The main objective of a Rotary club is service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. Rotary International (RI) has developed a broad range of programmes designed to help clubs carry out this vital mission. Some of these programmes have been underway for many years, while others have been developed more recently to meet emerging needs.
Rotary’s community development programmes address many of today's most critical issues — hunger, the environment, literacy, to name a few. RI also offers programmes that focus primarily on young people, including service clubs for students and young adults, leadership training workshops, and student exchanges. The international component of RI programs enables clubs and districts to assist Rotary efforts abroad and to share information and arrange exchanges with Rotarians in other countries. Vocational concerns figure in many club and district projects designed to promote high ethical standards in the workplace and to help young people and others become and remain productive members of society.
Relationships
Rotary International and Rotary clubs enjoy cordial, co-operative relationships with a number of organisations. They include several groups that were originated by and continue to be sponsored by Rotary. These groups include two other service clubs — Rotaract for young adults and Interact for secondary school students. These self-help groups are made up of local residents working to improve their community under the sponsorship of a Rotary club. The club often works with one or more of these partner organisations in shared service projects.
Rotary International has had a special relationship with the United Nations for more than a half century. At the UN Charter Conference in San Francisco, California, U.S.A., nearly 50 Rotarians served as delegates, advisors and consultants. Several Rotary global programmes predated the UN Charter Conference and influenced UN specialised agencies. In 1943, for example, Rotary held a conference in London to promote international cultural and educational exchanges that it anticipated after World War II. The gathering planted the seed for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), established in 1946.
Today, Rotary has consultative status with UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Health Organisation and the UN Economic and Social Council and is working with UNAIDS to promote AIDS awareness and prevention. Rotary maintains representatives at UN headquarters in New York, Geneva and Vienna and with UNESCO in Paris. Rotary also has consultative status with the Council of Europe and designates an official representative to that organisation.
For further information on the Rotary Organisation have a look at
The Rotary International site for a worldwide perspective,
Rotary in Britain and Ireland (RIBI) for a view of Rotary in Britain
District 1130 for a view of Rotary in London