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Education

UN General Assembly Perspective-Taking Activity

Length
20-30 Minutes
Grade Level
High School, Higher Education

Learning Objectives

  • Through structured role-play, students will identify differences in how countries approach international agreements, articulate challenges to reaching international consensus, and evaluate why international decision-making is strengthened by broad participation.

Instructional Plan

  1. (Assign roles: 2 minutes) - Divide students into groups of four. Each student receives one printed role card: one student represents a high-income country, one an upper middle-income country, one a lower middle-income country, and one a low-income country. Each group also receives one printed topic card - this is the topic they will analyze from their role’s perspective during the activity. Role cards and topic cards are linked for download below.
  2. (Read and Prepare: 5-7 minutes) - Have students read their role card and shared topic card independently. Inform students that they should be ready to answer the following questions from their role’s perspective:
    • Does your role support this resolution? Why or why not?
    • What would your role need to see changed or added before you could support it? Why?
    • What is your role not willing to compromise on? Why?
  3. (Small-Group Discussion: 8-10 minutes) - Call groups to order and have them discuss their topic cards as UN General Assembly working groups. Students act as delegates within their groups, presenting their role’s position on the resolution and working with peers toward a mutually acceptable path forward. Remind students before opening the discussion that the goal is not necessarily to reach agreement, but to articulate and understand each other’s positions clearly enough to identify where they overlap and where they conflict.
  4. (Whole-Class Debrief: 5-8 minutes) - After 10 minutes of discussion in working groups, bring the class back together and debrief the role-play using the following discussion prompts:
    • “Why are different perspectives valuable? In your group discussion, did hearing another delegate’s perspective change how you thought about the resolution? What did you learn from a perspective that wasn’t your own?”
    • “The roles represented in your working group probably all want a better, more peaceful, more equitable world. What made it difficult to agree on this resolution? What specific differences made consensus difficult? Do you think those differences can ever be fully resolved? Why or why not?”
    • “The UN General Assembly gives every nation one equal vote. Why does that design matter? What might happen to international agreements if some perspectives were left out of the room, or given more of a voice than others? How does including different perspectives support more equitable outcomes?”

Notes:

  • The topic card in this activity is “Right to Development” in accordance with the 2026 meeting of the UN General Assembly. Instructors may download the card set (linked below) and edit the topic card or role cards as desired for their own classroom needs.

Materials