History

Rotary and the United Nations share a history of working together toward world understanding and peace. 

In 1942, Rotary clubs from 21 nations organised a conference in London attended by ministers of education and observers to develop ideas for advancing education, science, and culture across nations. That event planted the seed for an organisation that would eventually be known as the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

In 1945, 49 Rotarians in 29 country delegations helped to draft the UN Charter in San Francisco. 

Rotary was one of 42 organisations the United States invited to serve as consultants to its delegation. Each organisation had seats for three representatives, so Rotary’s 11 representatives served in rotation. 

Rotary became heavily engaged in supporting the United Nations during its initial years by routinely sending observers to major meetings and promoting the organisation in specialised publications.  

Five Rotarians served as presidents of the UN General Assembly. 

As the Cold War evolved in the 1950s and the UN became a battleground for opposing ideologies, the RI Board moved to maintain its policy against involvement in political matters and decreased its participation.

However, during that time and the next two decades, the Board occasionally appointed observers to major UN Meetings and encouraged UN-related articles in Rotary publications.

It was only in the development of the PolioPlus program in the mid-1980s that Rotary re-established its liaison with the UN system.

Initially, Rotary re-engaged through its involvement with UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).  In November 1991, the RI Board approved focusing on the UN and International Organizations as a target for high-level public relations.  It stated:

After reviewing the history of RI’s relationship with the United Nations and its agencies, the committee agreed that increasing RI’s liaison with these organizations should be an important part of the implementation of the master public relations plan.  The purpose of such action would be increased recognition of Rotary as a distinguished, effective organization working toward common goals. 

Hence, the Rotary Representative Network was born.

The Rotary Board of Directors approved further Rotary-UN collaboration in 1994, expanding representation to UN offices in Geneva, Vienna, and Unesco in Paris and subsequently to key specialised UN agencies, regional commissions, and regional institutions worldwide. In 2013, the Board approved two Youth Representatives to the UN in New York and confirmed the Dean of the Representative network position.

Since then, the Rotary Representative Network has grown – focused on conducting external outreach at the United Nations – and beyond.

Today, 30 volunteers, appointed by the RI President, now represent Rotary at 25 UN Agencies and key International Organizations in some 12 capital cities worldwide:

• UN New York
• UN Geneva
• World Bank and OAS Washington DC
• European Union Brussels
• FAO Rome
• Commonwealth London
• Arab League Cairo
• UN Nairobi UNEP, UN Habitat, Unicef
• UN Santiago
• Asian Development Bank Manila
• African Development Bank Djibouti
• African Union Addis Ababa

Rotary Representatives are appointed by the Rotary International President, who reports directly to them. 

Today, with top consultative status and experienced volunteer Rotary representatives at all these agencies, Rotary remains one of the most respected non-governmental organisations in the UN system.