The American Psychological Association (APA) is an accredited nongovernmental organization (NGO) at the United Nations (U.N.) where it holds special consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is associated with the U.N. Department of Global Communications (DGC). We have been working in New York since 1999, but were delighted this year to expand our reach to Geneva, partnering with the European Federation of Psychologists Associationsopens in new window (EFPA) and the Federation of Swiss Psychologistsopens in new window (FSP) to launch a new U.N.: Geneva team.
APA has accredited volunteer representatives in New York and Geneva, who are supported by staff in Washington, D.C. including at the Office of International Affairs, the Public Interest Directorate, the Office of Applied Psychology, and the Advocacy Office. Together, we bring psychological science to bear on the work of the U.N. through fostering dialogue and information exchange among APA, U.N. staff, and member state representatives, and encouraging the development of psychologically-informed policies and programs to help achieve the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.
Our work at the U.N. primarily promotes two primary APA Strategic Goals:
- utilize psychology to make a positive impact on critical societal issues, and
- elevate the public’s understanding of, regard for, and use of psychology,
as well as the Operating Principle to Embrace a global perspective.
We have had many successes at the U.N. in 2022, including
- Informing a report from the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights (PDF, 233KB)opens in new window on the “promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers.” Drawing from APA’s recent Apology Resolution, we highlighted the psychological roots and consequences of racism and provided recommendations to improve policing practices. Our comments were cited in the High Commissioner’s final reportopens in new window.
- On the invitation of the President of the General Assembly (PGA) Abdulla Shahid, speaking at the High-level meeting on progress in the implementation of the New Urban Agendaopens in new window. This provided an unprecedented opportunity to speak on the floor of the General Assembly Hall in New York at a meeting featuring remarks from the PGA, the Deputy Secretary General, and Ministers from all over the world. Our remarks focused on psychological contributions to effective urbanization, including providing culturally competent mental health services; creating green spaces which reduce stress and anxiety; and designing buildings and urban layouts that encourage environmentally friendly behavior. Our intervention can be seen at 3 hours, 21 minutesopens in new window.
- Partnering with the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues to organize meetings between U.N. Ambassadors and Presidents of national psychological associations, including from Jamaica and Ghana, leading up to a side eventopens in new window at the High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Developmentopens in new window on the importance of disaggregating data by race/ethnicity to assess progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The event was cosponsored by the Missions to the U.N. from Mexico, Costa Rica, and South Africa.
- On behalf of the Global Psychology Alliance (GPA), sending a delegation to the COP27 climate change conferenceopens in new window in Egypt. Delegates held two side events: First, cosponsored with the World Health Organization and the British and Canadian governments on the mental health effects of climate changeopens in new window; and second, with the American Institute of Architects and other civil society organizations on how to engage youth in climate change effortsopens in new window. The delegation also met with representatives from many countries, as well as from the scientific, business, and NGO communities, to highlight the importance of psychology in addressing and preparing for the climate crisis.
- Sending a letter to the High Commissioner for Human Rights (PDF, 200KB)opens in new window, His Excellency Volker Türk, expressing support for the Human Rights Council’s investigation into the treatment of protestors in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Our letter highlighted the violations of international law taking place in Iran, the mental health harms suffered by protesters, and the damaging effects of gender inequality.
These initiatives clearly demonstrate our active commitment to using psychological science to contribute to the work of the U.N., but we must not rest on our laurels. Our vision for the future entails many components. We will:
- Make more use of the tremendous expertise provided by GPA leaders, bringing together local psychology leadership with U.N. staff. In this way we ensure that we are not providing inappropriate Western solutions to local issues, but instead are giving the U.N. community the local and global perspectives they need to integrate psychological findings into their efforts.
- Expand the U.N. offices with which we work. Inspired by our new representatives in Geneva and our partnership with EFPA and FSP, we will make increased inroads at a broader range of U.N. Agencies, including those housed in Geneva such as the World Health Organization and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- Deepen our impact on issues like climate change. Building on our participation at COP27, as well as our role as an observer organization to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changeopens in new window and relationships at the U.N. Environment Programopens in new window, we will ensure that U.N. staff can draw upon relevant science such as mental health support, communication, and behavior change.
- Communicate more about relevant U.N. initiatives to the psychology community. There are many projects that would be of interest to psychologists, but we don’t always hear about them. We will do more to let psychologists know about opportunities.
- Increase the diverse pool of psychologists we can draw upon. We know that our community has extensive expertise, but we don’t always know how to reach them. If you would like to be looped into our work at the U.N., please contact Gabriel Twose.
The world faces ever increasing global challenges such as climate change, warfare, and pandemics. Staff from Member States and International Organizations have a lot on their plates, but it is vital to ensure that they are aware of psychological contributions to these issues, such as motivating behavior change, providing mental health services, encouraging peacebuilding, and effectively communicating about risk. We know that our science has an important role to play, so it is up to us to ensure that we have a seat at the table.
