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Topic of Discussion:The 2001 Nobel Peace Prize

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and the organization he heads were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In his acceptance speech, Annan outlined his goals for the United Nations: eradicating poverty, preventing conflict and promoting democracy. Get inside this topic with a Web quest and conversation!

Find out more on the Web:

What is the United Nations? What are its aims and principles?
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/unintro/unintro.htm

Who is Kofi Annan?
http://www.un.org/News/ossg/sg/pages/sg_biography.html

Who was Alfred Nobel? How and why did he endow the Nobel Prizes?
http://www.nobel.no/eng_com_will1.html

Who are the past Nobel Peace Laureates and what did they do?
http://www.nobel.no/eng_lau_list.html#90

What did Kofi Annan highlight in his acceptance speech?
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/2001/annan-lecture.html

Talk about it:

Do you agree with the decision to award the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize to the United Nations and Kofi Annan? Why?

Aside from the three key points of poverty, conflict, and democracy addressed by the United Nations, what do you see as issues promoting or preventing peace in the world today? What examples can you offer?

If this prize could be awarded to one other person or organization, what person or organization should be the recipient, in your opinion? Why?

Which past recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize do you admire the most? Why?

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