In Focus
Policy Paper on Germany's role in the UN's peacekeeping Operations (Berlin, September 2012)
“No Army in the World is Trained to Protect Civilians”
Interview with Alain Le Roy, former UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations (Berlin, 8 November 2011)
Strengthening the Role of the United Nations as Key Player and Decisive Forum in International Relations
Recommendations and demands for German UN policy
UNA-Germany, which regards itself as an organisation of people with cosmopolitan engagement, urges the global challenges to be surmounted and to give the United Nations, as the core of world society’s political system and the manifestation of multilateralism, a greater ability to act. ...more
UN studies database
The Research Council of UNA-Germany has taken the opportunity of this years ACUNS meeting in Bonn to present the variety of UN-related research in German to the ACUNS network. In order to provide an overview of UN studies in Germany students, scholars and practitioners were kindly invided to post their respective projects. The collected information on past, current and planned projects is presented 
here. Please feel free to search the database, you may also find networking partners from Germany. If you are interessed to present your project too, please provide your information 
here, so that it can be considered for inclusion in the database.
Special Representatives as Peace Makers
Currently more than sixty Personal and Special Representatives (SRSGs) act on behalf of the UN´s Secretary-General. Yet very little is known about the multiple challenges they face when making, keeping and building peace. Within an event on June 6th, which was arranged by Friedrich-Ebert Foundation, New York, and the United Nations Association of Germany, Professor Manuel Fröhlich presented his findings of an ongoing research project that he conducts on UN SRSGs. His systematic overview was completed by the comments of Carolyn McAskie, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, who reported on her past experience as the Secretary-General´s Special Representative to Burundi. A new FES Fact Sheet summarizes the results of the discussion.
More Information: Volker Lehmann: “Special Representatives of the United Nations Secretary-General.” Fact Sheet, FES New York, July 2007.
General Information on the United Nations Association of Germany
What is UNA-Germany?
The United Nations Association of Germany - UNA-Germany (Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen – DGVN) was founded in 1952 as a non-governmental organization and became a full member of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) in 1966. UNA-Germany is a non-partisan and independent organization and does not represent the specific interests of any single grouping in society. It works as a non-profit organization. Its directorate is elected every two years.
- UN-Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (center) with Dr. Beate Wagner, Secretary General and Armin Laschet, Board Member of UNA-Germany.
Mission
According to its charter the UNA-Germany strives to inform the German public in an impartial and critical manner about the aims, institutions and activities of the United Nations. It intends to increase interest in and awareness of current events in foreign and development policy, in cultural and world economic policy as well as in international relations and developments in general. UN-Germany wants to encourage debate on these topics. Emphasis also lies on the critical discussion of German UN policy.
What does UNA-Germany do?
UNA-Germany provides an Information and Documentation Centre, organizes events, publishes the bimonthly academic periodical VEREINTE NATIONEN - German Review on the United Nations, presents a wide range of printed and online information and publishes a German newsletter.
Information and Documentation Centre
UNA-Germany acts as Information and Documentation Centre for the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies in Germany. UNA-Germany publishes German-language information material (academic periodical VEREINTEN NATIONEN, books, policy papers, leaflets etc.) on the structure of the UN and its most important fields of activity.
UNA-Germany information material broaches the issues of development policy, peacekeeping, globalization and world economy, human rights, migration, environment, UN reform, international law etc.
The Documentation Centre comprises an archive consisting of official documents of the UN General Assembly, the Security Council and the Trusteeship Council (since the founding of the UN; in English), a compilation of UN documents in German, as well as an archive of media coverage relating to the UN.
Publications of other institutions working on UN related issues are available and distributed alongside the UN information to special interest groups. Specific information sets as well as policy statements of the directorate of the UNA-Germany are passed on to the members of the German Parliament, the Federal Government, the media and the public at large.
- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon with members of the UNA-Germany Board
Events
UNA-Germany is host to a number of events such as study trips, conferences, seminars and symposia, panel discussions, talks on topical issues, and press conferences with participants from the field of politics, the academic field and civil society.
Main topics are:
- Peacekeeping, crisis prevention, international security
- Global development, globalization, world population
- International human rights protection
- Reform of the United Nations
- Germany and the UN
UNA-Germany Online
The DGVN presents itself on the internet with a wide range of information. You will find information on current events as well as an introduction to several publications, such as the UN-basic-information. Background information on UN topics are provided for free as downloads. Visitors of the website receive an overview of further UN related websites through an extensive list of links. Furthermore, visitors of our website may request specific information by e-mail, they may order the newsletter “DGVN@ktuell” or register for events. You can inform yourself on www.dgvn.de.
Membership Services
UNA-Germany members receive the bimonthly academic periodical VEREINTE NATIONEN - German Review on the United Nations six times a year as well as invitations to events. They are also invited to attend study trip visiting UN Missions in former conflict states. Previous delegations went to Cote d'Ivoire, Sudan, Liberia and Timor-Leste. Furthermore, anyone who is interested can request the e-mail information services “Population&Development” and DGVN newsletter for free. The DGVN General Secretariat gladly answers your questions on the United Nations.
The Dag-Hammerskjöld-Honorary-Medal
Since 1977 the United Nations Association of Germany biannually awards the Dag-Hammerskjöld-Honorary-Medal to eminent persons who have rendered outstanding services and were committed in promoting the leading role of the United Nations in addressing global challenges and conflicts within cultural, scientific, journalistic and political fields.
Previous award recipients were:
- Prof. Dr. Raúl Prebisch (1977)
- Prinz Sadruddin Aga Khan and Prof. Dr. Egon Schwelb (1979)
- Henry R. Labouisse and Rüdiger von Wechmar (1981)
- Robert S. McNamara (1983)
- Liv Ullmann (1985)
- Brian Urquhart (1988)
- Gro Harlem Brundtland (1991)
- Tadeusz Mazowiecki (1995)
- Prof. Dr. Klaus Hüfner and Manfred Eisele (1998)
- Lakhdar Brahimi and the youth group “Aktion Völkerrecht” (2004)
- Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer (2005)
- Kofi Annan (2009)
Membership
If you would like to support the United Nations Association of Germany by becoming a member please contact our office:
UNA-Germany
Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen (DGVN)
Zimmerstrasse 26/27
D-10969 Berlin
Phone: 0049 (0)30 259 375 10
Fax: 0049 (0)30 259 375 29
E-mail: info(at)dgvn.de
Membership Fees
For members the subscription of the academic bimonthly journal VEREINTE NATIONEN - German Review on the United Nations is included in their annual membership fee:
Individuals: € 80.00
Married couples: € 100.00
Students*: € 30.00
People in economic hardship (to be approved on application): € 30.00
Public institutions: € 100.00
Private institutions, corporations, and others: starting from € 500.00
*For university students: up to the age of 27 or until completion of the 14th Semester (enrollment verification)
Membership termination can be requested with a written notice three months prior the end of a calendar year.
The System of the United Nations
Dag Hammarskjöld Honorary Medal
UN Association of Germany awards Kofi Annan the Dag Hammarskjöld Honorary Medal
Geneva, Tuesday 3 November 2009
The United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN/UNA-Germany) today has presented former UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan with the Dag Hammarskjöld Honorary Medal. Read more
The Future of Global Order(s)
Conference Documentation
This documentation contains the presentations and major comments made in the course of the international conference "Beyound Crisis: The Future of Global Order(s)" which was held on July 1st and 2nd 2010 in Bonn. The conference was organized by the Research Council of the UN Association of Germany (DGVN) in cooperation with Development and Peace Foundation (SEF) and the Institute for Development and Peace (INEF).
Download full text
A critical year for UN at peacekeeping
Though the total number of armed conflicts during the past decade was declining 2008 has been a critical year for UN-Peacekeeping. This is the key message of a recent study based on new data on more than fifty international peacekeeping operations. Bruce Jones, Director and Senior Fellow of the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) New York University and main author of the study, introduced the “Annual Review of Global Peace Operations 2009” at a DGVN luncheon talk in Berlin on 22nd April 2009.
Book Launch: Making Peace Work
On January 14th 2009 Tony Addison and Tilman Brück launched their new book „Making Peace Work: The Challenges of Social and Economic Reconstruction” at DIW Berlin. In the seminar, which was co-hosted by UNA Germany, the editors provided insights into some of the main issues that arise in post-conflict economic and social reconstruction, and offered examples of what works, and what does not. Read more
