Microsoft Word - Fact Sheet - SAIIA Global Classrooms.doc

This fact sheet describes the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and its Schools Development Programme, specifically the Global Classrooms initiative in Johannesburg. The programme uses Model United Nations (MUN) simulations to teach secondary school students research, diplomacy, and international affairs, aiming to address skills shortages in these disciplines at the tertiary level.

• The SAIIA Schools Development Programme uses a Model United Nations debating system to train school learners in basic research skills and functional knowledge of the United Nations, focusing on global political, economic, social, and environmental issues.
• A central feature of the programme is a one-on-one tutorial system designed to ensure that both advantaged and economically and socially disadvantaged schools can participate in simulated Security Council debates on an equal footing.
• The programme has led to increased enrolment in international relations-related disciplines at South African universities and has seen past participants enter roles in the South African Presidency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations, and various foundations and businesses.
• The Global Classrooms initiative in Johannesburg is supported by the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and funded by Merrill Lynch (New York), extending its reach to over 375 school learners and their communities in southern Africa.
• The 2006 SAIIA Global Classrooms format consisted of four phases: a Training of the Tutors Session (held 8 March 2006), a Launch (held 11 March 2006), five Security Council Sessions to resolve hypothetical crises in July 2006, and a final 6th meeting for top-performing schools.
• The 2006 programme simulated five specific crises: a Mediterranean Basin Authority crisis regarding water quality, a Zimbabwe Nuclear Crisis involving Iran, a Polio Containment Crisis in Nigeria, an International Piracy Crisis in Somalia, and a Lake Victoria Crisis involving Tanzania and Egypt.
• The SAIIA is a research centre founded in 1934, headquartered at the University of the Witwatersrand, and is funded by corporate, diplomatic, institutional, and private memberships as well as donor-funding, but not by the South African government.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (n.d.). Microsoft Word - Fact Sheet - SAIIA Global Classrooms.doc. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/Fact-Sheet-SAIIA-Global-Classrooms.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Microsoft Word - Fact Sheet - SAIIA Global Classrooms.doc. n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/Fact-Sheet-SAIIA-Global-Classrooms.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Microsoft Word - Fact Sheet - SAIIA Global Classrooms.doc |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/Fact-Sheet-SAIIA-Global-Classrooms.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairsndmicrosoft, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Microsoft Word - Fact Sheet - SAIIA Global Classrooms.doc}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/Fact-Sheet-SAIIA-Global-Classrooms.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }