What is the United

Nations?
Becoming global citizens

The United Nations

The UN is a world organization made up of 193 countries

that works to:

Maintain peace and security
Develop friendly relations among nations
Solve international problems
Formed after World War II in 1945 in response to global
violence. Originally had 51 member countries.

The United Nations works every

day to promote gender equality,
fight climate change, reduce
poverty, assist refugees, and
improve the well-being of people
around the world.

Main Organs of the UN

General Assembly

The main organ of the UN

Every September, all 193 member states meet to have general debate
GA president is elected every year to serve for 12 months

Security Council

Determines the existence of threats or acts of aggression and finds peaceful

ways to solve them

International Court of Justice

Located at Peace Palace in the Netherlands- only one of the 6 organs not in
New York
Settles international disputes and answers legal questions

Trusteeship Council, Economic and Social Council, and the

Secretariat (Secretary-General)

Remember!
Vocabulary:
Diplomacy:
the work of
maintaining
good relations
between the
governments
of different
countries

The UN is NOT a government

it does not make laws

However, it gives nations the

opportunity to come together

and discuss vital issues

Sustainable Development Goals

Adapted by the U.N. in September 2015 in New
York
17 new goals
More ambitious than earlier goals, meant to
apply to all countries (developing and developed)
All are supposed to be met by 2030

Some Startling Statistics

Globally, 1in
9
peopleinthe

worldtoday
(795
million)areu
ndernourishe
d

836 million
people still
live in
extreme
poverty

Oceans have
warmed, the
amounts of
snow and ice
have
diminished
and sea level
has risen

103 million
youth
worldwide
lack basic
literacy
skills, and
more than 60
per cent of
them are
women

Global
unemployment
increased from
170 million in
2007 to nearly
202 million in
2012

At least 1.8
billion people
globally use a
source of
drinking water
that is fecally
contaminated

828 million
people live in
slums today
and the
number keeps
rising

1 in 5 people
still lacks
access to
modern
electricity

Source: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals

Examples of UN Action
Provides food to 90 million people in 80 countries
Vaccinates 58 percent of the worlds children,
saving 3 million lives a year

Assists over 38.7 million refugees and people

fleeing war, famine or persecution

Mobilizes 22 billion (in US dollars) in humanitarian

aid to help people affected by emergencies

Promotes maternal health, saving the lives of 30

million women a year

Reflect
How do our global issues relate to the SDGs?

Resources!
The United Nations Website:
http://www.un.org/en/index.shtml
Global Classrooms official website for
students:
http://www.unausa.org/global-classroomsmodel-un/how-to-participate