Global Classrooms

3D - Social Sciences
Monday, Oct. 6
What are we doing today?
UN and MDGs Review
Discuss this years topic and committee
Country and partner assignments
Review this weeks homework
UN and MDGs Review

On the website, you will nd a link

under this weeks ASSIGNMENTS
to a document titled: UN and
MDGs Review Sheet

You must complete this review

sheet and turn it in next Monday,
Oct. 13.

All of the answers can be found

using the website and links on the
website.

Please dont copy each others

work! I want to know that youve
learned about the UN on your own.
THIS YEARS TOPIC!
Are you excited to nd out?
TOPIC
Expanding the Role of Women in Governance
COMMITTEE
UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment
of Women (UN Women)
Introduction to Topic
Throughout history,
women have had no or little
roles in government.
Although womens rights
have advanced, women are
underrepresented and
marginalized in the political
arena. One of the next steps
to advance the status of
women will be to increase
womens representation in
their home countrys political
system.
Introduction to Topic
In many parts of the world, women fall into
traditional gender roles. Women are less likely than
men to receive an education in their family, and in
many places laws or cultural norms bar their growth
as leaders. Traditional gender roles make it difcult for
women to rise to positions of power in politics,
especially when women receive little encouragement
to strive for those roles. Many international
organizations and womens groups have started
tackling this problem, but there is still much progress
to be made.
Introduction to Topic
Organizations like the UN
Women and the National
Democracy Institute have created
structures to help expand
womens roles in politics at an
international, national and local
level. These organizations fund
endeavors to improve womens
empowerment, leadership
training, improvement of policies,
gender equality, increase in
quotas, and participation in civil
society.
Description of Committee
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created the
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women, also known as UN Women. The United Nations merged
four previous groups that focused on gender equality to create this
committee; it consists of forty-ve members elected by the
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for four-year terms.
The committee follows three main rules. First, it assists the
Commission of the Status of Women and other inter-
governmental bodies to create global policies and standards.
Second, it aids UN member states to implement the above
standards, provide nancial support, and form effective
partnerships. Lastly, the body holds the UN system accountable
for its own commitments to gender equality and womens rights.
Discussion Questions
1. In your country, do women and men have the
same rights? Can they participate in political and
civil issues?
2. Has your country had female heads of state or
high level government positions?
3. Why do you think its an important issue for the
UN and for the world?
How are we going to prepare?

This topic will be our focus for the rest of the semester, and
any country research you do will be based on this topic.

You will be working with a partner! I will announce the

partners on Wednesday. :)

Each pair will be assigned a country, which they will

represent for the rest of the semester.

We will be hosting a Mock Conference in December, where

you will have a chance to put your new skills to use! This
Mock Conference will help determine who moves on to the
January competition in Madrid.
Countries
Greece
Cambodia
Costa Rica
India
Iceland
Laos
China
Libya
Canada
Chile
Questions?
Important Links
Global Classrooms Website:
IESNeilArmstrong.weebly.com
Rosalias email: rosalialmv@gmail.com