In October 2016, the United Nations General Assembly 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. The legally binding treaty...

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 Bishop of The...

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 government...

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 crisis, will be April...

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.

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 towards their total...

An old activist friend of mine, Fran Peavey, used to travel the world’s benches in the 1970s and 80s with a simple sign that read, "American Willing to Listen." We’d be looking at a different political landscape now if only more of us had. Flying home from a recent trip, I couldn’t reach any...

Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President the Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray issued the following statement in response to today’s Supreme Court decision regarding President Trump’s executive order on travel:The UUA is profoundly disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court did not uphold the...

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. This year, bringing awareness and supporting refugees is more important than ever. The United Nations Refugee Agency,...

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 activities, to...

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, and human rights....

Peter and Phyllis Morales have quietly shared their home with the family of two Mayan human rights activists since 2014.

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....

Each year the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) hosts our Intergenerational Spring Seminar. Our 2017 theme was Arm in Arm: Interfaith Action to Disarm Our Planet, looking at how people of faith can work together to make a difference and move our world toward peace instead of...

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 Action to Disarm Our...