# UN671 - 1996 WFUNA 50th Anniversary

 

The World Federation of U.N. Associations (WFUNA) is a “people’s movement” devoted to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. WFUNA’s founders realized that the U.N.’s success depended upon the public opinion of its Member States. At work in approximately 90 countries, the organization operates as an independent network promoting public awareness and understanding of U.N. activities. The Secretary General of the U.N. described this network as the “incarnation of the compelling declaration with which the Preamble of the U.N. Charter begins: ‘We the people of the United Nations...’ .”

 

WFUNA maintains a consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council. Headquarters are located in Geneva, with additional offices in New York, as well as regional offices in Accra, Ghana, for Africa and Calcutta, India, for Asia and the Pacific. The 50th anniversary of the founding of WFUNA in 1996 was used as an opportunity to strengthen the Federation and revisit its founding as a movement to generate local support for the U.N. As the world moves into the next millennium, support and assistance from people all over the world will be needed for the U.N. to meet the challenges of the new era.