Keeping Britain Global

Everybody in the UK benefits from the international system – from laws that govern trade and protect our rights, to institutions that deal with shared challenges.

But the proceeds of globalisation have not been evenly distributed. Many perceive a Britain that is more ‘global’ as more dangerous, more foreign, and more ‘other’.

In some countries, embracing this trend has led to electoral advantage, at least in the short-term. But this is not a strategy for the future. Britain’s long-term interests require a different approach. Increasingly, our prosperity and security depend on factors that we cannot control alone. Now, more than ever, Britain’s national interest and the UN Charter’s vision of a peaceful and more just world are one and the same. 

These issues should be bigger than party politics. We seek to establish a cross party consensus on the value of the United Nations, and the need for a principled, engaged Britain. 

You can read our report here, and read more about the campaign here.

Our evaluation of the UK's performance is based on those areas where we believe the UK can make a useful contribution at a global level, and where we feel Britain’s willingness to take action will provide a fair and appropriate test of Britain’s support for the rules-based international order. We have identified five such areas, and you can read about them below.

During the 2019 General Election UNA-UK examined the foreign policy implications of party manifestos. We published our own manifesto and collected an exclusive set of statements provided by political parties on their attitude to the United Nations. We also encouraged grass-roots engagement by providing our members and supporters with a canvassing guide and hustings pack.