© 2025 United Nations Association - Minnesota Chapter
United Nations Association of the USA
Minnesota Chapter
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Dedicated to educating, inspiring and mobilizing Minnesotans to support the principles and vital work of the United Nations and its Agencies.
JOIN US IN COMMEMORATING
TWO UNIQUE AND VITAL EVENTS
September 21
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October 24
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The Mission of the United Nations Association
The mission of UNA-USA (United Nations Association of the USA) is to educate, inspire, and mobilize Americans to support the United Nations, strengthen the UN system, promote constructive US leadership in the UN, and achieve the goals outlined in the UN Charter. They aim to foster a strong US-UN relationship and encourage public and political support for the UN among Americans.
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​This includes promoting human rights, sustainable development, international peace and security, and other goals outlined in the UN Charter.
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Take the next step -- join our organization and help shape the future.
Click on this link to join and choose Minnesota as your local chapter.
Explore the UN Charter
This country and the world needs the UN more than ever. Conflict and turmoil are spreading daily and the one organization designed by the hand of humankind that can specifically address these sorts of conflicts are impeded by outmoded provisions of how the UN is currently designed. Read the following excerpts from the UN Charter, and see if this vision isn't something you would prefer rather than conflict. If you would like to see the UN succeed, join us in advancing the purpose and progress of the UN.
WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED
to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
AND FOR THESE ENDS
to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and
to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,
HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS.
Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations. ...
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Read the full text of the UN Charter here.
Download your own copy of the UN Charter here.
2026: The International Year of the Women Farmers — A Recognition
That was Long Overdue
by Geoffrey Kaweesa
UNA-MN Board Member
On May 2, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly officially adopted a resolution declaring 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF 2026). Read more from the U.N. Food and Agracultural Organization here.
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In my view, this recognition was long overdue.
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In most parts of the world, particularly in developing countries, women have always been at the heart of agriculture and food production. They plant, cultivate, harvest, process, preserve, and prepare food. They care for livestock, manage household food security, raise children, and pass agricultural knowledge from one generation to another.
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Yet, despite their enormous contribution, women farmers have historically received far less recognition, resources, and decision-making power than their male counterparts.
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My understanding of this issue is deeply personal.
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Growing up in Uganda, East Africa, I remember my grandmother being at the center of our family's agricultural life. She was responsible for cultivating the land and growing food that fed our family. She worked tirelessly, while also caring for and teaching us, her grandchildren.
Her work was not described as a "career." It was simply what women were expected to do.
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And her story was not unique.
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In our village, and across many communities in Uganda, countless women were, and are still doing the same thing, working the land, producing food, raising families, and sustaining communities, often with little recognition and limited control over the resources they depend upon. This is where the International Year of the Woman Farmer becomes particularly important.
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Recognition must go beyond celebration.
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If we truly want to honor women farmers, we must address the structural inequalities that continue to limit their opportunities.
Women farmers need meaningful access to land ownership and tenure security. They need access to credit, agricultural inputs, technology, extension services, markets, education, climate-resilient farming practices, and decision-making spaces.
​It is difficult to tell women that they are essential to food security while denying them equal rights to own and control the land on which that food is produced.
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Land is not simply an economic asset in many rural communities. It represents security, independence, inheritance, identity, and power.
When women do not have secure land rights, their ability to invest in agriculture, access financial services, make long-term decisions, and protect themselves and their families is significantly weakened.
Governments, development institutions, civil society organizations, financial institutions, agricultural organizations, and communities should use 2026 to examine the policies and practices that prevent women from achieving equal participation in agriculture.
We should also recognize that women farmers are not merely beneficiaries of development. They are economic actors, innovators, entrepreneurs, food producers, environmental stewards, and community leaders.
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My grandmother may never have received an award for her contribution to agriculture. She may never have appeared in a development report or policy paper. But she was, and she’s still a farmer. She fed her family.
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She educated and nurtured the next generation.
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And she contributed to the food security of her community.
Millions of women like her have done the same around the world.
2026 should be more than a year of recognition. It should be a year of transformation.
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Let us make sure that when we celebrate the woman farmer, we also fight for her right to own land, access resources, earn an income, make decisions, and shape the future of agriculture on equal terms. Because women have been feeding the world for generations.
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It is time the world fully recognizes, and invests in them.​
Learn About Your UNA Minnesota Chapter.
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ACTION ALERT
President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026
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The Administration released the President's Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026, which included severe proposed cuts to U.S. contributions to the United Nations.
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The United Nations plays a vital role in promoting peace, security, development, and human rights—efforts that directly benefit the United States and help save lives across the globe. As a founding member of the UN, the U.S. has long been at the center of decisions that ensure we are safer, stronger, and more prosperous. Proposed budget cuts for fiscal year 2026 threaten to weaken U.S. leadership at the UN, jeopardizing both our security and the lives of vulnerable people worldwide.
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Restoring funding is essential to sustaining peacekeeping operations, advancing global health, and addressing international crises—efforts that save lives and protect communities. The world’s problems won’t wait, and neither can we.
For More Information, See the Better World Campaign’s Statement.
Fascinating UN Facts
Most countries spend less than 1% of their national income on foreign aid; even small increases could make a big difference
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Foreign aid has played a crucial role in improving the lives of millions around the world, from supplying food during famines to fighting diseases such as polio, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.
These big successes have been achieved with a relatively small amount of money. In 2023, the world gave around $240 billion in foreign aid — a tiny fraction of most rich countries’ economies. In fact, only five developed countries met the UN’s target to give 0.7% of their gross national income (GNI) to foreign aid.
As you can see in the chart, most aid comes from governments, not large private philanthropic donors. This means that citizens can strongly influence the global aid budget by building public support for more generous aid budgets from our governments.
Let’s imagine that the public in developed countries pressured their governments to step up and meet the UN’s 0.7% target. If all developed countries achieved this, we’d add an extra $216 billion, almost doubling the amount of foreign aid from governments.
Read an important article by Hannah Ritchie (Our World in Data) on foreign aid and the United Nations by scanning this QR code.
Act For Our Common Future
Embrace the possible. That’s the call of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, a blueprint for a better world. We don’t have to wait for the future we want—we can create it right now. Everyone can join the global movement for change.
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ActNow is the United Nations campaign to inspire people to act for the Sustainable Development Goals.
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The Goals can improve life for all of us. Cleaner air. Safer cities. Equality. Better jobs. These issues matter to everyone. But progress is too slow. We have to act, urgently, to accelerate changes that add up to better lives on a healthier planet.
What happens when millions of people act together for our common future? A lot. Join the campaign to learn more— and do more.
