Leonel Fernández Elected President of the World Federation of United Nations Associations

Punta Cana, DR. October 22, 2018 – Former President of the Dominican Republic and President of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD/Funglode) Leonel Fernández was elected President of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA).

The selection of Fernández took place during the 42nd WFUNA Plenary Assembly at the Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

The international event was led by Fernández, alongside the Secretary General of WFUNA, Bonian Golmohammadi, and featured the participation of delegations from 40 countries and five continents.

“I am deeply appreciative of the trust that they have bestowed me to be elected President of a prestigious institution such as WFUNA and for the opportunity to continue strengthening its mission, as well as its vast network of United Nations Associations throughout the world,” stated Fernández upon accepting the position.

The former president said he hoped that in the next years the United Nations Associations, through WFUNA, could continue to have a significant impact in the respective countries and, at the same time, add value to the United Nations’ commitments to peace, security, prosperity and wellbeing of all the countries in the world.

The event was organized by GFDD’s sister organization in the Dominican Republic (Funglode) and the Dominican Republic United Nations Association (ANU-RD, for its initials in Spanish) jointly with WFUNA.

During the event, workshops, high-level panel discussions and keynote addresses all related to the United Nations’ (UN) current geopolitical orientations and reforms were carried out. The central theme of the event was “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions,” within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The program also included several work meetings to analyze the current challenges faced by the international community and the UN in implementing the SDGs.

WFUNA is a non-governmental and international organization that represents and coordinates the membership of more than 100 United Nations Associations and thousands of their members. The group works to strengthen and improve the UN through activism, program proposals and international cooperation.