The United Nations Association of New Zealand (UNA NZ) is excited to launch our Secondary School Speech Award for 2022. 

Given the dramatic global changes in response to COVID19 our annual speech award that has been running for over 35 years has had some changes. It will now be conducted nationally through video entries.  Branches may conduct in person events and record speeches to submit to the national office. Students will still be provided with feedback and a certificate of acknowledgement, this will however be done electronically.
 

The deadline for entries is 1 July 2022. 

 

For more information and to submit your video entry please see our online form here. 

Please contact office@unanz.org.nz with any questions.

 

UNA NZ AGM 2022


The United Nations Association of New Zealand's AGM will be held at 10:30am on Saturday 11 June 2022. 

The meeting will be online via google meets. Video call link: https://meet.google.com/kgi-uszo-mey


Any nominations for officeholders must be received via email to office@unanz.org.nz before 13 May. You can view a list of office holders here.

All papers will be circulated in May.

 

Book shines a light on pathways to ethical leadership


"A new book, co-authored by Professor Karin Lasthuizen from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington and James Bushell, founder of MOTIF, and UNA NZ Wellington Branch committee member, offers leaders in business and government a practical field guide to ethical leadership.

HUMANGOOD was released at a virtual launch event on Wednesday 16 February 2022. This webinar event included an insightful Q&A panel discussion with HUMANGOOD co-authors James Bushell and Professor Karin Lasthuizen, along with book contributors Aurelie de Cremiers and Sarah Harper of L’Oreal and Sam Hogg of Mingiroa Farm.

Watch a recording of the webinar on the Motif website."

 

 UN Secretary-General visits Ukraine

 

"The UN chief’s visit to the Kyiv suburbs of Borodianka, Bucha and Irpin comes nine weeks since the Russian invasion began. Mr. Guterres urged Russia “to accept to cooperate” with the ongoing investigation launched by the International Criminal Court, the ICC.

“When we see this horrendous site, it makes me feel how important it is [to have] a thorough investigation and accountability,” Mr. Guterres said, speaking from Bucha, where disturbing images of dead civilians lying in the street sparked worldwide outrage earlier this month.

He added: “I fully support the International Criminal Court and I appeal to the Russian Federation to accept to cooperate with the International Criminal Court.”

Read more about the visit here.


 

WHO recommends COVID-19 drug and urges transparency around pricing

A highly successful COVID-19 therapy must be made available to more people, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, calling for wider distribution and greater transparency surrounding its pricing. The availability, lack of price transparency in bilateral deals made by the producer, and the need for prompt and accurate testing before administering it, are turning this life-saving medicine into a major challenge for low- and middle-income countries.

Keep reading

Earth champion David Attenborough bestowed Lifetime Achievement award from the UN



In honour of David Attenborough’s dedication to research, documentation, and advocacy in protecting and restoring nature, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced on Thursday that he is the recipient of the prestigious Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award. 
 
Keep reading

NZDF peacekeepers extend mission in South Sudan and Middle East

New Zealand will extend its peacekeeping contributions in South Sudan and the Middle East.

An international relations expert said the deployments were a chance for troops to get specialist training and learn from overseas counterparts.

Three Kiwis will stay with the UN Mission in South Sudan, where New Zealand has been involved since 2011.

South Sudan achieved independence in 2011 and soon after experienced civil war for about seven years.

 
Keep reading

 Government begins drafting plan to implement UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples

 

"Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson released feedback from consultation with Māori on how New Zealand could implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Jackson said the initial consultation - 69 workshops with 370 participants over the past six months - was the first phase in developing a plan to support the declaration which New Zealand signed in 2010.

He said the next step would be the drafting of an official plan - work which would be done by Te Puni Kōkiri, the National Iwi Chairs Forum's Pou Tikanga and the Human Rights Commission - over the next couple months.

It would then be consulted on widely."

Keep reading

Wellington branch hosts event on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the role of the United Nations

Our Wellington branch hosted a successful webinar on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the role of the United Nations.


 
Thank you to our esteemed panellists: Dr. Kennedy Graham, Colin Keating, Prof. Robert Patman and Tetyana Sanders, as well as moderator Dr. Negar Partow for this kōrero. We had 67 participants join us, a fantastic turnout for an important and highly topical issue.

 

UN Verified Campaign continues with a new online course

Verified is a United Nations initiative to encourage us all to check the advice we share.
A new course from Verified and wikiHow will teach you what you need to know to fight harmful misinformation.
How do you know that the things you see online are true? Do you feel equipped to stop yourself becoming a victim of harmful misinformation?
To answer these questions and more, we invite you to sign up to the online course, ‘How To Fight Misinformation Online’.
Over the course of five lessons (delivered daily to your email inbox) you’ll learn vital skills and how to put them into practice.

Check out the course here.

Sustainable Development Goals of the month - Life on Land

"We rely on nature for our survival. Mother nature provides us with our oxygen, regulates our weather patterns, pollinates our crops. However, nature is suffering. Human activity has altered almost 75 percent of the earth’s surface, squeezing wildlife and nature into an ever-smaller corner of the planet and increasing the risks of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19.

Ending environmental decline and restoring the health of our planet is imperative despite past progress. A recent UN report on biodiversity found that around 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction and biodiversity is deteriorating faster than at any other time in human history. Declining biodiversity and degraded ecosystems driven by external pressures such as development, pollution and land use change are threatening especially poor and vulnerable communities, as narrowing sources of food, medicine, fuel and clean water combined with land degradation and soil erosion create detrimental impacts upon people’s life. Sustainable forest management is gaining ground, but deforestation remains high and affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Every year, some two million people die from neglected zoonotic diseases.

The world needs a robust plan for protecting nature and shifting to a more sustainable economy. The global COVID-19 outbreak also highlights the urgent need to address threats to ecosystems and wildlife.

In April’s Goal of the Month editorial, we focus on Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss . Check here to learn more about why the Goal matters and what you can do to advance the Sustainable Development Goals."

 

Heartfulness in collaboration with the High Commission of India, Wellington, United Nations Association of New Zealand - UNANZ and prestigious yoga institutions of the world
are offering 100-days of Yoga, FREE of charge starting from 14th March - 21st June 2022.
• Engage in a daily online practice adapted to your
needs.
• Learn from the finest yoga experts of our time.
FREE YOGA SESSIONS: yoga4unity.com/
Useful links: https://yoga4unity.thinkific.com/
https://heartfulness.org/en/

 

 
 

Read our annual publication online now. 

Earlier this year UNA NZ had planned a launch event for our annual publication with the generous support of the Irish Embassy in New Zealand. Due to Covid-19 restrictions this event is postponed indefinitely. For now, we are soft launching the electronic version of our annual publication so that citizens can still learn about and engage with the work of the UN. 

UNA News is our annual publication and includes the latest reports from our branches, national activities and events as well as updates from the wider UN family both in New Zealand and internationally.  The latest edition of the UNA NZ News includes a conference feature, internship reports and captures all our key events throughout 2020. It also includes research papers into climate-related threats to human rights in the pacific, the nuclear ban treaty, te ao Māori and the SDGs and more.

UNA NZ extends its thanks to all those involved in our activities during this period, our dedicated interns and experts who carried out research and our team of editors who complied, edited and formatted this publication. 

You can read the publication here.