January 14, 2004                                                                                     

New Name, New Year, New Solutions
Campaign for UN Reform and World Federalist Association Join Hands to Build Support for a Multilateral U.S. Foreign Policy

Washington, DC -- This new year marked the coming together of two longstanding, established organizations, the Campaign for United Nations Reform and the World Federalist Association, to create Citizens for Global Solutions.

“The new name, vision and mission acknowledge our organizations’ more than 55-year history, while better reflecting the realities and challenges of the world in which we work today,” said Aaron M. Knight, Interim CEO for the new organization. “The twenty-first century presents many challenges to the United States foreign policy in an interdependent world. Citizens for Global Solutions has made a commitment to meet these challenges as an effective, credible force to build political will within the US for a cooperative, multilateral foreign policy.”

Citizens for Global Solutions will consist of a 501(c)(4) membership organization with an affiliated political action committee (PAC) and an affiliated 501(c)(3) Education Fund.

Citizens for Global Solutions focuses’ on five program areas:

• U.S. Global Engagement: Promoting a multilateral foreign policy.

• Peace and Security: Advocating collaborative approaches to conflict prevention and resolution and effective peace operations.

• International Law and Justice: Strengthening laws and institutions that protect human rights and help nations resolve disputes peacefully.

• International Institutions: Proposing reforms to make international decision-making more effective, transparent, accountable, and democratic.

• Health and Environment: Supporting global cooperative efforts to confront environmental and public health challenges.

Citizens for Global Solutions has developed strong expertise in specific issues such as promoting the International Criminal Court, reforming UN peace operations, and advocating for UN reform.

With over 15,000 members nationwide, Citizens for Global Solutions activists carry out advocacy on our issues and support the goals of the organization at the local level. National staff as well as local chapter staff and members meet regularly with public officials to support a more cooperative and multilateral U.S. foreign policy. The political action committee also helps elect public officials who are globally responsible.

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The new vision and mission:
Citizens for Global Solutions envisions a future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no nation can solve alone. This vision requires effective democratic global institutions that will apply the rule of law while respecting the diversity and autonomy of national and local communities.

We are an organization working to build political will in the United States to achieve our vision. We do this by educating Americans about our global interdependence, communicating global concerns to public officials, and developing proposals to create, reform and strengthen international institutions such as the United Nations.