mainbodies/secretariat/
Repertory of Practice
of United Nations Organs
The Repertory of Practice of United Nations
Organs is a legal publication containing analytical
studies of the decisions of the principal organs of
the United Nations. It is a comprehensive summary of the decisions of United Nations Organs and
UN Photo/Afrim Hajrullahu
serves to throw light on questions of application
UNMIK celebrates International Children’s Day in Kosovo.
and interpretation of the UN Charter in practice.
 un.org/law/repertory/
Notable Successes
School-in-a-Box
For more
information
To view an extensive list
of the UN’s accomplishments, visit www.
CalendarforPeace.org.
Created by Connecticut
resident Ruth SteinkrausCohen is 1987, the
Calendar for Peace
is the most extensive
online database of
UN-related facts.
The School-in-a-Box has become part of the
UNICEF standard response in emergencies,
used in many back-to-school operations
around the world. The kit contains supplies
and materials for a teacher and up to 40
students. The purpose of the kit is to ensure
the continuation of children’s education by
the first 72 hours of an emergency.
 unicef.org/supply/kits_flash/schoolinabox
UN Photo/Sebastiao Barbosa
Focus on the elderly: The World
Assembly on Aging
ASSISTING SOME
PEACEKEEPERS
UN
Security Council
International Court of Justice
58%
MILLION
General Assembly
12-33072—May 2012
MILLION
WOMEN A YEAR
Afghan primary
school children
attend classes.
Background
The United Nations was established on October 24,
1945, by 51 countries committed to preserving peace
through international cooperation and collective security. Today, nearly every nation in the world belongs to
the UN: membership totals 193 countries.
When States become Members of the United Nations,
they agree to accept the obligations of the UN Charter,
an international treaty that sets out basic principles of
international relations. According to the Charter, the
UN has four purposes:
6To keep peace throughout the world;
6 To develop friendly relations among nations;
6To help nations work together to improve the
lives of poor people, to conquer hunger, disease
and illiteracy, and to encourage respect for each
other’s rights and freedoms;
6To be a centre for harmonizing the actions
of nations to achieve these goals.
Take a virtual tour of the UN at
 un.org/cyberschoolbus/untour/.
‘It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must
believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it.
One must work at it.’
– E l e a n o r R o o s e v e lt
UN Emblem
UN Photo/Fardin Waezi
New York Headquarters
From 1946 to 1950, the Queens Museum of Art was
the temporary home of the United Nations General Assembly. The United Nations Headquarters complex was
constructed in stages with the core complex completed between 1948-1952. The Headquarters occupies a
site beside the East River, on 17 acres of land donated
by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The United Nations has embarked on a massive renovation project of its New York
Headquarters. Watch the progress of the construction
at  un.org/wcm/content/site/cmp.
The UN emblem consists of a map of the world on
polar azimuthal equidistant projection surrounded by
two olive branches. The olive branch can by traced
back to ancient Greece as a symbol of peace. The
world map is a symbol of the area with which the UN
is concerned in achieving its main purpose: peace.
UN Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the United Nations. It was signed
at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco on June 26,
1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries.
Poland, the other original member, which was
not represented at the conference, signed it two
months later.
 un.org/en/documents/charter
World Heritage
The World Heritage List includes 981 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which has outstanding universal
value. The idea of creating an international
movement for protecting heritage emerged
after World War I. The event that aroused
particular international concern was the
decision to build the Aswan High Dam in
Egypt, which would have flooded the valley
containing the Abu Simbel temples , a
treasure of ancient Egyptian civilization. In
1959, after an appeal from the governments
of Egypt and Sudan, UNESCO launched an
international safeguarding campaign.
 whc.unesco.org/en/interactive-map
 whc.unesco.org/en/wallmap
The two Connecticut chapters of the
United Nations Association produced
this poster. To request more copies,
email [email protected].
Your feedback and suggestions are
always welcome. Visit unausa.org to
learn more about the United Nations
Association of the U.S.A.
United Nations Association
of the U.S.A.