Media Contact:
Suzanne Morse
Ph: (508) 259-9354
Email: smorse@uua.org

Boston, Mass. (October 16, 2024) – The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) are announcing a new partnership to advance Unitarian Universalist (UU) values and support UUSC’s international advocacy agenda.

The two organizations are building a new level of collaboration and partnership for the Unitarian Universalist presence at the United Nations (UN), which dates back to the merger of the Unitarian and Universalist traditions in 1961. This collective work will center frontline impacted communities and their expertise and support the denomination’s efforts to advance human rights.

“In a world faced with a barrage of human rights issues, those of us who are invested in justice must work together to ensure our efforts are combined for greater impact - especially for those who labor under oppressive forces,” said Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, the UUA’s President. “The United Nations is a unique space for impact, and has multiple historic connection points with Unitarian Universalism and its values. We are meeting this moment to advance human rights domestically and globally and join in partnership with our sibling organization UUSC as it is positioned to drive these shared commitments forward.”

With this new partnership, UUSC will lead in direct advocacy at the United Nations and beyond, following the leadership of UUSC grassroots partners. UUSC will invite the engagement of UUs and other progressive people of faith across the country to join in this partner-led advocacy, utilizing the UUA’s reach of engagement with its member congregations and opportunities for collaboration. The UUA will retain its historic ties to the international body while supporting and amplifying the work of UUSC as its partner.

Priorities for international advocacy will include climate and environmental justice; justice for those in migration; human rights crisis response; gender-based and LGBTQ+-equity, including reproductive justice; responding to increased identity-based criminalization; and addressing state-sponsored violence and disarmament.

In alignment with a strong commitment to international advocacy and solidarity, UUSC hired a new Global Advocacy Strategist, human rights attorney Mayuri Anupindi, to lead the institution’s work with the UN. Ms. Anupindi brings years of experience working in Geneva and the United States supporting United Nation’s human rights frameworks. Her work focuses on bringing international voices from grassroots civil society organizations into mainstream conversations around the most pressing issues facing the world.

“UUSC is grateful for the partnership with the UUA in advancing the calls to justice from grassroots partners creating solutions and driving change around the world. This partnership, guided by our shared values, is a foundation for our commitment to dismantling systems of oppression and advancing human rights,” said Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, president of UUSC.

For more information on the UUSC’s work at the UN, including ways to support their efforts, please visit www.uusc.org/UN.

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About the UUA:

The UUA is the central organization for the Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious movement in the United States. Our faith is diverse and inclusive and the UUA’s 1000+ member congregations are committed to shared values that put love at the center and advance justice, equity, transformation, pluralism, interdependence, and generosity.