Iowa UNA and UN Related Programs
The Iowa UNA holds Annual Programs In addition to the Iowa UNA’s quarterly newsletter, The Forum, and regular events, the Iowa UNA also participates and coordinates the following annual programs.
UN Day
UN Day is October 24! Each year the Iowa UNA, UNA-USA chapters across Iowa and across the country plan UN Day celebrations.
International Women's Month Celebration
March is International Women’s Month and with it the Iowa UNA holds the Night of 1,000 Dinners, an international buffet-style dinner with a speaker, music and fun to raise money for UN agencies that help women and girls around the world.
Iowa UNA Annual Assembly
Iowa UNA members from across the state meet each April to celebrate the Iowa UNA.
UN Day of Older Persons
The UN Day of Older Persons is October 1. Each year the Iowa UNA collaborates with the University of Iowa Aging Studies Department, the Johnson County Senior Center, the Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence: Global Health Initiatives, University of Iowa International Programs and the UI School of Social Work to celebrate aging.
The United Nations Day of Older Persons Celebration focused on international perspectives on aging and culture. Each year a country is spotlighted and the public is invited to sample foods, traditions, language and culture from that country.
The Iowa UNA Supports Model UN
American Model United Nations College students from across Iowa attend the American Model UN in Chicago each year in November. The Iowa UNA helps support their transportation by chartering buses for their trip. Model UN groups from the following take part: Iowa State University, Drake University, University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa, Drake University, Luther College, and Coe College.
Iowa High School Model United Nations
The Iowa UNA sponsors the Iowa High School Model United Nations Conference (IHSMUN) held every April at the University of Northern Iowa.
Iowa Youth Symposium on the United Nations
High School students from around Iowa decide the US’ role at the UN on four topics (economic, political, science, social) at the Iowa Youth Symposium held every October at the State Capital in Des Moines.
The Iowa UNA takes delegations to UN Conferences
Sustainable Futures for Iowa Forty five students from the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and Grinnell College took part in the "Sustainable Futures for Iowa" program. They produced twelve papers describing their vision for a sustainable Iowa. Eight students attended the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002.
Engaging Iowans in the Dialogue of Climate Change: Experiences in Copenhagen and in Iowa The Iowa United Nations Association sponsored a delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2010. Iowa UNA members along with students from the Drake University, Grinnell College, Iowa State University, University of Iowa and Wartburg Seminary traveled to COP15 with help from the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER), the Drake Agricultural Law Center, the University of Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates, the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights, the University of Iowa Office of the Provost. Student delegates kept blogs of their experiences and upon their return, presented programs on climate change to communities across Iowa.
Kirkwood Student Alliance
UNA-USA Student Alliance is an action-oriented member-focused program to meet the needs of today’s globally minded middle school, high school, and undergraduate college students. Student Alliance is dedicated to educating, inspiring, and mobilizing American students to support the principles and vital work of the United Nations, strengthening the United Nations system, promoting constructive United States leadership in that system, and achieving the goals of the United Nations Charter. With the spirit of change in the air, UNA-USA's Student Alliance seeks to engage students in a nationwide network of motivated individuals, student advocacy groups, international affairs clubs, and Model UN teams who stand poised to collectively sound their voices and make their opinions heard amongst their peers, in their communities, across the nation and around the world! President Obama and his top officials have pledged to strengthen America’s global leadership through a renewed emphasis on international cooperation, diplomacy, and active participation at the United Nations, and now is your time to get involved!
Student Alliance's four main focus areas include: Human Rights and International Justice, Building International Consensus on Climate Change, Millennium Development Goals, and Strengthening the United Nations.
To join the Kirkwood Community College Student Alliance contact Jeremy Brigham at brighamjeremy@q.com To start your own Student Alliance see http://www.unausa.org/studentalliance/
