2023 Leadership Summit

Every year, we join forces on Capitol Hill to advocate for a strong U.S.-UN partnership and make sure Congress hears our message: We stand with the United Nations.

About the Leadership Summit

The annual UNA-USA Leadership Summit is back, in person in Washington, D.C. and online June 4-6, 2023! The 2023 ULS Planning Committee, chaired by Aditi Joshi, along with Regional Representatives on the National Council, UNA-USA staff, and dedicated chapter leaders are thrilled to bring 3 days of education, inspiration, and mobilization (our three mission pillars).

With the theme of “UNITED FOR IMPACT,” this year’s event will bring together 250 members of our network in person and many more online to share best practices, connect with each other, and learn skills that will empower our ability to advocate. Our goal is to support representation of our movement with in person registration, so that UNA-USA will be able to have members from across 50 states, D.C., and territories to make the greatest impact with our elected officials and to let them know that Americans across the country believe in a strong US-UN partnership.

Please note that all in person registrants must agree to participate in the Lobby Day on Tuesday, June 6

Why attend Leadership Summit?

Attending UNA-USA’s Leadership summit will connect you with other members, ideas, processes, and best practices to make the most of your UNA-USA membership…whether you are part of a chapter or a Member-at-Large. During this year’s summit, you will have the chance to choose between two programming tracks. This means you get to tailor your conference journey based on what matters most to you within the UNA-USA Movement.

Scholarships

There are limited, application-based scholarships available to attend the UNA-USA Leadership Summit. To be considered, please complete this form. Please note that if you are selected to receive a scholarship, they will not cover all expenses to participate in the Summit (i.e. accommodation, travel, food, etc.).

Speakers

If you’d like to facilitate one of our sessions, please consider applying using the form here. We are looking for chapter leaders and UNA-USA champions alike who can share best practices in a variety of topics like “Growing and Engaging Membership,” “Taking Projects from Idea to Implementation,” “Planning Your Chapter’s Engagement Calendar,” and “How to Make the Most of Your UNA-USA Journey.”

Summit Agenda (In-Person)

THIS IS THE AGENDA FOR IN-PERSON ATTENDEES ONLY:

Location: The Hamilton Hotel

1001 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005

Sunday, June 4: Skill-building for members and chapter leaders

8:30 am-9:30 am: Breakfast Bingo
9:30 am-10:15 am: Opening Plenary
10:30 am-3:55 pm: Workshop Breakout Sessions
- 10:30 am-11:30 am: UN 101, Chapter Management Matters, Advocacy Leads Workshop: Bringing Action to Your Community
- 11:40 am-12:40 pm: Shaping the Youth Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR and Your: Human Rights in Your Community, Growing & Engaging Your Chapter’s Membership
12:40 pm-1:40 pm: Lunch and Awards Ceremony
- 1:45 pm- 2:45 pm: Advocating with an Impact: Leading Teams, Initiatives and Executing Programs Throughout the Lens of DEAI, MyDiplomat: The Model UN (Lite) App, Chapter Legacy Planning & Transition
- 2:55 pm- 3:55 pm: Campus<> Community Chapter Connection, Impactful Initiatives: From Idea to Implementation, Planning Your Chapter’s Programmatic Calendar
4:00 pm- 5:00 pm: Business Meeting and Day 1 Close

Monday, June 5: Learning about UN’s Impact and Grassroots Advocacy

8:30 am-9:15 am: Breakfast
9:00 am-9:50 am: Opening Plenary: The U.S and the UN Partnership
10:00 am- 12:10 pm: Breakout Sessions
- 10:00 am- 11:00 am: UN Session 1A: UNAIDS, UNOPS, UNEP, UN Session 1B: FAO, WFP, OCHA
- 11:10 am-12:10 pm: UN Session 2A: UNFPA, OHCHR, UNRWA, UN Session 2B: UNHCR, IOM, UNDP
12:10 pm-12:45 pm: Lunch by Region
12:45 pm- 1:45 pm: The Case for Supporting the UN: Washington Insider Panel & A Peek into the Field
1:55 pm-2:40 pm: Advocacy Session II: From Passion to Policy, A Case study in Storytelling and Advocacy: UNICEF & Shot@Life, Understanding the U.S Fiscal Connection to the UN
2:50 pm- 4:30 pm: State Group Practice: Preparing for Effectiveness
4:30 pm- 4:45 pm: Closing Remarks
5:30 pm-8:00 pm: Congressional Reception and Day 2 Close

Tuesday, June 6: Lobby Day on Capitol Hill

7:30 am- 8:40 am: Breakfast & Meeting Advocacy Leads
9:00 am- 4:30 pm: Meetings with Members of Congress & Lunch
4:30 pm- 7:00 pm: Reception

Summit Agenda (Virtual)

THIS IS THE AGENDA FOR VIRTUAL ATTENDEES ONLY:

Sunday, June 4: Skill-building for members and chapter leaders

Approximately from 9:30 am – 5:00pm ET

Monday, June 5: Learning about UN’s Impact and Grassroots Advocacy

Approximately from 8:30 am – 12:00pm ET

Accessibility at the Capital

Everyone benefits from accessibility! Please use these resources to guide your day at the Capitol.

Advocacy Leads

The Capitol has re-opened, and we’re so excited to walk the halls of Congress once again! UNA-USA will welcome new and existing members from across the country and are looking for advocacy leads to ease the transition back to the Hill.

UNA-USA Awards

The UNA-USA Awards are an annual tradition to recognize chapters and individual members across the country who have provided support to the goals of the UN through UNA-USA that year. There are five different awards to capture the critical participation of members from all different groups. The UNA-USA Awards will be presented during a ceremony as part of Leadership Summit taking place from June 4-6, 2023.