Programme of Work 2003 > 2003 Administrative Focuses

National Office Projects and Programmes

The projects and programmes of UNA-Canada's National Office are the core component of the organization's daily work. The key priorities that underlie all projects and programmes are:

A specific emphasis will be placed on project record-keeping in 2003, with the view of rehabilitating a functional centralized filing system. As well, the Association will delineate mechanisms through which a Director of Projects can be hired to supervise the management, funding and development of projects.

UNA-Canada will use the following criteria to set priorities for project funding and development:

The following sections A to C briefly summarize the current, on-going and in-development project and programmes of the National Office. More detailed descriptions are found in the Project Charts which are updated and circulated to staff, Board and Branches on a monthly basis.

A. Confirmed 2003 Projects

The following projects have been confirmed for 2003:

Project		Brief Description
Youth International Internship Project		Placement of Canadian youth in UN agencies and programmes for six month internships, funded through DFAIT and CIDA.
Youth International Alumni Association		A website which links all former YIIP interns and provides them with resources.
What Kind of World…? Phase V		Cross-country educational project which aims to raise awareness about the UN and global issues with Grade 4 to 8 students and their teachers.
Model United Nations Programme Phase III		Grants for students to organize or attend Model UNs, distribution of Sourcebook, maintenance of website and establishment of volunteer regional coordinators to support and strengthen Model UN activity in Canada
CANIMUN		Hosting a Canadian International Model United Nations Conference for 800 university-level students

In addition, UNA-Canada will continue its public information work in 2003, through the creation and dissemination of fact sheets and briefing papers, its website and listservs, the Liaison newsletter, the sale of publications, the UNDP Human Development Report Launch and the awarding of the Pearson Peace Medal.

B. Priorities for Project Funding

In 2003, the following projects - which have already been developed - will be prioritized for funding:

Priority	Project	Brief Description
1	CANIMUN	Hosting a Canadian International Model United Nations Conference for 800 university-level students
2	Mosaic (Phase II)	A comprehensive database and educational tool on youth success stories in sustainable development
3	Global Change Game	Presenting experiential workshops on global issues in communities across Ontario and Québec (and eventually all of Canada)
4	Youth and the HIV/AIDS Crisis (Phase II)	Developing the capacity of youth in Canada to play a key role in addressing global HIV/AIDS and twinning them with youth in highly-affected countries
5	Diversity Education Project	(Phase II) Expanding our anti-racism work from 2001-2002 with a second phase
6	Youth International Internship	Expansion Starting a domestic youth internship programme (through HRDC) and securing funding for Net Corps international interns (through Industry Canada).
7	International Youth Programme	Providing funds/capacity for youth to attend international conferences

C. Priorities for New Project Development

The following projects - yet to be developed - will be prioritized for development and then funding:

Priority	Project	Brief Description
1	Establishing a functional Canadian Committee for UNEP	Establishing the Committee with a specific research, education and public awareness role.
2	International Year of Freshwater Event	Hosting a symposium or other event on the International Year of Freshwater
3	UN/60	Establishing a plan and a proposal for the 60th anniversary of the United Nations in 2005.
4	Peace and Security Internship and Peace Operations Working Group	Recruiting a new Peace and Security intern to build on the work of former interns in this field. Becoming the host organization for the CPCC's Peace Operations Working Group.
5	Courses on UN issues (to be decided with further consultation)	Running Courses on specific and/or general UN-related issues or providing a consultancy service to organizations who want to learn about these issues
6	UN Tours (to be decided with further consultation)	Running for-profit tours of the UN in New York for Canadian tourists

D. Possibilities for Expanding Current Mandate

In 2002, UNA-Canada ran a very successful project whereby it built the capacity of Kosovars to run a Model UN programme in Kosovo. This project, which was sponsored by the OSCE, has resulted in other opportunities arising for UNA-Canada to work in other countries as a capacity-building entity. Technically, this is outside of UNA-Canada's mandate.

In 2003, it is therefore proposed that the organization look into the benefits and drawbacks of extending its mandate to allow it to undertake capacity-building projects in other countries in areas in which it has a particular expertise. Such a move would take the Association's mission of "engaging Canadians in the work of the UN" a step further, through enabling "engaged" Canadians to then transfer their skills and knowledge of the UN and UN issues to other countries.

At the same time, an expanded mandate would also allow the Association to take a more predominant role within the World Federation of United Nations Associations by acting in a capacity-building role vis-à-vis other UNAs.

E. The Global Compact

The Global Compact is the key mechanism which the United Nations is using to promote corporate social responsibility and engage corporations in the principles of international cooperation. UNA-Canada deals regularly with the corporate community in Canada, and is seeking to expand those relationships through a corporate membership programme. It is thus necessary for the Association to determine whether or not it supports the Compact and whether it wishes to promote it to Canadian companies.

In 2003, it is therefore recommended that UNA-Canada consider the benefits and drawbacks of taking a lead role in promoting the Global Compact in Canada.