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Teacher’s GuideInternational OrganizationsTime Needed: One Class PeriodLearning Objectives. Students will be able to: Identify the purposes and functions of internationalMaterials Needed:Student worksheetsorganizations. Describe the purposes and functions of the followingCopy Instructions:Reading page (class set; 1-sided)Presentation Activity worksheets(students will be in groups of 6; eachgroup member gets a different sheet)Chart (class set; 2-sided)international organizations: UN, EU, NATO, World Bank,Red Cross/Crescent, and World Health Organization. Analyze the impact that international organizations canhave on the lives of individuals.STEP BY STEP ANTICIPATEby asking students if they think countries ever work together. If so, what kinds ofthings do they think countries work together to do? Call on volunteers to answer. DISTRIBUTEthe reading page. READthe reading page with the class. GROUPstudents into groups of 6. Each student in the group will be reading about andreporting on a different international organization. If the groups aren’t even,students can double up, or a person from a different group can also report to thegroup that is missing an organization. DISTRIBUTEa different Presentation Activity page to each group member. EXPLAINthat they will each be reading about a different organization and reporting abouttheir organization to the other group members. (The information on the activitypages is current as of 2011.) Make sure they understand the instructions on theirPresentation Activity page. (You’ll find answers for the presentation activities onyour teacher key for the chart.) ALLOWstudents a reasonable time to read and complete the Presentation Activity pages. DISTRIBUTEone chart to each student. TRANSITIONthe class into the presentation phase of the activity. Have students take turnspresenting their organizations to their group. The other group members will takenotes on their charts while each student is presenting. MONITORto make sure students are presenting and taking notes correctly. CLOSEby asking students, “What is one activity almost all the organizations you learnedabout are involved in doing?” Guide them toward answering that the organizationshelp poor people and countries in the world. Discuss why countries might thinkthis is an important thing to do.This lesson plan is part of the Foreign Affairs & National Defense series by iCivics, Inc. a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civic education.For more teaching resources, please visit www.icivics.org/teachers, where you can access the state standards aligned to this lesson plan. 2011 iCivics, Inc. You may copy, distribute, or transmit this work for noncommercial purposes if you credit iCivics. All other rights reserved.
International OrganizationsName:Working TogetherOrganizations are groups of people, businesses, or governments that worktogether to solve an issue. International organizations involve governmentsor people from different countries working together to solve an issue thatcrosses country borders. Reaching across borders is what makes them“international.” There are two main types of international organizations.Intergovernmental Organizations“Inter” means among or between. It is a prefixthat shows there is a connection betweenthings. Intergovernmental organizationsare organizations that are formed betweengovernments. They are based on formalagreements between three or more countriesthat have come together for a specificpurpose. For example, several governmentsmight come together to help defend eachother against enemy threats. Or, governmentsmight form an organization to solve anenvironmental problem that is affecting eachnation involved.In 2015, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began testinga new “Very High Readiness Joint Task Force.” The VHJT will be amultinational brigade that can deploy 5,000 troops within 48 hours.Nongovernmental OrganizationsA bundle of clothes from the Red Cross in Finlandwaits to be donated to people in need.“Non” means not. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)are groups that work to solve problems around the world butare not connected to any government. (Although they mayhave members that come from government organizations.)NGOs must raise money independently to fund their projects,so are free to work toward their own goals. They don’t rely ona government to make decisions or provide support, althoughmany NGOs do receive government funding. NGOs often worktogether, especially if they have similar goals or focus on thesame geographical region. For example, if an NGO wanted tofight disease in central Africa, it might collaborate with otherNGOs working in that area.What International Organizations DoInternational organizations are generally involved in either aid orsecurity. Imagine that terrorist breaks out in a small corner of theworld. The countries involved have weak governments and littlemoney, and the trouble is turning into a crisis. Thousands of peopleare suffering. Some international organizations may send militaryforces to help restore peace or advisers to help strategize against theterrorists. Other organizations may send food or medical supplies tohelp suffering civilians. In this way, international organizations arecritical to keeping the world a safe and stable place to live.Reading
In its role to improve the quality of life for the world’s poor, two ofthe most well-known UN organizations are the United NationsChildren’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).UNICEF works in poor areas of the world to help prevent disease andchild abuse. UNICEF also support the rights and education ofchildren, especially girls, who do not receive equal treatment to boysin many parts of the world. The WFP works to end hunger aroundthe world. Part of this involves bringing food when there is anemergency. The other part involves preventing hunger in poor partsof the world. The WFP does this by providing school meals toencourage families to keep their kids in school, helping farmers findgood markets for selling their products, and paying people with foodin exchange for their labor building improvements to theircommunities.In its peacekeeping role, the UN sends troops to bring stability andpeace to troubled areas of the world. UN peacekeepers are troops orpolice sent from member countries. They wear their own country’suniform with a UN helmet or beret. One of the UN’s peacekeepingmissions is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country inAfrica where tribes and smaller militias have been fighting for years.UN peacekeepers are there to protect civilians and aid workers fromphysical violence. They are also helping the country’s governmentrestore the rule of law. The UN currently has 15 similar missionsaround the world.In October 1945, right after World War II, fifty-one countries startedan organization with a goal of keeping peace, developing friendlyrelationships among countries, and improving the quality of life forthe world’s poor people. This organization, called the United Nations(UN), has 193 member nations today.The United NationsPresentation Activity—UNA good example of something the United Nations does is2.1.The United Nations has two roles:.The reason the United Nations exists is tocountries are involved today.The United Nations was founded in .Take Notes. You will use these when you tell your group about theUnited Nations.4) Put [brackets] around one example for each role.3) Box the two main roles of the United Nations.2) Underline the main purpose of the United Nations. (This couldbe the reason why it was started or its main goal.)1) Circle the year the United Nations was founded and the numberof countries involved today.Mark It Up.Read. Read the article through one time so you know what’s there.Follow the directions and answer the questionsbelow, then explain to your group what theUnited Nations is all about.Your Report
NATO also uses its resources to help both member countries andnon-member countries after a natural disaster. It does this becauseit believes the world will be more safe and secure if victims ofnatural disaster receive help quickly. For example, in 2010 Pakistansuffered major flooding and asked NATO for help. NATO agreed todeliver donations from countries and nongovernmentalorganizations. NATO airplanes delivered many supplies frommember countries: generators, water pumps, and tents donatedfrom Slovakia; food and medical supplies donated by Germany; fieldhospitals from Denmark; and blankets and tents from France, as wellas baby food and high energy biscuits from nongovernmentalorganizations along with other aid donations.One role of NATO countries is to help keep peace and securityaround the world, even in non-member countries. For example,NATO troops are in Afghanistan helping the government there tomaintain control of the country and fight the threat of terrorism. Inaddition, NATO troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq are helping totrain the militaries in those countries to be able to stand on theirown. In another part of the world, “Operation Ocean Shield” usesnaval ships from NATO countries to fight pirates and provide securityto ships off the Horn of Africa.The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a group ofcountries in Europe and North America that have signed a treatyagreeing to protect each other in case of attack. NATO was foundedin April 1949 by twelve countries. Today, NATO has 28 membercountries. NATO countries protect themselves by working togetherto help stabilize parts of the world that are in trouble.North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationPresentation Activity—NATOA good example of something NATO does is2.1.NATO has two roles:.The reason NATO exists is tocountries are involved today.The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded in .Take Notes. You will use these when you tell your group about theNATO.4) Put [brackets] around one example for each role.3) Box the two main roles of NATO.2) Underline the main purpose of NATO. (This could be the reasonwhy it was started or its main goal.)1) Circle the year NATO was founded and the number of countriesinvolved today.Mark It Up.Read. Read the article through one time so you know what’s there.Follow the directions and answer the questionsbelow, then explain to your group what theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization is all about.Your Report
Finally, the EU plays a major role giving aid to countries around theworld that have problems such as hunger, disease, andenvironmental contamination. For example, the EU keeps aidworkers in the Caribbean to help people in those countries developbetter ways to cope with natural disasters such as hurricanes andearthquakes. The EU is also actively distributing food to people inthe poorest countries of Africa.Another role of the EU is to act as a single voice in the world for itsmember countries. The EU is run by a European government that ismade up of representatives voted into office by citizens in the 27countries. The government of the EU makes decisions about whatthe EU as a group will do about a wide variety of issues, such asterrorism. By acting as one unit, the members have more influencethan they would if they each acted alone. For example, the EUmight use its influence to negotiate peace between countries inconflict.One role of the EU is to create a single economy in which all of themembers participate. All of the countries use the same unit ofmoney, called the Euro. Goods trade freely between the membercountries without being taxed.The European Union (EU) is a partnership between countries inEurope that is designed to help them avoid conflict by making themdependent on each other. The EU began in 1951 with a treatybetween six countries who agreed to operate their coal and steelindustries together. This way, none of the six could manufacture itsown weapons to use against the others in war. Later, the sixcountries began to adopt the same economic rules, such as payingfarmers in all countries the same for their produce. They alsoallowed goods to be traded between the six countries without anytaxes for moving products across borders. The idea was thatcountries that depended on each other would be less likely to go towar against each other. Today, the EU has 27 member countries.The European UnionPresentation Activity—EUA good example of something the European Union does is3.2.1.The European Union has three roles:.The reason the European Union exists is tocountries are involved today.The European Union was founded in .Take Notes. You will use these when you tell your group about theEuropean Union.4) Put [brackets] around one example for each role.3) Box the two main roles of the European Union.2) Underline the main purpose of the European Union. (This couldbe the reason why it was started or its main goal.)1) Circle the year the European Union was founded and the numberof countries involved today.Mark It Up.Read. Read the article through one time so you know what’s there.Follow the directions and answer the questionsbelow, then explain to your group what theEuropean Union is all about.Your Report
The WHO also plays a role responding to crises around the world.For example, the WHO has set up a rehydration center to helppeople dehydrated from drought in Yemen. Drought also leads tomalnutrition, because food cannot grow without water. When thereis a famine, the WHO treats medical complications that result fromsevere malnutrition and helps fight disease in communitiesweakened by lack of food.Another role of the WHO is to help keep people healthy around theworld. The WHO sponsors many health programs. Some of theseprograms focus on wiping out specific diseases, such as dengue, adeadly flu-like virus transmitted by mosquitoes in tropical areas ofthe world. The WHO helps prevent this disease through programsthat control the spread of mosquitoes and by conducting research.The WHO also makes sure as many children as
The United Nations (UN) Year Founded: _1943_ Current Number of Countries Involved: _193 Reason the UN exists: Keeping the peace, developing friendly relationships among countries, and improving the quality of life for the world’s poor people Main roles of the UN: 1) Peacekeeping—bring stability and peace to troubled areas of the world
