United Nations Association Research Articles

A Model United Nations Experiment on Climate Negotiations

Abstract Weitzman, M.L. (2014. Can negotiating a uniform carbon price help to internalize the global warming externality? J. Assoc. Environ. Resour. Econ. 1: 29–49) proposed that focusing international climate negotiations on a uniform common commitment (such as a uniform carbon price) is more effective than negotiations on individual commitments (as in the Paris agreement) in achieving ambitious climate action. We put this hypothesis to an experimental test by simulating international negotiations on climate change in collaboration with Model United Nations associations. This novel experimental format combines some of the advantages of lab and field experiments. Our results offer support for Weitzman’s hypothesis and indicate that negotiating a common commitment on a uniform carbon price may yield higher emission reductions in the long run and more participation than individual commitments à la Paris.

The United Nations Association of Russia: 65 Years of Fruitful Work at the National and International Levels

The United Nations Association of Russia: 65 Years of Fruitful Work at the National and International Levels

The United Nations Association of Russia: 65 Years of Fruitful Work at the National and International Levels

The United Nations Association of Russia: 65 Years of Fruitful Work at the National and International Levels

Disease-free life expectancy has not improved in Spain

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a stop to the continuous progression in life expectancy at birth, in which Spain was one of the world leaders. Although this downward effect is a result of the present conjuncture and it is hoped that recovery will be swift in the coming years, this situation has led us to consider the evolution prior to the pandemic. It is true that the increase in number of years of life has been progressive and steady but, in recent years, these gains have not implied improved health among the older population. Disability-free life expectancy at the age of 65 has been very stable over time, but the figures are less encouraging when the presence of diseases and chronic conditions are taken into account. In this issue of Demographic Perspectives, we investigate whether there have been gains or losses in years of disease-free life for men and women at the age of 65 in Spain and by autonomous community (AC) in the years 2006, 2012, and 2017. The results indicate that increased life expectancy will also mean that people will live more time with diagnosed diseases unless the present trend is reversed. The most common ailments and conditions include hypertension, chronic back pain, diabetes, and heart disease. The differences between men and women tend to converge in years of life in good health, mainly as a result of a lengthening of time lived in poor health among men.Cabré, A. (1995) “Notes sobre la Transició familiar”. Transcription of the lecture presented at the seminar “Família i canvi social” for the United Nations Association of Spain, Barcelona, 1994. Papers de Demografia, Nº 96

First Person Singular: Building the road as we travel

After completing a law degree at the University of Birmingham when I was 20 and not really knowing what I wanted to do, except that it was not law, I became an English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher accidentally through signing up as a volunteer with the British United Nations Association (BUNA), roughly equivalent to the US Peace Corps. Instead of being dispatched to assist starving people through a remote third-world community development project, as I had naively expected, I was sent on a fast-paced, two-week English as a second language (ESL) teacher-training course at a well-known private language school, International House, on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the heart of London's West End. Then came a one-week BUNA ‘orientation’ course in the suburbs. A hundred-plus neophyte volunteers were lectured on how to deliver a baby, how to deal with snake bites, how to remove leeches using gasoline or matches (but not both), the importance of taking anti-malaria pills daily without fail (pills subsequently found to be 100% ineffective), and how to avoid schistosomiasis (snail fever). On the last day, I was informed that, contrary to what I had first been told, I would not after all be going to Afghanistan, but to Peru. A week later, I arrived in Lima, a bustling Latin-American metropolis with no shortage of mid-wives, no malaria, no snakes, no snails and not a leech in sight. In the face of pervasive poverty, corruption, violence, and illiteracy, I had been sent several thousand miles, with absolutely no understanding of how people learn languages and minimal understanding of how to teach them, to provide free English classes for the relatively wealthy, mostly middle-class faculty and students in the Faculty of Law of Peru's leading university, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.

Thoughts And Actions In Promoting Equality That Include Considerations From Work With The United Nations Association Of Japan

This paper explores a number of classical and contemporary thinkers and advances the thesis that the touchstone for social justice may be expressed in two words, trade places, and that this exhortation must be applied internationally. In such cases, its application may sometimes be possible and useful as a practical thought experiment. The trade places notion is a plan of action, which may be termed the responsibility of knowledge.

Brexit Prize: Final Shortlisted Entries

Brexit Prize: Final Shortlisted Entries

The Left-To-Die Boat: Review 1

The tale of the African asylum-seekers who in 2011 set sail in a fragile inflatable from revolution-torn Libya in the hope of reaching the Italian island of Lampedusa and safety, is a phenomenal one. Seventy-two men and women set sail; just eleven survived the two-week-long ordeal, which only ended when the boat was washed back on the Libyan shore. How on earth to tell a story that was all in the past, recollected in tranquillity, and still keep it sharp, painful, dramatic and present? The trouble with big, long programs is that, to stay sharp, they constantly have to find clever, new ways of doing things. Somehow, I felt the [almost] 60-minute distance was a tough one to fill with this story. However, the importance of the story, the horrifying lack of humanity on the part of officialdom and of the Libyan military who finally threw the asylum-seekers in jail despite their desperate condition: all make this a feature that had to be told, and told well. It goes without saying that Sharon Davis did all of this and we owe her a great debt of gratitude. The Left-To-Die Boat won a United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Prize and was shortlisted for a Sony Academy award (UK), the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards and the Australian Human Rights Awards.

The Left-To-Die Boat: Review 2

In March 2011 an inflatable boat carrying 72 asylum seekers from sub-Saharan Africa set out from the coast of Libya hoping to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa. As one Italian official commented, sailing from Libya towards Italy should have been ‘a bit like doing a slalom between military ships’. Yet as, out of fuel, supplies of food and water dwindled to nothing and the people on board began to get sick and die, the boat continued to drift and no help came. Eventually it floated all the way back to the Libyan coast. Of the 50 men, 20 women and two babies who set out to sea, only eleven remained alive. Sharon Davis and Geoff Parish reconstruct this tragedy through interviews with five young men who survived the trip. Their first-person accounts of the journey are augmented by interviews with sympathetic Dutch politician Tineke, Rome-based Eritrean Priest Father Mussie Zerai, who was contacted by the passengers by satellite phobe, human rights investigator Lorenzo Pezzani, who forensically reconstructed the boat’s movements, and dour NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu. One survivor (Abu Kurke) speaks in halting English; for the others the vernacular is faded under voice-overs. It is raw, simple narrative, expertly selected and edited to move the story seamlessly forward while also allowing listeners time to form mental images of the boat and its passengers and to absorb the emotional impact of what they are hearing. The survivors’ individual accounts overlap and repeat to poetic effect, underscoring the veracity of their testimony. The survivors’ tale floats on a bed of sound – the splash of waves; the hum of a boat motor; restrained, ominous music (with cello predominating), and the occasionally distant chime from an old clock tower marking the relentless passing of time and its deadly impact on the voyage. The radio makers’ approach is dignified, restrained and powerful. Just as the clean lines of minimalist architecture can rely on sophisticated engineering, so the apparent simplicity of a chronological account conceals the artistry, deep thought and sheer hard work of radio production. A strong undercurrent of anger flows through the documentary, and we are given strong encouragement to doubt that NATO has been fully truthful in its response to the tragedy. The Left-To-Die Boat won a United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Prize and was shortlisted for a Sony Academy award (UK), the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards

Debating: a catalyst to enhance learning skills and competencies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically examine if training through debates can be used as a rationale to enhance learning skills. In particular, it investigates whether debating can be useful in developing both, key graduate capabilities skills (critical thinking and communication skills) and the process to facilitate learning (motivation, intellectual challenges and learning in depth). The research validates some of the previous findings and argues that integration of debates into a curriculum enhances learning.Design/methodology/approachThird‐year undergraduate students participated in this exercise. The University invited the United Nations Association to administer their model conference that involved debating. A survey questionnaire was distributed to the students. Given that the sample was small, the data were analysed using cross tabulations.FindingsThe research found that learning through debates for developing both, key graduate capabilities skills (critical thinking and communication skills) and the process to facilitate learning (motivation, intellectual challenges and learning in depth) were statistically significant. Not all students reflect a positive attitude to debating.Research limitations/implicationsKnowledge can be conceived as being based on inter‐subjective reasoning processes that students are likely to adopt. This is dependent on how students want to learn, as they have different learning approaches, expectations, motivations, and meta‐cognition.Practical implicationsThe implications of these findings are essential for training, learning, and open opportunities for further research.Originality/valueFindings from this study demonstrate quite clearly that debating is statistically significant on several learning outcomes that are desirable for graduate capabilities and learning processes.

Canada’s Mainstream Media Workforce Diversity as an Indicator of Canadian Society’s Acceptance and Inclusion of Ethno-cultural Communities: A Case Study of Promising Practices Developed by the United Nations Association in Canada

Canada’s Mainstream Media Workforce Diversity as an Indicator of Canadian Society’s Acceptance and Inclusion of Ethno-cultural Communities: A Case Study of Promising Practices Developed by the United Nations Association in Canada

Then and now

How the world changes! Nearly a generation ago, in 1994, I served as coauthor of a major World Bank study, Better Health in Africa. Now I have the privilege to observe health issues around the world as President and CEO of the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA). These experiences give me perspective on changes in global health institutions, policies, and funding.

Dag Hammarskjöld, the United Nations and Africa

Once upon a time there was a Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), who was elected into office during the Cold War era because the big powers believed he was just a humble servant to their ...

Post-war economies and the New York dissensus

We will follow the owner of the money and the owner of labour-power into the hidden foci of production, crossing the threshold of the portal above which is written, ‘No admittance except on business’. Karl Marx, Das Kapital The framing of post-conflict political economy issues for war-torn societies has closely followed developmentalist models for promoting macroeconomic discipline, private business and global integration. Although the Washington consensus that informed early transformation projects has been declared dead and replaced by more nuanced approaches to foster poverty reduction and social protection, this reformist consensus was disrupted by the United States at the UN New York summit of September 2005. Besides, the reformist assumption remained within the terms of debate and practice that springs from epistemologies of political economy grounded in the telos of disciplinary liberal capitalism. This is evidenced, with reference to peacebuilding in Bosnia, by the silence cultivated around job creation and labour protection. An abridged version of this article was delivered as the annual Folke Bernadotte Lecture, for the United Nations association at the Royal United Services Institute, 31 May 2006

ESSAY: Educating the Public About “Climate Change”

Three years ago, following retirement from my academic career, including 30 years of teaching and research on climate dynamics, I began to take my concern for climate change and its implications for the future of the Earth to public groups. My goal is to raise audience interest and attention to the issue of climate change. Most of all, I want them to know that it is an issue that is both real and complex. From my first presentation (for a county-wide United Nations Association meeting), it became apparent that people are hungry for information in a setting and format that is tailored to them. Th us, I was motivated to continue such public presentations and have talked to church groups, high school and university classes, and community service organizations. In addition, I have been interviewed by reporters for radio and TV stations, and have given lectures to scientifi c groups in the United States, China, Korea, and at a WMO training seminar in Argentina. In each of these community presentations, I overview the subject, including its complexity, the uncertainties surrounding it, and the large range of its potential impacts. I avoid equations and specialized terminologies or pursuing my own personal agenda for action. Also, I use visual aids whenever possible, including handouts, transparencies, or PowerPoint, depending on the setting, and allow ample time for questions. I note the extensive discussion and debate about climate change and how this can be confusing for people. I begin each presentation with acknowledgement of the skeptics and even give examples of EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT “CLIMATE CHANGE”

In pursuit of the millennium development goals in water and sanitation

In recognition of the United Nations designating 2003 as the “Year for Fresh Water” and the endorsement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in water and sanitation, the United Nations Association of Greater Boston (UNA-GB) convened speakers to address strategies for meeting these goals. Water professionals from the public sector, private sector and non-governmental organizations shared their experiences and recommendations. Over the course of the discussions, three themes emerged that appear critical for implementing successful water initiatives. First, the water and sanitation. nancing gap requires mobilization of local capital through innovative financial tools. Second, public institutions that manage water must be focused and enabled to carry out their mandate effectively. Private sector collaboration can only succeed when coupled with strong public partners. Third, the MDG cannot be met with conventional technological approaches. Technology must be appropriate to the. nancial and technical context to which it is applied and must engender ef.cient use of water resources.

Georgia: Rise and Fall of the Façade Democracy

Jaba Devdariani is founding director and chairman of the board of the United Nations Association (UNA) in Georgia.Georgia's revolution of roses, November 22-3, 2003, brought an unprecedented generational change in post-Soviet political leaderships, based on public support for the democracy. Like every revolution, it tells a story of reform.Gradual weakening of Eduard Shevardnadze's government has been observed both by national and international analysts who spoke of Georgia as a failed state. But, more important, Shevardnadze's inflexible style of governance acted as a straightjacket for the political environment that grew increasingly complex since Georgia's independence.On November 23, Eduard Shevardnadze was forced to resign his office, amid the wave of public protests against rigged parliamentary elections, after ruling the country for twelve consecutive years and being in the country's top leadership since the 1970s.Some observers refer to these events as a surprise breakthrough of democracy. Others point out that the leaders who deposed the president were among the top ten leaders of Shevardnadze's own Citizens Union of Georgia in the 1999 parliamentary elections. Thus, the critics say no significant political change has occurred.To put Georgia's revolution of roses in a proper context, it is necessary to analyze the pressures that the country's social and partisan environment put on the political system that personally became associated with Shevardnadze since the 1990s.Only by fusing both of these observations can we tell a story of emergence of the country's democratic institutions, party politics, and reform.PrefaceForty-five political entities, thirteen of which were the party blocs, participated in Georgia's 1999 parliamentary elections. While the general level of party pluralism in Georgia is acknowledged widely, researchers have noted several deficiencies that prevent the political process from becoming a robust and sustainable foundation for the country's democratic development.Among the most frequently mentioned are: 11. Lack of internal party democracy2. Little or no effort to develop meaningful party platforms3. Little attention to membership4. Weak constituency relations5. Failure to separate elected party representatives from the management responsibilities6. Confrontationalism and a propensity to fractionalize 2These political party deficiencies are characteristic of many post-socialist countries. In Georgia, however, the party system had to be recreated from scratch at least twice in the country's recent history, leading to abortive development.The political parties emerged in Georgia in a process broadly reminiscent of similar processes in post-Soviet space. The elitist groups in ideological opposition to communism, commonly known as dissident groups, preceded the modern parties. They did not strive to gain control of the government; hence they cannot, strictly speaking, be characterized as political parties. Many of the dissident leaders have played an active role in the new political parties, and some still remain in the political arena.The political groups aspiring to power today emerged in the late 1980s and formed a vanguard of the independence movement. They succeeded the Communist regime through elections in 1990 but had little time to develop organizationally. Most of these groups squandered popular support in a bloody coup that ousted President Zviad Gamsakhurdia in early 1992. As a result, the rules of the political game and the system of political parties have taken shape since 1995.Different from many other post-socialist states, the Communist Party almost has vanished from the political arena since 1989. The former Communist nomenklatura has maintained some of its influence and financial assets, but as an organizational entity, the Communist Party never has recovered, attracting the protest vote. …

Imperial Troopers and Servants of the Lord: A Vision of TESOL for the 21st Century

I arrived at my first TEFL job, in Jordan in 1969, as a callow volunteer with the advice of my United Nations Association adviser ringing in my ears: Don't get drawn into discussions of politics or religion. In the event, however, and with the exception of football (soccer) and the validity of contemporary Hollywood representations of U.S. women, my teacher-trainee students and I seemed to talk about little else: The issues

U.S. Foreign Policy and the United Nations System

In the years since Cold-War hostilities have waned and the UN was revived as a central arena for international security, U.S. administrations have increasingly referred conflict situations to the Security Council and have looked to the UN to establish global policy on critical social and economic problems. More recently, however, the UN has become the subject of heated polemic within the United States. At a moment of intense political maneuvering in Washington, it is imperative for the U.S. to solidify its policy towards the United Nations. In this timely collaboration between The American Assembly and The United Nations Association, experts in government, economics, law, science, military, and labor explore the issues that must be resolved.

United Nations Reform: Looking Ahead after Fifty Years

Edward C. Luck, President Emeritus, Senior Policy Advisor, United Nations Association of the United States of America This book is important reading for anyone interested in the future of the UN. It contains hundreds of reform ideas, most of them sound, all of them stimulating. The diversity of views and subjects reflects the breadth of the UN's global agenda and the exemplary contributions Canadians have made to the world body. Many of Canada's UN experts are represented here; their work will remind us to look for inspiration and perspective when the going gets tough at Turtle Bay! Major-General (Ret'd) Lewis W. MacKenzie, First Commander; UN Forces, Sarajevo The 50th Anniversary of the United Nations -- a wake or a cause for celebration? The euphoria following the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945 soon fell victim to a 45-year Cold War. Now, when the oppressed and destitute of the world need it more than ever, the UN finds itself handcuffed by potentially terminal systemic deficiencies. Tinkering won't do - major reforms are required and the plethora of relevant ideas and recommendations set forth in this book provide leaders, policy makers and interested observers with much food for thought. Joe Sills, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, United Nations This valuable collection of essays covers a broad range of UN activities. In addition to careful analysis, it offers many suggestions for strengthening the UN as it enters its second half-century. Brian Urquhart, Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Scholar-in-Residence, International Affairs Program, Ford Foundation This festschrift for the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations is really something to rejoice about -- a stimulating, readable and comprehensive set of comments on where the world organization is, how it got there and where it ought to be going. A breath of fresh air -- oxygen even -- for the UN on its 50th birthday. Major-General Indarjit Rikhye, Founding President, international Peace Academy and former Military Advisor to UN Secretary-Generals Dag Hammarskjold and U Thant The opportunity provided by the end of the Cold War to achieve the great objectives of the UN Charter must not be missed through failures in Somalia, Bosnia and Rwanda. The contributors to this book, with their thoughtful papers and recommendations for reform, encourage belief in the possibility of reinvigoration of the UN, so that the hopes placed in the organization in 1945 might after all be fulfilled. Benjamin Rivlin, Director, Ralph Bunche Institute on the UN This book presents an honest and sober reply to the mindless critics of the United Nations who have made multilateralism the whipping boy of their own short-sightedness. Mindful of the UN's shortcomings, this excellent collection of essays, based on careful analysis, points out clearly nevertheless the direction the organized world must take and the indispensable role the United Nations must play in shaping a just and peaceful future for humanity.