Good morning, Chair and members of the committee. Thank you very much for allowing me to speak. My name is Pam Bryan, and I am the Canada green corps regional coordinator with the United Nations Association in Canada.
I would like to draw your attention to why I believe it is important that you consider support to UNA-Canada as a strategic lever to address urgent Canadian and international priorities.
UNA-Canada is a historic Canadian charitable organization providing a leading policy voice and is a convener and mobilizer of Canadians. With over 25,000 members, UNAC is a founding member of the World Federation of United Nations Associations with a global reach to over 100 countries.
Our mission is to educate and engage Canadians in the work of the UN and to seek solutions to the critical issues that affect us all. With a reach of five million Canadians a year, our polling confirms citizens strongly believe that an effective United Nations is essential to peace and security and a more equitable, sustainable world. We invest innovatively across generations, bringing empathy-based education to citizenship, youth civic engagement, natural resources, gender, unity and diversity, health, peace and the environment to the most marginalized within Canada and internationally.
Our recommendation is for support to implement a body of work conforming concretely to the objectives and directives to cabinet on defence, foreign affairs, international development, environment, heritage and labour.
An investment of $10 million per year over a period of four years to UNAC will provide constructive and innovative dialogue, research engagement and mobilization for policy research and innovation to provide fleet, disciplined input to defence, diplomacy, development, climate action, populism and exclusion. It will support action, and showcase, count, report and develop educational materials to meet Canada's obligation in the sustainable development goals. It will allow us to engage with UN agencies and bodies in support of Canada's UN Security Council campaign and follow up key issues.
UNAC will bring arm's-length credibility, made-in-Canada solutions, international community innovations and challenges to Canadians and to United Nations voters and agencies. It will mobilize Canadians in understanding and support for Canada's full engagement in the UN, including UN peacekeeping, sustainable development and human rights.
UNA-Canada shares with the Government of Canada the imperative to ensure full participation of women and girls and youth in building a more fair, prosperous and sustainable environment and world.
Thank you for your consideration.