At our recent Activist Summit, UNA-UK members and supporters from across the country gathered to discuss and take action on the selection process of the next United Nations Secretary-General. All participants committed to undertake at least one action in their local community in support of UNA-UK's 1 for 7 Billion campaign.
Since the Summit in March, participants have reported on their success:
- North London member, Roger Hallam, shared how he had contacted and had conversations with individuals from six diaspora communities in his area, highlighting the relevance of the coming UN Secretary-General selection and pointing them to the 1 for 7 Billion website.
- Patricia Rogers shared how she has set up her first Facebook and Twitter accounts and wants to promote the campaign.
- Philip Brown, based in Coventry, organised a 1 for 7 Billion-focused event. He tweeted questions and conducted an online public poll and mock election of current Secretary-General candidates.
We are still receiving updates from our members and supporters, who are currently organising activities, planning stalls at public events, encouraging local schools and colleges to ask questions, handing out flyers and starting new initiatives to raise awareness about 1 for 7 Billion ahead of the appointment of a new Secretary-General later this year.
Together, we are making a difference. In response to the campaign, the UN General Assembly, in New York, held its first ever hearings with UN Secretary-General candidates answering questions from both nation states and civil society.
UNA-UK complemented this with the first ever head-to-head debate with Secretary-General candidates in New York, to which ordinary people from 161 countries around the world submitted over 35,000 questions. UNA-UK is organising a second opportunity for candidates to present their manifestos and answer questions from the public and experts. This event will be held in London's prestigious Barbican Centre on 3 June 2016, click here to book your ticket.
