APA at the United Nations

APA is an accredited nongovernmental organization (NGO) at the United Nations. It is affiliated with the Department of Public Information (DPI) of the U.N. (1999), accorded special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the U.N. (2000) and accredited to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (2001).

Psychology Day at the United Nations is a celebration of psychology in the context of the United Nations. It provides an opportunity for psychology to share with U.N. Permanent Missions, U.N. agencies, NGOs and the private sector the activities of psychologists at the U.N. and the role of psychology in addressing concerns of global importance. Psychology Day also introduces psychologists and psychology students to psychology’s current and potential involvement in U.N. activities and issues. The Inaugural Psychology Day at the United Nations was held in 2007. See all programs and presentations, organized by year. 

Psychology Day 2014

The 7th Annual Psychology Day at the United Nations will be April 24, 2014. Its theme is "Psychology's Contributions to Sustainable Development: Challenges and Solutions for the Global Agenda." The 2014 Psychology Day website is now available.

Roster of Representatives

APA-appointed representatives work within the NGO community at the U.N. headquarters in New York. Based on APA advocacy goals and priorities, APA representatives collaborate with other NGO representatives and APA offices and governance to identify issues, organize programs and draft statements that bring psychological science and a psychological perspective to bear on global policies and programs. Representatives also foster dialogue and information exchange between psychologists and APA and U.N. diplomats and representatives of U.N. agencies, and serve as APA's conduit for information about the United Nations.

APA's U.N. team of psychologists attend NGO meetings and pursue program objectives on a weekly basis. Through committee leadership, workshop development and involving psychology expertise, they attempt to bring a psychological perspective to U.N. discussions and deliberations.

We encourage you to review past and current APA Activities at the U.N.

• U.N. Homepage

• U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

• U.N. Department of Public Information (DPI)

• United Nations Millennium Development Goals

• United Nations Millennium Declaration

• A Useful Guide to Acronyms at the U.N. (PDF, 321KB)

• U.N. Chronicle

• U.N. In Brief

• U.N. Briefing Papers