Global Classrooms in action

Since 2000, UNA-USA's Global Classrooms program has been engaging middle school and high school students by exploring current world issues through interactive simulations and engaging curriculum. The program cultivates literacy and leadership as students explore important topics such as peacekeeping, sustainable development, human rights, and the economics of globalization. At the core of Global Classrooms is Model UN, wherein students step into shoes of UN Ambassadors and debate a range of issues on the UN agenda. Find out more about Global Classrooms at www.globalclassroooms.org.

View the video below, produced by UNA-Minnesota, to see the Global Classrooms program, and Model UN in action.



Global Classrooms is made possible through a dynamic partnership with Merrill Lynch, with the goal of empowering young people from around the world to become active and engaged global citizens. The collaboration between Global Classrooms and Merrill Lynch offers students tangible ways to enhance their understanding of the international economy while they develop global literacy and other important life skills.

Click below to listen to an interview with Dr. Eddy Bayardelle, President of the Merrill Lynch Foundation and Head of Global Philanthropy. Learn more about Merrill Lynch at Global Classrooms at www.unausa.org/mlgcpartnership.

More videos of distinguished speakers at UNA-USA Model UN events across

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• Secretary General Ban-ki Moon addresses students at UNAUSAMUN 2008 at UNHQ
  Secretary General Ban takes student questions   1 | 2 
  
  
• Ban-ki Moon addresses Los Angles students
  
  
• Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte speaks and answeres student questions at the US State Department
  
  
• Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt addresses UNAUSAMUN 2008
  
  
• UNA-USA President Ambassador William Luers addresses students at UNAUSAMUN 2008
  
  
• A great library of U.N. related videos, as well as Student and Faculty related study guides, courtesy of Richland College.
  
  
• Even more UNA-USA videos available here on YouTube

AP: Obama seeks reforms in talk with UN chief

President-elect Barack Obama is urging the United Nations chief to embark on "far-reaching reform" of the world organization to help it address pressing global issues.

At the same time, in a telephone conversation Wednesday, Obama told Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon that the United States "should rededicate itself to the organization and to its mission," said Brook Anderson, chief national security spokeswoman for the Obama transition team.

Last month, Ban called for greater cooperation from the United States.

During his presidential campaign, Obama said in a statement to the U.N. Association of the U.S. and the Better World Campaign that "no country has a greater stake in a strong United Nations than the United States."

Read the full AP article here.

More on Barack Obama and the United Nations

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UNA-USA President Ambassador Bill Luers and thirty-six prominent policy figures urge the president-elect to revitalize the US relationship with the UN.  Read the statement here.

In “A Memo to the President-Elect” (.pdf) Ambassador Bill Luers lays out a broad agenda for the new administration’s engagement in the United Nations.

View President-elect Obama's letter to UNA Board member Josh Weston here. (.pdf)

Obama’s Win Could Mean Stronger UN-US Rapport
by Barbara Crossette

Council of Organizations Briefings

UNA-USA's Council of Organizations offers unique opportunities for leaders from more than 100 nongovernmental organizations to partner with the United Nations and each other. Groups with interests in education, religion, labor, sustainable development, human rights, health and women's issues work together to encourage strong US leadership in the United Nations and play a critical role in educating millions of Americans about the UN's importance in world affairs.   Learn more about the COO at www.unausa.org/council.

Listen to this month's New York briefing below.

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Opportunities for the Incoming President
Thursday November 13, 2008
Location: Church Center for the United Nations

Featured Speakers
Barbara Crossette 
UN Correspondent, The Nation, & Publications Consultant, UNA-USA

Stephen Schlesinger
Author and Fellow, The Century Foundation

With the 2008 Presidential election scheduled to take place a week prior to this monthly UN Briefing, UNA-USA’s Council of Organizations took the opportunity to ask experts on the US-UN relationship to reflect on opportunities for President-elect Obama once he takes office. Will the new President be supportive of the United Nations and present constructive new policies towards the UN on Capitol Hill? How will his policies differ from, or resemble, those of the Bush administration? How can the new President repair relations with other countries over key US foreign policy priorities while working to improve relations with the UN? These questions and more were answered by our experts at this monthly UN Briefing.

AMICC heads to Iowa

AMICC's deputy convener Matthew Heaphy recently returned from a trip to IOWA, to discuss the ICC.

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A lesson in international justice
By Trish Mehaffey
The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS — The International Criminal Court is a permanent, independent judicial institution that investigates and tries heinous crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and serious war crimes.

There’s no other court like it, said Matthew Heaphy, deputy convener of the American Non-Governmental Organizations Coalition for the International Criminal Court. The United Nations’ International Court of Justice can only decide disputes between states and this international court is treaty-based and can try individuals only for designated atrocity crimes.

Heaphy is the guest speaker today at Kirkwood Community College in celebration of the International Day of Justice. He will explain the court, created 10 years ago, to the students and talk about some of the cases the court has heard.

Heaphy said the United States hasn’t joined the coalition because it initially wanted to control the court or exempt U.S. nationals but he hopes that will change in the near future. The United States seems to be coming around as it allowed the Security Council to refer the Darfur atrocities to the court.

Canada, Australia, all members of the European Union and all members of NATO except for Turkey and the United States, are members of the court. About 139 countries signed the Statute adopted in Rome in 1998 and 100 countries have ratified it.

Jeremy Brigham, faculty adviser of Kirkwood’s Student Alliance, said the program today, co-sponsored by Amnesty International, also will include student interviews that were videotaped regarding their countries’ experiences of crimes against humanity. Another student, Zarif Muhammad, also will read a poem he wrote “Justice for all.” The poem asks for the world to take a stand against genocide and other heinous crimes.

Many of the international students come from the Africa and Sudan regions, so they probably have more awareness of the horrible crimes happening in the world, Michael Abdalah, president of Kirkwood Student Alliance, said. There are 500 international students at Kirkwood.

Contact the writer: (319) 398-8318 or trish.mehaffey@gazcomm.com

• Read John McCain and Barack Obama's statements on the International Criminal Court. (pdf)
• Find out more about AMICC here.
• AMICC's John Washburn discussing a new president and the ICC
  

John Washburn on a new President and the International Criminal Court

AMICC Director and Convener John L. Washburn discusses what he feels the new President should do on his first day in office, with regards to the International Criminal Court.

Read John McCain and Barack Obama's statements on the International Criminal Court. (pdf)

Find out more about AMICC here.

More UNA-USA related videos here.

UNA-USA Chairman Thomas Pickering on the American public being kept in the dark regarding negotiations with Iran

Action Alert!
Tell Congress: No Iraq Redux - Iran Policy Must Not Violate the UN Charter

The official UNA-USA Statement on House Concurrent Resolution 362

More UNA-USA Videos on YouTube