7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast and Networking | Atrium Ballroom

8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Registration Open | Atrium Ballroom

8:30 – 10 a.m.

Opening Plenary | Atrium Ballroom

Rachel Bowen Pittman, Senior Director, Membership and Programs, UNA; Hon. Teta Banks, National Council Chair, UNA; Award Recipients; Kathy Calvin, President and CEO, UN Foundation; Stephane Dujarric de la Rivière, Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

10:15 – 11:20 a.m. | ISSUE PANEL 1 

Climate Change: Vulnerable Populations in Crisis | Atrium Ballroom

Berenice Tompkin, Project Manager, Climate Stories Project; Brian Mateo, Assistant Dean of Civic Engagement, Bard College; Jacqui Patterson, Senior Director, NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program; Rachel Sanchez, National Donor Liaison and Coordination Officer, IOM; Elizabeth Bryan, Senior Scientist, IFPRI

Climate change is already severely impacting different populations in the U.S. and around the world. Low-income families, communities of color, refugees and migrants, Indigenous peoples, children and pregnant women, and older adults are particularly at risk. This panel will discuss the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations and how UNA members can be part of climate change solutions in their communities.

Interfaith Communities and the SDGs | Oceanic

Wendy Dimas, Nothing But Nets, Advocacy Officer, Climate Stories Project; Ani Fête Crews, National Director, Blessed Tomorrow Program, ecoAmerica; Rabbi David Saperstein, Director Emeritus, Religion Action Center of Reform Judaism; Jordan Teague, Senior International Policy Advisor, Bread for the World Institute

This panel will bring together UN and civil society leaders who can speak to the mobilization of faith communities for human rights. Additionally, the panel will discuss how UNA chapters can partner with communities of faith on the Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on combating religious intolerance, climate action, and ending poverty.

UPR Human Rights Consultation: Realizing LGBTI Equality | Hemisphere A

Jean Freedberg, Director of Global Partnerships, Human Rights Campaign; London Bell, President, Bell Global Justice Institute

Join this interactive session to help UNA gather feedback and generate recommendations for an upcoming review of the U.S. domestic human rights record at the UN, specifically connected to LGBTI equality. Advocates of all backgrounds are welcome to participate. Results from the meeting and your input will be shared with the UN Human Rights Office, UN Human Rights Council, and State Department. This session is also co-hosted by the UNA LGBTI Affinity Group. (Note: This is 1 of 5 interactive breakout sessions connected to the U.S. Universal Periodic Review, or UPR).

Decent Work and the 2030 Agenda | Hemisphere B

Kevin Cassidy, Director of the ILO Office for the United States, ILO; Jennifer Mansey, Public Policy and Communications Officer, ILO

The Commission on the Future of Work has produced an independent report on how to achieve a future of work that provides decent and sustainable work opportunities for all. As we recognize the UN’s International Labour Organization Centenary Celebration, UNA leaders can learn more about labour issues across the U.S. and abroad, and how they can be part of the “future of work” conversation.

11:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m. | ISSUE PANEL 2 

UN Careers: Your Opportunity. Your Future. | Atrium Ballroom

Justine LaVoye, Board Member, UNA-NYC; Kevin Cassidy, Director of the ILO Office for the United States, ILO; Kate Loomis, External Relations Associate, UNHCR; Rachel Sanchez, National Donor Liaison and Coordination Officer, IOM

The United Nations is a global organization comprised of 193 member states that come together to solve the world’s most challenging issues. To advance the UN mission, thousands of UN staff are tackling these global challenges daily. During this session, you will hear firsthand what it’s like to work for the UN and obtain an insider’s perspective on career opportunities at the UN. You’ll also learn more about the application and selection process and the Young Professionals Programme.

The Global Refugee Crisis: From Ethiopia to Syria and Beyond | Oceanic

Micah Spangler, Director, Advocacy and Humanitarian Affairs, Better World Campaign; Matt Pennington, External Relations Officer, UNHCR; Tessa Valk Mayerick, External Relations Officer, UNHCR

UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) is on the frontlines of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, assisting and protecting over 65 million people fleeing war, famine, and persecution. This session will provide you with an opportunity to hear from two of UNHCR’s leading D.C.-based experts and receive an update on the UN’s work providing life-saving aid to the over 5 million Syrian refugees that have been forced to flee their homes since 2011.

Human Rights Discussion with the U.S. State Department: The Universal Periodic Review | Hemisphere A

Lynn Sicade, Acting U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Rachel Bowen Pittman, Senior Director of Membership and Programs, UNA

In advance of a key review at the United Nations, UNA is partnering with the State Department to gather perspectives on the U.S. human rights record at home. Join this session to offer constructive feedback — including recommendations, observations, and questions — to Acting U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Lynn Sicade on human rights issues impacting you or your local community. The results of the meeting and your input will be shared with the UN Human Rights Office and UN Human Rights Council. Advocates of all backgrounds are welcome.

Beyond War to Peace: The Power of Peacekeeping | Hemisphere B

Chandrima Das, Director, Peacekeeping Program, Better World Campaign; Victoria Holt, Managing Director, Stimson Center; Tom Brandt, Communications Director, Office of Senator Jerry Moran; Hon. Teta Banks, National Council Chair, UNA

UN Peacekeepers protect more than 100 million people across 4 continents in 14 missions. Hear from three unique perspectives, who have witnessed the challenges and successes of peacekeeping in the field. As the U.S. continues to go into UN Peacekeeping arrears, it will be an opportunity to hear about how this can impact the work on the ground and how UNA’s voice on Capitol Hill will be critical in supporting UN Peacekeeping moving forward.

12:45 – 2 p.m.

Plenary Lunch | Media Freedom: Challenges and Changes | Atrium Ballroom

Award Recipients; Kathryn Kross, Executive Director of Communications, Better World Campaign; Mike Abramowitz, President of Freedom House; Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak, President of the National Press Foundation and NPR reporter; Sara Murray, Political Correspondent, CNN

2:10 – 3:10 p.m.

Afternoon Plenary: UN Speed Dating | Atrium Ballroom
Sean Snyder, Public Partnerships Manager, UNICEF; Regan Hoffman, UNAIDS; Thomas Pesek, Senior Liaison Officer, FAO; Yesim Oruc, UNDP; Andy Semmel, Chair, Board of Directors, Partnership for a Secure America; Hilary French, Program Management Officer, UNEP; Kevin Cassidy, Director of the ILO Office for the United States, ILO

UN agencies have offices in D.C. to enable them to engage with Capitol Hill, the Administration and U.S. agencies on a regular basis. During this session, UN representatives will provide updates on their most pressing issues that they are advocating for to U.S. government officials.

3:20 – 3:50 p.m.

Congress: An Insider’s View | Atrium Ballroom
Former Rep. John Russell Carnahan; Peter Yeo, President, Better World Campaign + Senior Vice President, UN Foundation

3:50 – 4:05 p.m.

Break

4:05 – 5 p.m.

Advocacy Day: Preparing for Effectiveness | Atrium Ballroom

Jordie Hannum, Director, Better World Campaign; Micah Spangler, Director, Advocacy and Humanitarian Affairs, Better World Campaign

Participants will meet with their team leads and fellow Lobby Day advocates to collaborate on talking points and assign specific topics to certain group members. This activity will prepare you for your meetings with Members of Congress and their staff.

5 – 5:30 p.m.

Annual Business Meeting: Town Hall Discussion | Atrium Ballroom

 

< Back to Agenda Selection