An Introduction to UN House Scotland: Communicating, Collaborating, Contributing
UN House Scotland (UNHS) is a civil society organisation which has been committed to strengthening the implementation of the UN goals and values, both in Scotland and further afield, since 2012.
The UNHS team includes professionals, academics, experts, interns, and volunteers; each and every one of whom is committed to raising awareness of issues related to inequality, social progress and (inter)national development.
We do this by:
- Organising seminars and conferences on the SDGs (upcoming examples include a model COP26 and a Conference on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery),
- Producing and distributing Parliamentary One-Pagers on social and sustainable development issues to Scottish Government and Parliament,
- Developing intern and advocacy programmes (including professional mentorships and study-based placements),
- Supporting Model United Nations events (MUNs) in schools and Higher Education Institutions,
- Encouraging innovative engagement,
- And collaborating with UNA chapters, and other civil society and charitable organisations, throughout Scotland and the UK.
Underpinning all of this, at every level from grassroots to governmental, is our commitment to the promotion of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 17 international goals designed to foster global sustainable peace and prosperity. It is in contributing to SDG4 – Quality Education – that UNHS is proud to be partnered with Voting Counts.
Quality Education is not limited to the classroom, nor to ‘traditional’ academia, but rather describes lifelong learning, in “inclusive and equitable” settings. Informed engagement in local, national, and international politics – based on a factual education in political issues – is crucial, and we commend Voting Counts’ commitment to providing simple and unbiased political information.
We are particularly impressed by Voting Counts’ attempts to diversify their non-partisan resources, highlighting the years of struggle by women and BIPOC to access the political rights they deserved, and by their coverage of devolved, as well as UK-wide, issues. Equally importantly, Voting Counts works to encourage younger voters to become involved in the political decision-making which will shape their futures: young people must be at the centre of any fight for a progressive, and truly representative, world.
Open discussion and active engagement are also central to everything we do at UNHS, from our social medias (@unhousescotland) to our web pages. Recent articles on SDG4 include:
- “Education Emergency: Save the Children” (https://www.unhscotland.org.uk/post/education-emergency-save-the-children),
- “BLM: Why Education is Essential” (https://www.unhscotland.org.uk/post/blm-why-education-is-essential),
- And our interview with Voting Counts’ founder Rachael Farrington, new on our blog (https://www.unhscotland.org.uk/blog),
Through support and respect for others, dignity in our activities, and transparency in all that we do, we at UNHS strive to contribute to positive change through communication and collaboration. We invite you to join us as we strive for a better world.
