Message from the President

Welcome to the United Nations Association of San Diego!

As the new president of UNASD, I am proud to welcome you to our new website. UNASD works to inform the San Diego community about the importance of international cooperation and the United Nations in our everyday lives. We do this through education, outreach, advocacy, and a lot of fun programs. Please enjoy our website and explore what we have to offer. We hope you will join us in our efforts!

I am filled with great hope that we are entering a new era for the United Nations, especially concerning its relations with the United States. At the same time, the world is facing an economic crisis, the scope of which most of us have never experienced before. Recently, the World Bank forecasted that 46 million more people in the world will be living on less than $1.25 a day than was expected prior to the crisis. Additionally, if this situation continues unabated, the World Bank estimates that 1.4 to 2.8 million more children than earlier predicted will die. The only solution, it suggests, is the redoubling of efforts to provide assistance on the part of the developed world. Robert Zoellick, World Bank President, has suggested the creation of a “vulnerability fund” for this purpose.

These statistics are more than disheartening, but we cannot let them discourage us in our efforts to strengthen the United Nations by strengthening support for it right here in San Diego. In the new political climate, it is more vital than ever that UNASD build support for international efforts to ease the global effects of the economic crisis and to build peace. It is here where our chapter can play an important role in international developments. Please join us!

Mary M. McKenzie, J.D., Ph.D.