Mini UN Summit

AIM OF SESSION 

Participants are invited to collectively consider what ‘progress’ means in the context of sustainable development and how this might be measured. This approach encourages participants not only to think systemically about the Sustainable Development Goals and the complexity of the interrelated topics they cover but also, as an intrinsic part of the process, to interact with their peers by providing and seeking feedback on ideas and attempting to reconcile different points of view. Transformative skills practiced include: communication skills, complexity awareness, critical thinking, long-term orientation & visioning, courage, inner compass and perspective skills. 

BACKGROUND 

It is by now well recognised that the earth’s resources are finite and cannot support present rates of economic and population growth indefinitely. It is also increasingly acknowledged that a measurement of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a limited method of evaluating progress when it comes to (sustainable) development. So what could An alternative, more meaningful measure than GDP look like? And what do we mean by ‘progress’?  

This question has become even more relevant since the United Nation’s Pact for the Future was signed by all participating countries  (in September 2024), which includes the following statement: 

“We recognize that sustainable development must be pursued in a balanced and integrated manner. We reaffirm the need to urgently develop measures of progress on sustainable development that complement or go beyond GDP.” 

As such, this issue presents a highly relevant, challenging and (we believe) engaging topic for discussion in the classroom (and beyond).  

FACILITATION 

As facilitator of the workshop, your role is to create a welcoming and uplifting environment, help along the conversations in pairs/groups when needed, and ensure that participants feel heard and respected. The goal is to encourage open, respectful and attentive dialogue and reflection.  

Some tips for facilitating: 

• Ask students to put away laptops/phones and focus purely on dialogue with their peers.
• Resist sharing your own views/opinions; rather pose reflective questions to the students if/when the opportunity arises and/or show your own vulnerabilities/ uncertainties around the topics raised.
• Spend a few minutes at the start agreeing a code of conduct to set out some basic guidelines about having respectful and attentive dialogues with one another.