Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Records: Committee on the United Nations (1974-2015)

The Committee on the United Nations began in 1974 as a subcommittee of the Peace Committee. The subcommittee’s main purpose was to create a better understanding of the United Nations within the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and among the general public in the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting area. The subcommittee also hoped to encourage the government to increase commitment to the UN. Included among its activities was support for UN boxes, visits to the UN, and correspondence with the press. The subcommittee also published an eight-page monthly newsletter titled “Action Suggestions on UN Issues,” which provided information on current issues the UN faced and how Friends could most effectively lobby to support the UN.

In 1982, in light of the Committee on Program, Services, Staff, and their Financing’s recommendations, the subcommittee became a full committee, titled the Committee on the United Nations. Many of its activities, however, remained the same. Education was its major goal, as members of the committee continued to visit schools and meetings and publish the newsletter. The committee also worked in close conjunction with other groups, including the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) and the Peace Committee. In 1991, the Committee processed the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s application for Non-governmental Organization status to the United Nations Public Information Office, which facilitated access to information from the United Nations for the Committee. In 1998, under the reorganization of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, the Committee was changed to the United Nations Working Group under the Peace and Concerns Standing Committee.