UUA International Blog Archive

The right to women's equality and the right to freedom of religion or belief are sometimes seen to conflict with one another, but in fact they ought to be understood as mutually reinforcing. Explore in depth the intersection of rights and freedoms across the world and throughout...

On the occasion of the thirtieth International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, an event at the United Nations addressed progress made towards ending poverty and how to get the rest of the way there.

Governments and civil society must be responsive to the needs of vulnerable populations, supporting migrants and preventing future refugee crises from occurring.

Explore lessons the United States can take from other countries' gun control policies to reduce the risk of recurring tragedies such as the recent Las Vegas shooting.

The Hungarian Unitarian Church (HUC) – a leader in global U/Uism and a partner with whom we have a long history and a committed relationship – is currently struggling with its institutional position on marriage equality. Earlier today, October 28, 2017, the HUC Synod issued a...

On United Nations Day on October 24th, celebrate the hope and promise of the UN towards our 6th Principle goal of world community with peace, liberty, & justice for all.

Rev. Rob MacPherson reflects on Australia's experience with gun violence and gun control laws, as well as his own childhood in a gun-owning household in Baltimore.

On Friday, September 29, the Human Rights Council voted in favor of a resolution which condemned the “imposition of the death penalty as a sanction for specific forms of conduct, such as apostasy, blasphemy, adultery and consensual same-sex relations.” The Independent reported...

The United Nations GA voted to begin negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This critically important treaty calls for a complete ban of the use, production, possession, testing, and transfer of nuclear weapons.

On September 6th, 2017, I represented the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) at an interfaith conference to stop AIDS. It was an inspiring meeting led by Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer (United Church of Christ) and Bishop Yvette Flunder (United Church of Christ and Presiding...

On Tuesday, September 5th, 2017, President Donald Trump ordered an end to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)—an Obama-era program that protects young, undocumented immigrants from deportation. DACA was introduced on June 15th,

Education refugee girls can protect them from child marriage, empower them to take control of their own futures, and lead to a more peaceful society as a whole.

On August 1st, a day-long event was held at United Nations Headquarters entitled “Intergenerational Dialogues on the Sustainable Development Goals.” The organizing body for this event was the NGO DPI Executive Committee *. The event opened with remarks by the organizers, UN and...

While gender equality is in itself important, examining the other ways in which gender equality benefits broader society is necessary to garner more support for the movement.

The applications to join the Seminar Staff as a Youth Dean or Adult Dean for the 2018 Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office Intergenerational Spring Seminar are now open and are due August 2nd, 2017! The 2018 Seminar, on the topic of refugees and the global migration...

On Thursday, July 13th, five speakers shared their diverse experiences working at the crossroads of counterterrorism strategy and gender equality at the UU-UNO's 2017 High-Level Political Forum Side Event.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a legally-binding and long overdue treaty to promote nuclear disarmament around the world. This treaty is a critical step toward ensuring that nuclear weapons no longer pose a threat to present and future generations.

Worldwide, women feel less safe than men in public spaces. Issues of safety and perceived safety for women are critical United Nations values, and also Unitarian Universalist values.

In April of this year, reports surfaced that the Chechen government had begun to out, detain, torture, and kill any Chechen man who is perceived as gay or bisexual.

Negotiations are underway at the United Nations to ban nuclear weapons. That is a remarkable statement. Last October, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to begin negotiations in 2017 on “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading...

Every year, June 20 marks World Refugee Day, a time to honor the courage and strength of those who are forced to flee their homeland because of conflict, violence, or persecution.

The India Chapter of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) conducted a national conference in Pondicherry, India from the 26th to 27th of May, 2017. Representatives from many states attended - giving all participants a good opportunity to interact with IARF...

The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII) is a two-week long conference that was established on July 28th, 2000 by the United Nations to address the unique issues indigenous comminutes face related to economic and social development, ecological and cultural preservation,...

For the past two years, it has been my honor to chair the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, which represents about 1,500 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) affiliated with the Department of Public Information (DPI) at the United Nations. For many years, the chair of the NGO/DPI...

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a two week long conference where events are hosted in and around the United Nations Headquarters by member states, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society. During the conference, which takes place every March in New...

Unitarian Universalists and other people of faith gathered in April 2017 for a whirlwind 3-day conference in New York City. The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office’s annual Intergenerational Spring Seminar this year was centered on the theme “ Arm in Arm: Interfaith...

This exciting invitation to Unitarian Universalists in the United States comes from the Unitarian community in Prague, on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Flower Communion this June. Dear Friends, Unitarians in Prague are celebrating the 95th Anniversary of the Flower...

Donald Trump destroys what he doesn’t have the knowledge to understand nor appreciate. This has been clear since the 1980s, and on numerous occasions he has shown tragic disregard for historical and artistic treasures. Fast forward to 2017. The President’s proposed budgets last...

The afternoon of Friday January 27, 2017 I experienced one of the most empowering events at the United Nations Headquarters. It was the 18th annual Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (CTAUN) conference titled: Refugees the 21st Century Challenge. The conference...

Bruce Knotts is the Director of the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office. In January, he travelled to Vietnam to endorse the Think Equal initiative and to China to encourage greater civil society participation at the United Nations. Here, he writes about his experience...

As the orange sun set over the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, February 16, 2017, women gathered from around the world in Pacific Grove, California to begin a three-day convocation exploring issues important to women’s rights and justice. It was the Third International Convocation of...

By Kwanique Andrews Tuesday, October 4th, 2016 will be a day that will never be forgotten in South Haiti. About 90 percent of the area that Hurricane Matthew struck was completely destroyed, affecting residents in a variety of ways. Due to the destruction, the people living in...

By Mengxi Zhao ...

Celebrate Religious Freedom Day this week, and keep in mind that "Religious Freedom" ain’t what it used to be. Yes, the historic meaning it typically brings to mind for religious liberals continues to be relevant in present day struggles: freedom of conscience in religious...

A refugee justice rally was held at South Australia's Parliament house on Saturday, December 3rd, organized by the University of Adelaide's Students Against Racism group. Rev. Rob MacPherson, Minister of the Unitarian Church of South Australia , was asked to speak at that rally...

Every year on December 10th, the world celebrates Human Rights Day. It is the anniversary of the day the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This year marks 68 years since these rights were acknowledged to belong inherently to every human...

Unitarians in Poland - Then and Now: A Historical Study Tour with the Rev. Dr. Jay Atkinson June 6-11, 2017 JOIN US on a visit to the 16th century’s Unitarian “heartland” where early religious dissenters —who called themselves the Polish Brethren—first established congregations...

In 1568, on January the 13th, the Diet of Torda (Transylvania) proclaimed: “His majesty, our Lord, in what manner he—together with his realm—legislated in the matter of religion at the previous Diets, in the same matter now, in this Diet, reaffirms that in every place the...

A troubling new initiative has just been proposed at the United Nations which threatens all human rights protection, but focused on sexual orientation/gender identity human rights. On Monday, the NGO Committee on Human Rights, of which I am a co-chair, met the newly appointed...

This guest post is from the Unitarian Universalist Peace Ministry Network (UUPMN). It was written by Ann Lundberg, a member of UUPMN and of The Unitarian Church in Westport, CT. ...

This blog post is written by Rebecca Bowe, an intern at the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office working on the Racial Justice Initiative. This summer she spent 9 days in Haiti with a mental health team, aiming to implement a mental health component to a medical clinic...

The Rev. Fulgence Ndagijimana, minister of the Unitarian Church of Burundi, provides a reaction to the recent UN Human Rights report following their investigation into events in Burundi. Since April 2015, when people massively took to the streets to oppose a controversial third...

Goals work. Lose weight, save money, set up a study schedule to improve grades. Set some goals and work towards achieving them and whether or not you achieve your goals, you’ll have improved performance over what would have been the case without goals.

Rev. Fulgence Ndagijamana, Minister of the Unitarian Church of Burundi, has distributed this important update via the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) . Dear friends, colleagues, partners and global UU family, It has been a while since we last sent...

This guest post on our blog is by Dranwell Barishisha "Barri" Mukhim. Barri is a member of the Unitarian Union of North East India; here, she writes about what Indian Independence Day (August 15) means to her as a Khasi Unitarian . India was freed from about 300 years of British...

The violent atrocities and political impasse in Burundi that have threatened our Unitarian siblings there continue to be of great concern to the international community. On July 29, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution, UN Security Council Resolution 2303 ,...

When it comes to addressing climate change, we must draw from as many sources as possible to seek creative solutions. On July 13, I attended a side event at the United Nations Headquarters titled “Getting to Zero: A Poverty, Environment, and Climate Call to Action for the...

At the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO), we work to ensure that all people’s human rights are upheld and respected, no matter who they are or what their circumstances. Although advocacy areas are often separated, with some organizations and people working to...

On the morning of August 6, seventy years after the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb, I was in Hiroshima. I entered sacred time and space in a ceremonial ritual at a place called “The Mound”—said to contain remains of the 70,000 people incinerated in the blast. A Buddhist monk stood...

From July 17-23, 2016 the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists held its biennial Council Meeting and Conference in the Netherlands. Nearly 150 people, including a large delegation of Young Adults U/Us from around the world, gathered for planning, study, worship...