Teaching About the UN
Activity: UN Decisions Survey
Dr. Robert Schell

Directions: Print this page. This is a group exercise. Read the following statements about the United Nations. Your group is to then decide that you: (A) agree, (D) disagree or remain (U) undecided about each of the statements. After each group has determined its choices, we will compare reactions from each group and discuss the reasons for the choices made.

1. The United Nations has played a significant role in maintaining peace in the world.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

2. Membership in the UN has more than tripled since its inception.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

3. The majority of nations in the UN are from Asia.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

4. The World Court has been ineffective because major powers have not brought disputes to it or honored its decisions.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

5. The fact that the Security Council votes to allow the use of force shows that the majority of nations approve the policy.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

6. The United States pays too great a share of the cost of the United Nations.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

7. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that people should have both civil and economic rights.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

8. The greatest disagreements in the UN today are between the Northern and Southern nations rather than between the nations of the East and West.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

9. The General Assembly has little control over specialized agencies and there is often a duplication of effort.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

10. The United States controls the International Monetary Fund.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

11. The United Nations is not concerned with nuclear energy.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

12. The United Nations armed forces are on duty to protect the peace in varied areas of the world today.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

13. The Trusteeship Council has been so successful that it has worked itself out of a job.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

14. The main goal of the UN University is to train personnel for their work in the United Nations.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

15. The Security Council needs to be realigned in light of the realities of today.

    _______A    _______D    _______U

Open Ended Statements: These can also lead to excellent discussions when given to small groups to reach a consensus.

a. For disarmament to be effective, the UN should ____________________________.
b. The most important environmental problem facing the world today is _________________.
c. For a stable and just world economy, it will be necessary for the UN to ______________.