Teacher's corner: teaching and learning about the United Nations
- Resources for Model UN
- Internet Resources
- Multi-media Resources
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Useful Publications:
- Resources for Libraries
- Download Fact Sheet
RESOURCES FOR MODEL UNITED NATIONS
Model UN is a rewarding activity, but getting started can be difficult. As a global leader in Model UN, UNA-USA's Global Classrooms has compiled a number of resources to help you begin your Model UN experience with confidence.
Global Classrooms® has been transformed from a promising national program into an international network enriching students' lives around the world. Global Classrooms has become a premiere international education program offering students valuable insight into the growing influence of globalization.
INTERNET RESOURCES:
United Nations
Link to the United Nations home page for up-to-date news and activities in the six official languages. Read about events around the world from a UN perspective, watch a live webcast of meetings held at UN Headquarters every day, learn about the global issues on the UN agenda or read the latest statements of the Secretary-General and those made by Member States during meetings of the General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC and more.
http://www.un.org
UN Cyberschoolbus
The United Nations Cyberschoolbus was created in 1996 as the online education component of the Global Teaching and Learning Project, whose mission is to promote education about international issues and the United Nations. The Global Teaching and Learning Project produces high quality teaching materials and activities designed for educational use (at primary, intermediate and secondary school levels). Within the Cyberschoolbus site there are a number of activities and projects that teach students in an interactive, engaging and fun, way as well as free downloadable curricula for teachers on a wide range of global issues.
http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org
UN Member States on the record
A new research tool that provides direct access to official documents reflecting the views of each United Nations Member State.
http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/unms/
UN Works, for People and the Planet
An innovative multimedia platform that puts a human face on the work of the UN by exploring global issues through the personal stories of people and their communities. Their goal is to give a voice to ordinary people and allow them to share their struggles and fears, hopes and aspirations with audiences around the world.
http://www.un.org/works/
UNICEF, Voice of Youth
If you are ready to get involved and take action but don’t know where to start, this website will help you find out what you can do right now!
http://www.unicef.org/voy/
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), TUNZA
TUNZA is a word in Kiswahili (the common language of most East African countries) that means to “treat with care”. The programme is based on a strategy to provide young people with information and tools on how to “treat Mother Earth with care” and how to act for a better world. UNEP works in partnership with children from all over the world. Children are represented by a Junior Board which is elected every 2 years during UNEP’s TUNZA International Children’s Conference.
http://www.unep.org/tunza/
United Nations Publications
A wealth of UN publications, organized by topic, on a variety of issues facing the UN.
https://unp.un.org/Educators.aspx
Yearbook of the United Nations
The principal reference work of the United Nations, providing a detailed overview of the Organization's activities.
http://unyearbook.un.org/
MULTI-MEDIA RESOURCES:
United Nations YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/unitednations
United Nations multimedia
What’s Going On? 10-part DVD Series
Angelina Jolie, Laurence Fishburne, Meg Ryan and other celebrities take audiences on a journey into the lives of children in crisis. We see them fight in wars, battle HIV/AIDS, cope with discrimination and work hard for a living. "What's Going On" is a 10-part documentary series produced by the UN Works Programme that introduces us to real kids, in real places, letting us share in their struggles and dreams. Lesson plans for each episode are available online.
Learn more
Purchase online
60 Ways the United Nations Makes a Difference
This publication presents, through the voices of young people from around the world, a sampling of what the UN and its agencies have accomplished since 1945. The program touches on the vast array of work that the UN undertakes as it seeks to improve people’s lives around the world.
Learn more
Download publication
Purchase DVD online
Quizzes and Games
Have fun while learning about the United Nations! Visit the Quizzes and Games area of the UN Cyberschoolbus.
Explore
Examples of what you will find:
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Against All Odds
An interactive online game created by Refugees Agency (UNHCR) to increase students' awareness and knowledge about refugee situations by putting players in the position of a refugee.
Download game
Learn more -
Food Force
Play this popular video game on world hunger created by World Food Programme (WFP). Six different missions.
For 8-13 year olds.
Download game
Learn more -
Stop Disasters!
Learn how to respond to different disasters in this new simulation video game from United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR).
Play game
Lean more
USEFUL PUBLICATIONS
FROM 5 UP TO 7 YEARS OLD
Tunza Children's series
Tunza is an Environmental Series for Children sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ''Tunza'' means to treat with care of affection in Kiswahili.
- Tessa and the Fishy Mystery ISBN: 9280724622
- Theo and the Giant Plastic Ball ISBN: 9280725424
- Tore and the Town on Thin Ice ISBN: 928072696X
- Tina and the Green City: ISBN: 9280725769
- Trishna and the Dream of Water ISBN: 9280727230
- Togu and the Trees of Life ISBN: 9789280728811
- Ting and the Possible Futures ISBN: 9789280729276
Purchase online: UNEP or UN Publications
Learn more about UNEP
FROM 6 UP TO 17 YEARS OLD
ABC - Teaching Human Rights: Practical Activities
Published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), this publication aims to serve as a user-friendly tool for human rights education and a multi-coloured umbrella covering a number of basic human rights areas. It offers practical advice to teachers and other educators who want to foster human rights awareness and action among primary and secondary school children, including suggestions for developing learning activities.
Download publication
Learn more about OHCHR
FROM 10 UP TO 17 YEARS OLD
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the United Nations
An informative book to introduce students at the intermediate and secondary level to the United Nations, its work and achievements. The publication presents a clear and comprehensive overview of the main issues facing the UN, such as peace and security, the Millennium Development Goals, and human rights.
Download publication in Chinese
Download publication in English
Download publication in French
Download publication in Russian
Browse publication in Spanish
FROM 17 YEARS OLD AND UP
Basic Facts about the United Nations
This comprehensive handbook designed for the general public, sets forth the structure of the United Nations, how the Organization works, the main issues it deals with and its importance for people everywhere. Along with explaining the role played by its principal organs and the family of UN organizations, individual chapters explore UN contributions to international peace and security, economic and social development, human rights; humanitarian action, international law; and decolonization. A series of appendices documents UN membership, peacekeeping operations, budget, and contact information for UN information centers, services and offices.
Learn more
An Insider’s Guide to the UN
This completely revised edition of Linda Fasulo’s popular guide to the United Nations surveys the world body’s programs and activities, and covers key issues including human rights, climate change, counterterrorism, nuclear proliferation, peacekeeping, and UN reform. It also offers guidelines for setting up a Model UN.
ISBN: 9780300141979 (second edition)
Purchase online
United Nations at a Glance
This simple, authoritative guide provides a starting point for readers who are new to the UN. In clear language, this book explains what the UN does, how the UN does it, who the actors are, and when historical milestones occurred. Illustrated with photos and stories from the field, the guide examines the work of the UN in international peace and security, economic and social development, human rights, and humanitarian action. As a resource to students and teachers alike, additional features include definitions of frequently used terms, rich statistics, questions and answers, and the building blocks of international law. For anyone who wants to learn more about the world's foremost intergovernmental organisation, The United Nations at a Glance is the perfect place to start.
Learn more
Digital title snapshot
United Nations Chronicle
The UN Chronicle is a quarterly magazine published by the United Nations Department of Public Information and available worldwide through subscription. It takes an in depth look into a broad range of global issues such as climate change, international economic integration, UN reform, health and human development, human rights and international peace and security. It features interviews, essays, opinions and ideas from officials and personalities connected with the Organization and its specialized agencies, as well as from independent experts.
Learn more
Subscribe
RESOURCES FOR LIBRARIES
The United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library was dedicated on 16 November 1961 in honour of the late Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld. The Library Building, a gift from the Ford Foundation, adjoins the Secretariat at the south-west corner of the UN Headquarters site.
Read more
FAQs about UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library
Find online resources
How to become a UN depository library
Learn more about the Yearbook of the United Nation, the principal reference work of the Organization, providing a detailed overview of the Organization's activities.