Altrusa and the United Nations: A Relationship Rooted in HistoryOur connection to the United Nations (“UN”) is not new. It began at the very founding of the UN itself. In 1945, as world leaders gathered in San Francisco to establish the United Nations, active New York City Altrusan, Eleanor Roosevelt delivered the keynote address. President Harry S. Truman later appointed Mrs. Roosevelt to chair the UN Human Rights Committee — the body that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the most important documents in human history. Also present was Frances K. Marquis, president of the NYC Altrusa Club and a close friend of Mrs. Roosevelt. Frances was appointed as Altrusa’s first official UN Observer, making Altrusa the first international classified service club for executive and professional women to have an official observer at the United Nations. That was 1946. In 1978, Altrusa International was formally recognized as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Roster Status with ECOSOC. Today, we are taking the next step: applying for full Consultative Status, which will give Altrusa a stronger, more active voice in shaping international policy. What Is the United Nations — and Why Does It Matter to Altrusa?The United Nations is the world’s principal international organization, founded in 1945 to promote peace, human rights, and international cooperation. It includes 193 member nations and works across virtually every area of human welfare: education, health, women’s rights, poverty reduction, food security, and environmental sustainability. In 2015, the UN adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — a shared global blueprint for a better world by 2030. These goals were agreed upon by all 193 member nations and are the framework the UN uses to measure progress worldwide. Every project your Club undertakes — no matter how local it feels — is part of this global effort. The UN application gives us the opportunity to say so, officially and formally, to the world. What Does Consultative Status Mean for Your Club?Moving from Roster Status to full ECOSOC Consultative Status is significant. It means Altrusa International would have the standing to: - Attend and participate in UN General Assembly sessions and ECOSOC meetings
- Attend the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) — the world’s leading intergovernmental body on gender equality
- Submit written statements and formal recommendations to UN bodies
- Organize and host official UN side events, bringing community voices to an international audience
- Collaborate with other NGOs and UN agencies at the highest levels
In practical terms, this means your work — the literacy programs, food drives, scholarship funds, and mentoring programs you run every year — will be represented at the table where global policy is made. It means Altrusa members who attend international UN meetings will do so in full standing. And it means the credibility of our organization, in the eyes of funders, partners, and governments worldwide, will be meaningfully enhanced. As a result, the International Board agreed to support this initiative during the July 2027 International Board meeting. What We Need From Club Presidents…One of the key factors the UN considers is whether an organization’s clubs engage in service work that crosses national borders. A letter and survey will be going out to all Club Presidents. The survey consists of one essential question for our application to the UN…Does your club have a planned international service project or partnership activity scheduled between September 1, 2026, and April 1, 2027? If you don’t, simply respond ‘no’ and you are finished. If you do, please describe your future planned international activities — not past projects, even if you will be continuing with those activities. Submit your response through the link provided. Fields marked with * are required. The survey takes approximately 5 minutes. A Final WordEleanor Roosevelt once said: “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Altrusa has always embodied that spirit. From our earliest days alongside Mrs. Roosevelt herself, to the thousands of service hours that Clubs log every year, Altrusa members have never been content to do the minimum. We reach further. This application is another expression of that reach. Your support with this will help us further our reach at the UN as we continue leading to a better community. With gratitude and in service, Christine “Chris” DeVlieger Altrusa International President | 
