United Nations Association of Greater Kansas City

10/10/2026

Meet the Kansas City World Citizens of the Year 2026! Benny Lee and Edith Lee are renowned for both their financial generosity to Kansas City and their commitment to giving of themselves to causes they hold dear. International awareness and cultural appreciation rank extremely high among their priorities, and they regularly open their home to Kansas Citians and many international visitors who share this vision.
Benny received the Sister Cities Association President’s award for encouraging its work. Their support continues as Benny and Edith have invited musicians from Metz, France, Hannover, Germany, Taiwan and other locales to their home
The Lees have been active supporters of the Kansas City Honorary Consular Corps, and Benny has been an active supporter of the mission of the International Relations Council through board leadership and other contributions.
Benny was an early founder and continuing supporter of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce in Kansas City.
Benny was appointed by the Mayor and City Council to the Kansas City Global Commission, and the Lees were major forces behind the creation of Park University ’s International Center for Music.
Benny is active with the Command and General Staff College Foundation at Fort Leavenworth, offering on-going support to both the international faculty and for International Military Students from all over the world.
Benny has helped UMKC faculty and international business students in the development of a successful study-abroad trip to Taipei. He offered his own company for the students to study and learn about doing business abroad.
The Lees were heavily involved in the development of the International Sculpture Garden at the Overland Park Arboretum .

The 55th Annual Mayor's United Nations Day Dinner
Oct 26, 2026, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Gallery Event Space, 61 E 14th St, Kansas City, MO 64105
Tickets can be purchased through October 18.
https://www.una-kc.org/events/55th-annual-mayors-united-nations-day-dinner

Benny Lee Enterprises United Nations The Gallery Event Space Kansas City

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

Meet our Mayor and Host of the 55th Annual Mayor's United Nations Day Dinner! Quinton Donald Lucas is an American politician, lawyer, and academic serving as the 55th mayor of Kansas City, Missouri since 2019, the youngest in the role since 1855 and its third African-American mayor. Raised in poverty on Kansas City’s East Side, he earned scholarships to The Barstow School, Washington University, and Cornell Law School. A former KU law professor, Lucas focuses on public safety, affordable housing, and infrastructure, championing zero-fare transit, the city’s first Housing Trust Fund, and major projects like Kansas City International Airport’s new terminal. He has promoted progressive policies, attracted over $100 million in grants, and helped secure the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the city.

The 55th Annual Mayor's United Nations Day Dinner
Oct 26, 2026, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Gallery Event Space, 61 E 14th St, Kansas City, MO 64105
Tickets can be purchased through October 18.
https://www.una-kc.org/.../55th-annual-mayors-united...
United Nations The Gallery Event Space Mayor Quinton Lucas Kansas City

10/09/2026

Former UN Human Rights.......

BREAKING NEWS
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 goes to a person who with exceptional courage and integrity has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order. This year’s laureate has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.

Navi Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career. Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation and exclusion. A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time.

This year’s laureate has significantly enlarged the scope and impact of international law. She has served as a judge on the High Court in South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court. She was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and, until recently, she chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Today Navi Pillay is a judge on the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide.

In historic international court cases, she has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence. Navi Pillay has also contributed to strengthen the institutions of international law. Her independence, expertise and steadfastness have made her one of the most respected international jurists of our time.

In awarding this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wants to remind the world that the rule of law – national and international – underpins the system we have set up to ensure peace and resolve conflicts non-violently. Peace requires justice.

History has shown that a world operating without the rule of law is unjust, unwise and inhumane. The judges – those who guard the thin red line between order and chaos – are therefore highly deserving of our praise. But today, as these same judges are sanctioned, and their institutions are attacked, we need people of courage, vision and determination – qualities that Navi Pillay demonstrates in her work on the bench.

Navi Pillay has held states and national leaders accountable and brought hope to victims of violence and conflict. In all the positions she has held, she has stressed the responsibility of individuals and states to comply with the rule of law. She has also helped define the relevant norms and legal principles. When the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda established that r**e and sexual violence could constitute a crime against humanity – as well as genocide – her influence was a significant factor. In the same case, Ms Pillay was instrumental in a separate legal breakthrough: for the first time, a defendant faced charges of incitement to commit genocide purely on the basis of spreading propaganda.

Navi Pillay is one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time. Her distinguished career reminds us of the need to support, fortify and expand the global rule of law. Navi Pillay’s commitment to justice and human dignity is a source of hope and inspiration to all who seek to bring about a more peaceful world.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4xPtmor

10/09/2026

10/08/2026

Meet our Mayor and Host of the 55th Annual Mayor's United Nations Day Dinner! Quinton Donald Lucas is an American politician, lawyer, and academic serving as the 55th mayor of Kansas City, Missouri since 2019, the youngest in the role since 1855 and its third African-American mayor. Raised in poverty on Kansas City’s East Side, he earned scholarships to The Barstow School, Washington University, and Cornell Law School. A former KU law professor, Lucas focuses on public safety, affordable housing, and infrastructure, championing zero-fare transit, the city’s first Housing Trust Fund, and major projects like Kansas City International Airport’s new terminal. He has promoted progressive policies, attracted over $100 million in grants, and helped secure the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the city.

The 55th Annual Mayor's United Nations Day Dinner
Oct 26, 2026, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Gallery Event Space, 61 E 14th St, Kansas City, MO 64105
Tickets can be purchased through October 18.
https://www.una-kc.org/.../55th-annual-mayors-united...
United Nations The Gallery Event Space Mayor Quinton Lucas Kansas City