Academic Council of the United Nations System


The Academic Council on the United Nations System is currently based at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University. Its purpose is to stimulate and support research and teaching on the role of the United Nations system in international relations. ACUNS was founded in 1987 at Dartmouth College and has since been hosted at Brown University, Yale University, and Wilfrid Laurier University where it remained for 15 years before its transition to Coventry, England in 2018. ACUNS currently has around 450 individual and 30 institutional members in 55 countries and continues to keep scholars and practitioners engaged in research, writing, teaching, and policy practice related to the United Nations, the UN system, and international organization from a broader perspective.

UN status

ACUNS holds General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and United Nations Department of Public Information, Associate Status with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and observer status to United Nations Environment Assembly. It is possible for council members to be registered to attend meetings organized by UN specialized agencies, the UN Secretariat, and other UN bodies. ACUNS currently has over 650 individual and 42 institutional members in 55 countries.

Operations

In July 2018 the ACUNS Secretariat transitioned to the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University, England. This is the first time in its history that the ACUNS Secretariat has been hosted in Europe.
The ACUNS Secretariat consists of:
ACUNS is governed by an international Board of Directors. Current Board Members are:
ACUNS currently has four Liaison Offices in Geneva, New York, Tokyo and Vienna.