Youth of the United Nations Association (YUNA) of Tanzania is a youth-led non-governmental organization (NGO) with the objective of promoting the work of the United Nations (UN) among Tanzanian youth. YUNA was established in 1996 as the youth section of the United Nations Association in Tanzania (UNA) and has since become a fully-fledged national NGO that operates independently while maintaining close cooperation with its mother organization.
YUNA Tanzania comprises two wings, namely the United Nations Clubs Tanzania Network (UNCTN) and the United Nations Tanzania Chapters (UNC). This guideline outlines the positions, duties, and responsibilities of UNC leaders and members.
UNC Chapters Tanzania (UNC) is established to oversee all UN chapters in Tanzania. The UNC consists of a coordinator and a technical committee. The coordinator is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the day-to-day activities of UN chapters in the office, linking the YUNA secretariat and UNC technical committee, advising the YUNA secretariat on proper UN chapter management, and performing any other tasks assigned to the office.
The technical committee, on the other hand, comprises five members who serve for two years and report to the UNC coordinator. They are responsible for coordinating UN chapters in the country under the supervision of the UNC coordinator, planning and executing UNC programs under the direction of the YUNA secretariat, establishing and rejuvenating UN chapters in the country, controlling the content and direction of the UNC and chapters, and performing any other activities assigned to the office.
The technical committee has five departments, namely Programs, Finance, Communications, PR and Fundraising, and Monitoring and Evaluation. Each department is responsible for executing duties as assigned by the secretariat. Overall, the UNC and its technical committee play a crucial role in promoting the work of the UN among Tanzanian youth and ensuring the effective management of UN chapters in the country.
UN Chapters are to be established in universities and colleges according to the YUNA Constitution. Joining a UN Chapter or YUNA-Tanzania provides individuals with the opportunity to identify themselves as part of a particular group. Young people who have established and are running UN Chapters in their institutions have the opportunity to learn about the UN and global issues, get involved in the UN and other international organizations, participate in various trainings, workshops and conferences, serve their communities through several programs, and develop knowledge and experience that can benefit their future careers.
To be fully functional and all-inclusive, a UN Chapter is expected to hold monthly meetings, design and organize different UN-related community activities, organize academic-related activities such as Quiz and Debate Competitions, and adhere to the YUNA-Tanzania Calendar of Events. The leadership of a UN Chapter has the role to manage the Chapter and act as a liaison between its members, UNC, and YUNA-Tanzania. Additionally, UN Chapters are expected to cooperate closely with UNC technical teams and coordinators and YUNA-Tanzania in implementing their activities and programs.
UN Chapter programs may include conferences or meetings to discuss issues relevant to youth development in the community, essay writing competitions on various topics related to UN activities, partnering with other UN Chapters to organize joint activities, participating in radio and/or television programs to discuss relevant issues, field visits to organizations in the community and the local government, participating in voluntary activities to serve the community, organizing sports activities in collaboration with other UN Chapters, and requesting and disseminating information materials to members and the community.
To establish a UN Chapter, interested students must read the guide, organize a group of at least ten students, inform the administration of their intention to establish a UN Chapter, choose and request a lecturer/tutor to be the Chapter’s patron/matron, get in touch with YUNA-Tanzania for the go-ahead and registration forms, register members and submit the Chapters’ registration form and fees to YUNA through UNC, and receive ID cards from YUNA-TZ through UNC for all members and an official introduction to the UN Chapters members in their region.
Membership is open to anyone provided they are a student under 30 years of age, a student at a college or university where a UN Chapter operates, willing to obey the rules of the UN Chapters, and participate fully in all the activities of the UN Chapters. Honorary members are individuals over 30 years of age who support the work of YUNA and UNC but are not allowed to contest for any posts or have the right to vote. To participate in all activities and have all rights, members must register at a chapter’s level and pay the annual membership payment fee, which must be renewed each year within the chapter.
Inactive members are those who do not renew their membership to the chapter or do not participate in any of the chapter’s activities. Membership can be terminated when a member completes their studies at a respective college or university, resigns voluntarily, is suspended by the Executive Committee of the YUNA-Tanzania, discontinues from the college, or leaves to another institution. Members can be registered at any time by filling out the online form and paying the registration fee.