UN+Background+Info

=__United Nations Background Info__= Understanding the [|UN system] will help you play your role realistically at a Model UN conference. It is important to understand which bodies and actors make up the UN system, what the UN can and cannot do, and how international issues are addressed by the UN. Here are some questions that will help get you started:
 * What are the important elements of the UN Charter?
 * What are the main bodies of the UN?
 * How are the UN’s bodies and agencies organized?
 * Which countries serve on the body or agency you are simulating?
 * How does the body or agency you are simulating operate?
 * What are the most recent UN actions on your issue?
 * Why did past UN actions succeed or fail?
 * What conferences and meetings have been held with regard to your issue?
 * What have UN officials said about your issue?

**Tips for Researching the UN**
Visit the UN website at [|www.un.org]. Read about current affairs on the [|UN News] page. In addition, you should look at the [|UN Cyberschoolbus] website, as well as UNA-USA's [|guide] to using it.

Research Overview

 * [|Collecting Country Information]
 * [|Research Conference Topics]
 * [|Researching the UN System]
 * [|Guide to the UN Cyberschoolbus]
 * [|How to Find UN Documents in Five Steps or Less]

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__Guiding Questions with Answers from the UN Cyberschoolbus Website__
= = =__Other Links__= = = United Nations Meetings Coverage and Press Releases This is a helpful site to see the most recent actions and press releases of the UN, which includes resolutions passed. You can look up the most recent press releases/UN actions relating to your country or issue by using the SEARCH feature on this page/site.
 * [|I.) Purpose of the United Nations]
 * What could be considered the purpose of the United Nations?
 * Why are the decisions made by the UN not considered legally binding but government opinion?
 * [|II.) Principles and Aims of the United Nations]
 * What do you consider the difference between the principles and aims of the United Nations?
 * What are the important elements of the UN Charter ?
 * [|III.) Predecessor to the United Nations]
 * Why did the predecessor to the UN never fully work?
 * [|IV.) UN Charter]
 * What are the most important aspects of the UN charter?
 * [|V.) UN System]
 * What is the significance of having UN conferences and what role do NGO's play?
 * [|VI.) UN Organizational Chart]
 * What are the main bodies of the UN?
 * How are the UN’s bodies and agencies organized?


 * Look at the UN Economic and Social Development** page, which has an index to some prominent issues as well as a list of UN agencies that work in various issue-areas.

Through the United Nations Documentation Center, you can find resolutions and voting records from the current and previous years.


 * Visit [|non-governmental organization (NGO) websites]**. NGOs are an important part of the UN system, in part due to the valuable research and information they generate. Look for NGOs that address your topic.

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