1. The United Nations Mock Debate
Due 11/16
Objectives / Instructions:
1. You will work individually or in pairs to research your chosen country or
interest group and participate in a class debate. This debate will take the
form of a UN roundtable discussion on population issues.
2. The central concern of the UN meeting is Resolution 10445:
"Be it resolved, that the world must achieve zero population growth (ZPG)
by the year 2025."
Remember that you will be representing your chosen group or country and
that you must accurately present the information gathered from your
research - this is not a forum for your personal views on the issue. In other
words, unless you researched the United States, do not think like an
American. This is an exercise in cultural appreciation, and as such
represents an opportunity to examine different perspectives on a very
controversial issue.
3. There are many countries and two interest groups being represented.
You will select one of these to research. Everybody is expected to
participate in the research as well as the discussion. Your grade will be
weighted equally on your written and oral presentation (50% each).
4. Use the template attached to create a report on your country’s
background, population and position on the resolution. As with all reports,
it must be typed and ALL sources must be cited (MLA format). These can
be found in library guide, on the Internet, or in books. NO language or
images may be taken directly from a website. Your report must be in your
own words and your histogram must be your original work. Any plagiarism
will result in a 0 and a referral.
5. This is worth a project grade and a test grade. Your participation during
in class research is part of your grade. You will need two copies of your
materials on 11/16 (One to submit and one to use during the debate).
Digital copies will not be accepted.
Country / Interest Group Suggestions:
United States, China, Russia, Mexico, Nigeria, India, Sweden, Brazil,
Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Vatican City**, and Planned Parenthood**

2. Report Format:
Part 1. Written Report and Position Statement
Country Name
Compose a one-page summation or general overview of your country, its
growth rate, status of development, and an overall description - assume no
prior knowledge on the part of your fellow "delegates." Based upon your
findings, include your country's position on the UN resolution in particular,
as well as population control in general. For example, do you believe this is
a matter that should be addressed according to the rules of sovereign
nations (autonomously) or as an international community? CLEARLY
DEFINE AND EXPLAIN YOUR POSITION(S). Your country/group
interests may or may not agree with what would be in the collective best
interest of the other countries involved.
Again, bear in mind that you are acting as an advocate for your country or
group.
Be sure to provide information on what your country/group has done
internationally and is willing to do in the future to comply with the resolution
(or why it refuses to or cannot do so). Hint: You may want to petition to
modify the resolution so it conforms more closely with your position, or to
achieve consensus - save this for the day of the debate.
**For Planned Parenthood and Vatican City: Concentrate your efforts at
defining your ethical and/or policy positions on family planning and
population growth. BE AS SPECIFIC AS YOU CAN, using quotes,
policy/mission statements, informational brochures, and literature, etc.
Include information on specific roles your organization has played in the
past and what efforts you would be willing to undertake in the future in
order to advance you policies or beliefs. Specify the mark, of people/
countries you represent worldwide (e.g., for the Vatican: how many
Catholics there are, the number of Catholic relief organizations, how many
countries are predominantly Catholic in religious makeup; for Planned
Parenthood: in how many countries do you have a chapter or equivalent
representation?). You may pick any country for your histogram.
Your written report should be at least one page in length (12 point font, 1.5
spaced)

3. Part 2. Required Information
Present the required information (described below) in series of bullet
statements on one page.
A. Demographic Data
1. Population
2. Population density (people per square km)
3. Birthrate/death rate
4. Population growth rate
5. Total fertility rate (TFR) = the number of children a woman will give birth
to in her lifetime
6. Life expectancy (male and female)
7. Infant mortality rate per 1000 (breakdown by male and female, if given)
8. Child mortality rate per 1000 (as above)
9. Maternal morbidity rate (urban vs. rural)
10. Percent of population in urban vs. rural areas
11. Predominant ethnic and religious groups, along with differences in
ethnic group sizes
12. Immigration/Emigration rates
B. Economic Data
13. GNP per capita (in US $)
14. Total GNP/GDP
15. Agricultural base (self-sufficient vs. food importer)
16. Primary exports/natural resources
C. Social/Political Data
17. Education policy (compulsory? until what age/grade?)
18. Literacy rate (male and female, if given)
19. Health care (availability, physician/population ratio, subsidized, social
vs. private system, nutritional status, etc.)
20. Status of women (percent working, wages, voting, married vs. single,
percent using contraception/family planning, etc.)
21. Form of government/political history
22. Country policy on population (support/discourage family planning
efforts in own country, clinics and availability of family planning/prenatal
care, cost of services, availability/legality of abortion, government funding
for family planning programs, etc.
23. If birth and death rates remain the same, what will your pyramid look
like in 25 years (HINT: what do you think, support with evidence from your
graph)? On what information that you have about your country are you
basing this?

4. Part 3. Histogram
See How to Make a Histogram.
Be sure all axes are labeled and your histogram has an appropriate title.
Histogram MUST be done in Excel or another program. Hand-written
graphs will not be accepted.
Part 4.
Works Cited Page. All Sources must be present in MLA format and in
Alphabetical Order.
Part 5. Debate
Be prepared to answer all questions posed by the moderator and by the
other delegates. Topics to be discussed will include each delegate’s
position and the following questions. Debate will not be limited to these
topics.
1. What strategies may the developing countries start using right now
to decrease the population growth rate?
2. What do you think is most important for the developed world and the
developing world, respectively, to decrease the rate of population
growth or to decrease the per capita energy consumption?
3. What are some factors that could change the shape of your pyramid
in general?
4. Given your country’s growth rate (positive or negative), what are
some socioeconomic problems that might occur? What remedies
exist for these problems?