Celebrating 80 years of UNA-UK
The United Nations Association - UK (UNA-UK) has been a leading advocate for the UN from its inception. Our mission in 2025 remains the same as it was in 1945: enshrining the values of the UN in the hearts and minds of the public, ensuring strong UK support for the Organization, and advocating ways to make the UN more effective.
Growing out of the League of Nations Union, UNA-UK's first meeting took place in London on 7 June 1945, before the UN Charter had been finalised. When the Charter opened for signatures on 26 June, the now familiar preamble declared “We the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. The ‘peoples’ had been recognised, and there was a people’s movement ready to support UN.
More than eight decades later, the need for the UN – and UNA-UK – has never been greater. Together with our UK-wide network of members and supporters, and our partner UN Associations across the world, we continue to make the case for a strong, credible and effective UN and campaign for a safer, fairer and more sustainable world.
Over the coming months, in celebration of our 80th anniversary, we will be sharing archive material, stories and testimonies that document our journey from 1945 to 2025.
Read more on our history:
60 years of UNA-UK by Frank Field