The United Nations: An Introduction

This is the United Nations flag. Adopted in 1947, it
features a map of the world centered on the North Pole.
The olive branches surrounding the globe symbolize peace.

In order to send the U.S. military to assist the rebels in Libya, President Obama first had to wait for permission. The president required a resolution from the world's most important international governing organization: the United Nations.


Today, you will learn more about the UN in preparation for our upcoming Model UN project. In the project, you will work with a small group to represent a country to the United Nations.


We will talk more about the project and assign groups later. For today, we need to get some background information. Any good representative must know a little bit about the organization she is a part of.


You will work with a partner for this assignment. You will send one e-mail to me between the two of you containing your responses. The assignment is worth a total of 20 points:

• 1 point per question, 15 points total
• 2 points proper subject line
• 3 points format, grammar, spelling, etc.

First, open up a new e-mail to me. In the subject line, write "Your last names -- Your Class Period -- UN Research".


Then, use the following websites provided by the United Nations to answer the 15 questions below. Start by scanning through the questions to find out what they are asking, then work with your partner to answer them. For each response, write the name of the page at which you found the information. For example, if you found your answer on a page titled "UN Organizations", this would be what you would include in your answer.

Remember to respond in complete sentences!

• United Nations: An Introduction for Students
• UN at a Glance
• The UN Search Page

1. What is the purpose of the United Nations?
2. What does the United Nations do to promote peace?
3. What does the United Nations do for human rights, justice and international law?
4. Who works at the United Nations?
5. How does the United Nations work?
6. How many member countries are in the United Nations? What are the two newest ones? How many members were there when the Charter was signed?
7. Examine the Structure and Organization of the United Nations. Scan through the list of UN Bodies and find two you which seem to cover topics you are interested in. Record the name of each one and briefly describe it.
8. How many countries are members of the Security Council? Who has veto power? What do these countries with veto power have in common?
9. What are the official languages of the United Nations?
10. Why are the United Nations headquarters located in New York City?.
11. What is UNICEF? What are their goals?
12. What is the UNDP? What are their goals?
13. What are the goals of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations?
14. How has the United Nations system responded to the threat of terrorism?
15. What is the United Nations doing to keep terrorists from acquiring mass destruction weapons?

For Homework, read Chapter 22, Section 3. Take Cornell Notes on the section. These are due on your desk at the start of tomorrow's class, and are worth 10 points. Don't forget to include your key points in the margin and your summary at the end!