Strengthening trans-Tasman ties: UNA Australia and UNA New Zealand

Joy Dunsheath MNZM, Executive Member of the United Nations Association of New Zealand (UNANZ) and Vice Chair of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), reports on her recent visit to Brisbane, Australia.

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Every day the United Nations works to tackle global challenges. It is supported by United Nations Associations which have millions of members and supporters. Dr Donnell Davis, President of the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) convened a meeting in Brisbane which included many UNAA members online. Attending the meeting included Karim Dickie, UNA NZ President along with Jay Jethwa, Vice President of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), who represents Australia at WFUNA, Joy Dunsheath, Vice Chair of WFUNA, Annette Brownlie, President of the UNAA Queensland, and David Dunsheath, UNA NZ Wellington Branch Member.

The meeting took place in Brisbane's South Bank with guests able to attend virtually from across Australia.

Following introductions, Joy Dunsheath and Jay Jethwa spoke about WFUNA, describing the aims and objectives along with recent initiatives. We emphasised the WFUNA Plenary to be held in Geneva in 2025 which coincides with the 80^th Anniversary of the United Nations. Many WFUNA programmes were discussed and UNAA members were encouraged to view the WFUNA website for further details.

Karim Dickie shared recent UNA NZ events and plans, as did UNAA along with their strategy to 2030. We discussed how we could work together with advocacy groups for the Indo -Pacific region and how we could strengthen WFUNA.

In addition to these discussions, there was a significant focus on the agenda about importance of grassroots engagement and the role of local branches in addressing global challenges. Attendees shared insights on various advocacy efforts and the necessity of fostering strong connections between national and local initiatives. The conversation highlighted the crucial role that local branches play in amplifying the voices of the community and ensuring that the global goals of the UN are effectively translated into actionable plans at the local level.

A plan is to widen these initiatives to involve more Indo-Pacific - Asia-Pacific UNAs. We hope to have more Pacific UNAs established soon. This was the first time for many years that UNAA and UNA NZ have collaborated.

Dr Donnell Davis, President of the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA), Joy Dunsheath MNZM, Executive Member of the United Nations Association of New Zealand (UNANZ) and Vice Chair of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), Karim Dickie, President of the United Nations Association of New Zealand (UNA NZ)