Introduction

The Johnson County Chapter of the United Nations Association was founded in the 1950s. It is a volunteer non-partisan membership organization. Our mission is to educate residents of Johnson County about the work of the United Nations and how it impacts their lives. 

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Our current goals and objectives are to build awareness and support for

1. The work of the United Nations in aiding the 65 million refugees and displaced persons worldwide; and 

2. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to eradicate poverty and hunger and improve standards of health by the year 2030. 

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We accomplish these goals through public programs such as the annual Celebrating the World’s Children (CWC), and Night of 1,000 Dinners. CWC features Johnson County children from diverse backgrounds who offer music, dance, and other cultural presentations from their respective traditions. Night of 1,000 Dinners, held annually each March, is a community celebration of International Women’s Day and focuses on the needs of refugee women and children. 

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We work closely with members of the refugee community in Johnson County, and three of our board members are refugees. We were a sponsor of the first Eastern Iowa Refugee Summit (June 16 and 17, 2017) and we work with refugee groups on the annual observance of World Refugee Day. 

We also educate the public through a newsletter, website, and Facebook page, and we provide financial support for Iowa City students who participate in the Iowa High School Model United Nations each Spring. 

We work collaboratively with other organizations such as schools, service clubs, and faith communities.