Imagine you are standing in the office, watching the 189 flags of the United Nations member countries fluttering in the breeze coming off the East River. You are standing in the Church Center for the UN. Built by Methodist women in 1962, it houses many church, ecumenical and interfaith offices to the United Nations. As you pass through its lobby, you hear the hubbub of leaders from all over the world gathering to discuss cutting edge ideas about creating a just and peaceful world.

Working from its prime location, the staff of the Presbyterian UN Office keeps the church up to date on the issues before the world, and brings the voice of the church to the work of the United Nations. The office is one way in which the church works toward Christ's call to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, and to let the oppressed go free.

The Presbyterian UN Office primarily serves two goals

Education
The Presbyterian UN Office helps equips Christians for discipleship by training them to put their faith into action in the global arena. The office sponsors annual seminars on timely issues and designs seminars tailored to meet the interests of congregations, presbyteries, synods, men's, women's and youth groups. Topics covered by PUNO in recent seminars include:

• HIV/AIDS pandemic
• Global Racism


• Regional conflict in Africa


• Terrorism

Advocacy
The Presbyterian UN Office also bears witness to Jesus Christ by advocating the concerns of PCUSA General Assembly to the United Nations. Often working in partnership with other church entities or ecumenical partners, the Presbyterian UN Office advocated the church=s concerns at recent UN meetings such as the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Habitat Conference on Human Settlements, the World Conference on Racism, and at special sessions on children and HIV/AIDS. By raising church concerns to UN member states and UN staff, this office enables the PCUSA to have a voice in shaping a more peaceful and just world.

• What We Do
• UN 101