General Election – Question Time
2024-06-29 12:30 - 14:00 UTC | Leamington Spa Baptist Church, Chandos Street, Leamington Spa,, England, CV32 4RN, United Kingdom
On 29th June, 12:30 – 14:00, UNA Warwick are hosting a General Election – Question Time at the Leamington Spa Baptist Church, CV32 4RN. Please send questions to the Chair.

The Decline of the Unipolar World - and what the future world order looks like
2024-07-06 10:30 | Salvation Army Hall, Salvation Army Hall, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England, AL5 2TG, United Kingdom
On 6th July, 10:30, at the Salvation Army Hall, Harpenden AL5 2TG, UNA Harpenden is hosting a hybrid talk on The Decline of the Unipolar World Order – and what the future world order looks like by Professor Glenn Diesen, University of South-Eastern Norway. Please register here to attend in-person or online.

Wars, Militarism and the Arms Trade – How Peace Activists Can Make a Difference
2024-07-09 18:00 - 20:00 | England
On 9th July, 18:00-20:00, Uniting for Peace will be holding a webinar on Wars, Militarism and the Arms Trade – How Peace Activists Can Make a Difference. Speakers will include Rita Payne, President Emeritus, Commonwealth Journalists Association, Vijay Mehta, author How Not to Go to War, Alfred de Zayas, international law expert and lawyer, Andrew Feinstein, Director, Shadow World Investigations, Taylor O’Connor, conflict researcher and peace-building practitioner, Rosa Brooks (TBC), law professor. In a world marked by persistent conflicts, rampant militarism, and the flourishing arms trade, this conference serves as a vital platform for dialogue, collaboration, and action. Please register here and join the conference here.

Modern Slavery, trafficking and human rights
2024-07-09 19:00 | Balham Library, Balham Library, London, England, SW12 8QY, United Kingdom
On 9th July, 19:00, UNA Streatham and Clapham is hosting a hybrid event on Modern Slavery, trafficking and human rights: lessons from the work of NGOs, governments and United Nations organisations. The speaker will be Salem Mezhoud, who will assess the successes, the challenges and what remains to be done on these issues from his perspective from more than 30 years working with NGOs, governments and UN organisations, particularly in the Sahel and northern Africa. The event will be in Balham Library, SW12 8QY, or on zoom with this registration link.

Women’s grassroots organisations in networking and obtaining grants from the UNA London Trust
2024-07-10 18:30 | The Community Church, Werter Road, London, England, London SW15 2LL, United Kingdom
On 10th July, 18:45, at The Community Church, Putney, London SW15 2LL, UNA Wandsworth, with other members of South London UNA, is running an event to support women’s grassroots organisations in networking and obtaining grants from the UNA London Trust. The facilitator will be Gillian Dare, UNA LASER, and the speakers will include Peter Webster, UNA LASER. For further information and to register, please contact the Chair.

Movement for the Abolition of War
2024-09-14 10:30 - 16:00 | Sands Film Studio, Sands Film Studio, Rotherhithe, London, England, SE16 4HZ, United Kingdom
On 14th September, 10:30 – 16:00, the Movement for the Abolition of War is holding a hybrid conference on Alternatives to War in a Time of Global Crisis at Sands Film Studio, Rotherhithe, SE16 4HZ and online. “The positive news is that we can still prevent climate breakdown, not least through rapid decarbonisation, through modifying the economic system so that it works for everyone, and through demilitarising our approach to security. The numerous failed wars of the last 25 years should convince us that ‘If war is the answer it must be a very stupid question’.” Speakers include John Gittings, Towards a World Voice Diplomacy, Diana Francis former President of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Paul Rogers, Peace Studies Professor Emeritus at Bradford University, Jonathan Cohen, Executive Director of Conciliation Resources Andrei Gomez-Suarez, Director, Rodeemos el Diálogo, Colombia, Gwen Burnyeat, University of Edinburgh, Tanya Hubbard, conflict transformation facilitator. Suggested donation £10.50. Find more information and book here.

Study Tour to the UN in Vienna
2024-09-16 - 2024-09-20 | England
On 16th-20th September UNA Westminster is organising a 5-day, 6-night Study Tour to the UN in Vienna. It will include presentations by several UN agencies and by leading diplomatic institutes, as well as opportunities to visit the Sigmund Freud and Peace museums and fully to enjoy this delightful city. Without any commitment, please register your interest here.

Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
2024-09-17 10:00 - 12:00 | England
On 17th September, 10:00-12:00, ODI with Migration for Development and Equality (MIDEQ) is hosting a roundtable on Migration decision-making: beyond political rhetoric and guesswork, looking at the latest evidence on migration decision-making and the role of inequalities in migrants’ use of intermediaries, at ODI, 203 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8NJ. Please register (for in-person or online attendance) here.

Artificial Intelligence For a Changed World A Challenge for the UN
2024-09-17 19:30 | England

A Second United nations Charter: Modernizing the UN for a New Generation
2024-09-19 | England
Please click on this attachment: Introduction_ A Second Charter_ Modernizing the UN for a New Generation

Increasing Supply and Equitable Access to Social Housing
2024-09-20 05:00 - 19:00 | England
On 20th September, 17:00-19:00, UNA Luton is hosting a free webinar on Increasing Supply and Equitable Access to Social Housing. The speakers will be Dr Suzanne Muna, Co-Founder of the Social Housing Action Campaign, Professor Stewart Smyth, Cork Business School, Dr David Cheesman, former Head of Policy Research and Statistics at the Housing Corporation. The focus will be on increasing the supply of – and equitable access to – social housing in the UK, with the possibility of finding social justice solutions also applicable to governments and NGOs in other democratic countries. The zoom link is here (with passcode [REDACTED], if needed).

The Failure of the British Planning System
2024-09-21 10:30 | Salvation Army Hall, Salvation Army Hall, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England, AL5 2TG, United Kingdom
On 21st September, 10:30, at the Salvation Army Hall, Harpenden AL5 2TG, UNA Harpenden is hosting a hybrid on The Failure of the British Planning System: how it creates unaffordable housing, divides the generations, forces longer commutes, and costs prosperity by Professor Paul Cheshire, London School of Economics.
Please register here to attend, either in-person or via Zoom (a Zoom link will be sent to you after registration.)

Planning the British Economy: for a generational divide, longer commutes and lost prosperity
2024-09-21 10:30 | Salvation Army Hall, Salvation Army Hall, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England, AL5 2TG, United Kingdom
On 21 st September, 10:30, at the Salvation Army Hall, Harpenden AL5 2TG, UNA Harpenden is hosting a hybrid on Planning the British Economy: for a generational divide, longer commutes and lost prosperity by Professor Paul Cheshire, London School of Economics. The British land use planning system is internationally an outlier which we exported to our colonies. The result is that almost the only cities with housing costs as unaffordable as London are Vancouver, Toronto, Auckland and Sydney, as well as some in India. In most European countries there are reciprocal obligations, legally enforceable, so that national priorities have to inform local plans, and local priorities have to inform national plans (for infrastructure or housing provision). And if the democratically agreed local plan says a development is legal, then it automatically gets permission. Please register here to attend.

A Case for the UN Transitional Authority in Gaza
2024-09-28 12:30 - 14:00 | Leamington Spa Baptist Church, Chandos Street, Leamington Spa,, England, CV32 4RN, United Kingdom
On 28th September, 12:30-13:45, Warwick District UNA is hosting a free hybrid talk and debate at Leamington Spa Baptist Church, CV32 4RN on A Case for the UN Transitional Authority in Gaza. The speaker will be Richard Caplan, Professor of International Relations at Oxford University, former editor World Policy Journal and former advisor to the House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs. The UN has experience – such as in Cambodia, East Timor and Namibia – of providing ‘transitional authority’ temporary governance arrangements to facilitate transition from violent conflict. To register, please contact Gian Clare. The zoom link is here.

the Women’s Federation of World Peace by UNA Harpenden
2024-10-13 18:30 | High Street Methodist Church, High Street Methodist Church, AL5 2RU
On 13th October, 18:30, at the High Street Methodist Church, AL5 2RU, UNA Harpenden is holding its annual Service for UN Day, with an address on the Women’s Federation of World Peace (WFWP) by Patricia Earle (WFWP Vice President). Please register here to attend.

The East-West European Conflict: historical drivers, prejudices and their relevance in a multi-polar world
2024-10-19 10:00 | England
On 19th October, 10:15, UNA Harpenden is holding a free hybrid meeting on The East-West European Conflict: historical drivers, prejudices and their relevance in a multi-polar world. The speaker will be Emeritus Professor Richard Sakwa (University of Kent). Please register here to attend.

UN Day Celebration
2024-10-26 10:30 | Balham Mandir, Balham Mandir, SW12 9AL
On 26th October approx. 10:30 (precise time to be confirmed), the Balham Mandir (Hindu temple) – through UNA Wandsworth and Clapham – invites us to join their UN Day Celebration at Balham Mandir, SW12 9AL. It will include Aarti (ceremony of light) and blessing of food. Numbers are limited so, for further information and to register, please contact UNA Wandsworth Chair.

Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in the Community
2024-10-27 17:30 | England
On 27th October, 17:30, UNA Canterbury’s annual UNA Service for Peace, will be held in Canterbury Cathedral. The service – which brings together many community organisations working to create a fairer, more sustainable world – will this year focus on Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in the Community. The keynote address will be by Councillor Alan Baldock, Leader of Canterbury City Council and SDG Champion. For those who cannot attend in person, the event will be live-streamed on the Canterbury cathedral’s YouTube channel.

LASER AGM 2024
2024-11-02 00:00 - 05:00 | Bermondsey Village Hall, Kirby Grove, London, SE1 3TD
Our AGM will be a hybrid event on Saturday, 2nd November, 12:00 – 17:00 at Bermondsey Village Hall, Kirby Grove, London SE1 3TD. We hope many of you will join us in person. Directions to the hall from London Bridge mainline station are here. The event will start at 12 noon. If you plan to come in person, please register here to help us judge numbers for refreshments, though last minute attendees are very welcome too! (Please bring a packed lunch.) If you plan to join us by Zoom, please register here. We shall email out the papers to those who have registered for the AGM on 23rd October. There will not be paper copies available for everyone at the meeting.

Ascending Global Order: rising powers and the politics of status in international institutions
2024-11-09 10:30 | Salvation Army Hall, Salvation Army Hall, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England, AL5 2TG, United Kingdom
On 9th November, 10:30, UNA Harpenden is holding a free hybrid public lecture at the Salvation Army Hall, Harpenden AL5 2TG on Ascending Global Order: rising powers and the politics of status in international institutions by Dr Rohan Mukherjee, London School of Economics and Political Science. Drawing on evidence from the last two centuries, this talk will show that the rising powers value not just wealth and security but also status as equals of the great powers. To register (to attend in person or online), please go here. The zoom link is here.

The Ocean Symposium and Marine Exhibition
2024-11-16 10:00 | St Peter’s Community Centre, St Peter’s Community Centre, Bexhill TN41 2HE, United Kingdom
On 16th November, 10:00, at St Peter’s Community Centre, Bexhill, TN40 2HE, UNA Climate and Oceans, with Sussex Marine and Coastal Forum, Sussex Wildlife Trust, Sussex Underwater, and Sussex Dolphin Project are holding The Ocean Symposium and Marine Exhibition, with presentations and panel discussions on marine conservation, as well as marine art. There will be a chance to meet academics, policy makers, community leaders and business leaders. For further information and to register, please follow this link. The cost is £6 to attend in person; if it is sold out apply here for a free zoom link.

Climate and Sustainability Youth Summit 2024
2024-11-23 13:30 - 18:00 | England
On 23rd November, 13:30-18:00, UNA Climate and Oceans – with the Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society, and Imperial College, London – is hosting the free Climate and Sustainability Youth Summit 2024 at Imperial College, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2BX to discuss the outcomes of COP29 and develop proposals for future action. Speakers include Professor Jim Skea, Chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr Carl Wright, Secretary General Emeritus, Commonwealth Local Government Forum, Dr Joyce Kimutai, Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College, Dr Balasubramanyan Chandra Mohan, Institute of Commonwealth Studies. Please register here.

Trust deficit and rising militarisation challenge to UN disarmament efforts
2024-11-30 12:30 | Leamington Spa Baptist Church, Chandos Street, Leamington Spa,, England, CV32 4RN, United Kingdom
On 30th November, 12:30, UNA Warwick District is hosting, at Leamington Spa Baptist Church, Chandos Street, CV32 4RN, a free hybrid meeting on Trust deficit and rising militarisation challenge to UN disarmament efforts, with speaker Trine Rosengen Pejstrup, Danish Institute for International Studies, exploring how trust deficits between UN member states and declining confidence in the UN’s capabilities critically impact disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation. To register and ask for zoom link, please contact the Chair.

Mountain Communities and their Livelihoods
2024-12-07 14:00 | St Ann’s RC Church, Kingston Hill, England, KT2 7LX, United Kingdom
On 7th December, 14:00, at St Ann’s RC Church, Kingston Hill, KT2 7LX UNA Streatham and Clapham are holding a free meeting on Mountain Communities and their Livelihoods – as part of the UN General Assembly 5-year action plan for the Development of Mountain Regions – to explore the importance of these regions for global sustainability and the challenges facing those who live there. To register interest and get directions, please email the Chair.

Christmas Social Seminar
2024-12-14 14:00 - 17:00 | St Peter’s Community Centre, St Peter’s Community Centre, Bexhill TN41 2HE, United Kingdom
On 14th December, 14:00–17:00, at St Peter’s Community Centre, Bexhill, TN40 2HE, UNA Bexhill and Hastings are holding their free Christmas Social Seminar, with a talk and discussion accompanied by a tea and wine reception. To register and for more information, please contact the Chair.

Bangladeshi community on Human Rights Day
2024-12-16 16:00 | Eastbourne Town Hall, Grove Rd, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 4UG, United Kingdom
On 16th December, 16:00, at Eastbourne Town Hall, UNA Eastbourne, with the Bangladeshi community, will be marking Human Rights Day, with addresses from Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde, Eastbourne Mayor Candy Vaughan, and Film Director Leena Gazi (who will introduce her film Rising Silence, embodying the struggle for peace and human rights around the world). The film will be followed by a Bangladeshi Food Buffet. Tickets are £8, with proceeds supporting the 9th Eastbourne International Film Festival. For further information and for the booking link, see the poster.

EBUNA SDG Interim Research Report on Food Poverty in Enfield
2024-12-18 15:00 - 16:30 | Conference Room Civic Centre, 1st floor, Enfield Civic Centre, Silver Street,, London, England, EN1 3FH, United Kingdom
On 18th December, 15:00-16:30 at the Conference Room Civic Centre, 1st floor, Enfield Civic Centre, Silver Street, London, EN1 3FH and online (password 249303), UNA Enfield and the Barnets is launching the EBUNA SDG Interim Research Report on Food Poverty in Enfield (see above). Through a combination of desk research and field research with local providers they have found interesting insights and questions which can be explored with all stakeholders and concerned local citizens. Seasonal refreshments will be served. For further information, please contact Ali Hessami.

Conflict, Resilience and Justice: Tackling Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Africa
2025-01-18 12:30 - 14:00 | England
On 18th January, 12:35-13:45, Warwick UNA are holding a meeting online and at the Leamington Spa Baptist Church, Chandos Street, Leamington Spa, CV32 4RN, with feminist activist, psychologist and author, Dr Helen Liebling, speaking on Conflict, Resilience and Justice: Tackling Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Africa. Dr Liebling has worked extensively in Uganda, Liberia, Rwanda, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Her books and articles have advanced global understanding of trauma recovery and justice for survivors. The talk will be preceded by a short AGM. The zoom link is here, with ID 862 9714 0947 and passcode [REDACTED]. For further information, please contact the Chair.

Blue Monday Party
2025-01-20 07:00 - 21:00 | England
On 20th January, 19.00-21.00 UNA Medway will be holding a Blue Monday Party. This is to combat the January blues on the day psychologists identify as the most depressing day of the year. The aim is to turn this into a celebration of the amazing work the UN (and UNA-UK and its groups) have undertaken over the years. Please do come and join us. For more details contact UNA Medway chair.

Burns Supper
2025-01-25 17:30 | England
On 25th January, 17:45, at the Park Hall, AL5 2LZ, UNA Harpenden is holding a Burns Supper to celebrate the life and poetry of Robert Burns. It will cost £25 per head. Please make your reservations here.
