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The Latest from UNA-NCA

February 25, 2026

Viewing the World Through a UN Lens

Graduate Fellows 2026

December 18, 2025

Through the World Bank Community Connections Campaign, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), or United Way NCA.

How to support UNA-NCA this giving season:

  1. Donate online at unanca.org or via wire transfer (details provided upon request)
  2. Mail a check to UNA-NCA at 2300 N Street NW, Suite #350, Washington DC 20037
  3. Join our UNA-NCA Legacy Circle with monthly automatic donations of $25 or more
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December 17, 2025

Human Rights Awards 2025

By Suchitra Acharjee, Executive Assistant to the President

On December 10, the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area (UNA-NCA) hosted its annual Human Rights Awards Ceremony at the United Nations Foundation in Washington, DC, in observance of International Human Rights Day and the 77th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

December 10, 2025

Volare Written Piece

Volare was founded in Washington, DC in 2012 (formerly the Network for Victim Recovery of DC) to answer a simple but urgent question: what can we do to ensure every survivor of crime can heal and pursue justice on their own terms? From day one, our answer has been comprehensive and practical—free wraparound support and services delivered together, and a motivation to ensure the existing responses to harm can meet the diverse needs of survivors. Today, Volare is a 501(c)(3) serving all survivors of crime with free legal, therapeutic, and advocacy services, while advancing policy and practice change across the District and beyond.

December 10, 2025

Remarks by Uzra Zeya delivered November 7, 2025

Thank you to the INHR for hosting this event and to my esteemed co-panelists. I also want to welcome civil society colleagues and representatives of UN member states joining this important discussion.

Although the U.S. federal government will not appear before the Council as scheduled, it is heartening to have so many other representatives of the United States—from state and local governments, in addition to civil society—in Geneva today to share their assessment of the U.S. human rights situation and how to improve it.

December 10, 2025

Written piece by Sia Nowrojee, Associate Vice President, Girls & Women Strategy, UN Foundation

I turned 18 at the NGO Forum of the Third World Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985. It was a spectacular coming of age.
The Conference brought the global women’s movement to Africa, and African girls and women into the movement. I was part of a secondary school delegation of Kenyan girls who wanted more for ourselves and our sisters and somewhere to demand that. The NGO Forum of the Conference, hosted at the University of Nairobi, provided that space.

December 5, 2025

Written piece by Oscar Lopez III

My year as the UNA-USA Youth Observer to the United Nations has been one shaped by the young people I met who refuse to accept the world as it is and insist on building the world as it should be.

Serving in this role deepened a belief I’ve carried since childhood: meaningful change is born in community. It grows in the classrooms where students turn frustration into organizing, in the city halls where young leaders push for justice, and in the quiet conversations that remind us we’re not alone in our hopes for something better. Throughout the year, from San Diego to Boston to UCLA and beyond, I witnessed a generation that understands both the urgency of the moment and the power of collective action.

November 10, 2025

Book Talk With Sunitha Krishnan

On November 10 at UNA-NCA headquarters, Sunitha Krishnan, a former UNA-NCA Perdita Huston Human Rights Award Honoree, shared her journey and insights from her book I Am What I Am. Her powerful memoir of her fight against sex trafficking in India deeply moved attendees. Her story reflects the resilience of the human spirit, and the power of one individual to spark change against overwhelming odds.

October 25, 2025

2025 United Nations 80th Anniversary Gala

UN 80 Gala Ice SculptureOn Saturday, October 25th the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area (UNA-NCA) celebrated eight remarkable decades of global cooperation, hope, and determination.

An unforgettable evening at the Embassy of France in the United States brought together thought leaders and change makers from different sectors under the theme “United for a Better Future.” It was an evening centered on reflection, a shared commitment to progress, and a sincere appreciation for the work that lies ahead.

September 18, 2025

See Video Below

On September 17, UNA-NCA hosted a thought-provoking book discussion on the evolving role and future of U.S. NGOs, featuring Sam Worthington, author of "Prisoners of Hope: Global Action and the Evolving Roles of U.S. NGOs". Worthington was interviewed by UNA-NCA Advisory Council Co-Chair Gayatri Patel.

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