‘U.N. summit’ part of UW-Green Bay Common Theme events

GREEN BAY — University of Wisconsin-Green Bay students will simulate a United Nations summit by representing 28 countries and trying to negotiate a joint resolution on global sustainable development.

The exercise, which involves about 240 UW-Green Bay students from U.S. Politics and Global Politics courses, gives participants an opportunity to experience and directly participate in the creation of global policy while fostering global citizenship, consensus-building and cultural empathy—skills necessary for our ability to reconcile real global differences through peaceful means.

The summit will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, Nov. 7, in the University Union’s Phoenix Room. It is free and open to the public to watch.

“This is a great project for our students to feel empowered to change the world, get to know environmental problems around the world and learn that global problems require global solutions,” said Prof. Katia Levintova, Public and Environmental Affairs. “We are all very excited to see the type of work students are doing as they try to achieve global sustainability.”

Added Prof. Kevin Vonck, Public and Environmental Affairs, “I think that this activity gives students a better understanding of how politics works inside governments, especially how to negotiate and build support for your ideas.”

Students will represent countries from around the globe, some of them resource-rich, some resource-poor, and all with a diverse set of environmental and developmental problems. Students will work to adopt a global resolution on sustainability with the largest number of supporters, which should aim to produce “the greatest good for the greatest number” of countries.

The exercise is being done as part of the UW-Green Bay Common Theme. The Common Theme is a yearlong program designed to engage the campus and community in the ideals of a liberal arts education and the UW-Green Bay interdisciplinary mission. It is designed to encourage faculty, staff, students, and community members to focus on a general theme from multiple perspectives and have a shared experience with open discussion and critical thinking.

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