B. People and Environments: Canada's Interactions with the Global Community · Canada's Interactions with the Global Community

International Organizations and Agreements: Why Canada Takes Part

B3.2 B1.1About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe Canada's participation in some international organizations, accords and programs.
I can explain the purpose of the United Nations and some of its agencies.
I can explain why Canada participates in specific international accords and organizations.
I can tell the difference between an organization and an accord.

Words to know

international organization
A group that many countries join so they can work together on shared goals.

accord
A formal agreement between countries. Also called a treaty, convention, protocol or declaration.

United Nations (UN)
An international organization founded in 1945 that almost every country in the world belongs to. It works for peace, human rights and development.

member state
A country that belongs to an international organization.

alliance
A group of countries that promise to help defend each other.

ratify
When a country formally agrees to be bound by an accord.

A world-sized team

Imagine your class wants a new playground. One student can't build it alone. But if everyone joins a committee, shares ideas, raises money and agrees on a plan, it can happen.

Countries do the same thing. They join international organizations and sign accords (agreements) so they can do together what none could do alone.

An empty conference hall with a large ring of desks, each with a microphone and headphones. — In meeting rooms like this, delegates from many countries discuss problems together. The headphones let them hear an interpreter in their own language. AI-generated image

The United Nations

The United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945, after the Second World War, to help keep peace and stop another world war. Canada was a founding member. Today, 193 countries are member states. Its headquarters is in New York City.

The UN has many parts and agencies. Here are a few:

UNICEF works for children's health, education and protection.
The World Health Organization (WHO) works on health and diseases around the world.
The World Food Programme (WFP) brings food to people in emergencies.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) protects and helps refugees.
UN peacekeeping sends soldiers, police and others from many countries to help keep peace in conflict areas.

The UN is a family of agencies. Each one does a different job, and Canada is a member of the UN and supports many of these agencies.

Organization	What it does	Canada's participation
United Nations	Peace, human rights, development; almost every country belongs	Founding member (1945); pays its share of the budget; takes part in UN agencies and peacekeeping
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)	A defence alliance: members promise to defend each other	Founding member (1949); 32 member countries as of 2024
The Commonwealth	Countries, most with historical ties to Britain, that work together on democracy, education and development	Member
La Francophonie	Countries and governments that share the French language	Member; New Brunswick and Quebec also take part as their own governments
Arctic Council	The eight Arctic countries and six Indigenous Peoples' organizations working together on the Arctic environment and communities	Founding member; the Council was created in Ottawa in 1996
G7 (Group of Seven)	Leaders of seven large economies meet to discuss the world economy and other issues	Member
Organization of American States (OAS)	Countries of North, Central and South America and the Caribbean	Member since 1990

Some international organizations Canada belongs to.

Accords: promises between countries

An accord is a written agreement. Countries sign it and then ratify it, which means formally agreeing to follow it. Here are some Canada has joined:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): lists rights every person has. A Canadian, John Peters Humphrey, who led the UN's human rights office at the time, wrote the first draft.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989): children's rights to things like education, health, safety and having a say. Canada ratified it in 1991 (you met it in Grade 5).
Montreal Protocol (1987): countries agreed to phase out chemicals that damage the ozone layer, which protects Earth from harmful sun rays. It was signed in Montreal.
Ottawa Treaty (1997): bans landmines, hidden explosives that can hurt people, often children, long after a war ends. Canada led the effort, and it was signed in Ottawa.
Paris Agreement (2015): countries agreed to reduce the gases that cause climate change.

Organizations and accords from this lesson in order. Canada helped found the UN (1945), NATO (1949) and the Arctic Council (1996), and the Montreal Protocol and Ottawa Treaty are named after Canadian cities.

Why does Canada take part?

Some problems are too big for one country, like climate change, pandemics or war. Working together is the only way.
A stronger voice. Canada has a smaller population than many big countries. In organizations, Canada can team up with others and be heard.
Safety. Alliances like NATO help protect Canadians.
Jobs and trade. Trade organizations and agreements help Canadian businesses sell to the world.
Values. Canadians care about human rights, peace and helping others. Accords put those values into action.
Rules everyone follows. Shared rules make the world more fair and predictable.

Worked example

Let's match the problem to the organization or accord

Which organization or accord fits best? (a) Children in a conflict zone need vaccines. (b) A country is worried about being attacked and wants allies. (c) Countries want to protect the ozone layer.

(a) Children's health and protection is the work of UNICEF (and the World Health Organization).
(b) A group that promises to defend each other is an alliance, such as NATO.
(c) The ozone layer is protected by the Montreal Protocol.

(a) UNICEF, (b) NATO, (c) the Montreal Protocol.

Just for fun

The UN has 193 member states. Imagine your class trying to choose one pizza topping with 193 people voting! No wonder diplomats spend so much time talking. 🍕

Hands-on activity

Make a mini model UN

You need: 3 to 5 family members or stuffed animals as "countries", paper, and a pencil.

Give each "country" a name and one thing it cares about (for example: "Fishland cares about clean oceans", "Farmland cares about food").
Choose a shared problem: plastic is washing up on everyone's beaches.
Each country says one idea. Write them all down.
Try to agree on a 3-rule accord that every country will sign. (Example: no single-use plastic bags; clean one beach a month; help poorer countries pay for recycling.)
Talk about it: Was it hard to agree? Why might real countries take a long time to agree?

What to look for: the accord has rules every country can accept, and your child can explain why some countries might want different rules.

Your turn

When was the United Nations founded, and was Canada a member from the start?

What does UNICEF work on?

What is the difference between an international organization and an accord?

What is NATO?

Which accord protects the ozone layer?

Give two reasons why Canada participates in international organizations.

Which Canadian wrote the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

More practice: warm-up

Where is the UN headquarters?

About how many countries are UN member states?

What does the Ottawa Treaty ban?

Name an organization Canada belongs to because many of its people speak French.

What does it mean to ratify an accord?

More practice: on your own

Why is the Arctic Council important to Canada?

Why might a smaller country like Canada want to join organizations instead of acting alone?

Explain why landmines are a problem even after a war ends.

Which UN agency would help people who had to flee their country because of war?

How does the Convention on the Rights of the Child connect to your life?

Challenge

An accord only works if countries follow it. What could make a country not follow an accord it signed? Give two possible reasons.

Choose one organization from the table. Explain how being a member helps Canada and how it helps the world.

The Montreal Protocol is often called one of the most successful accords. Why do you think it worked well? (Hint: think about what was being asked and who joined.)

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which organization did Canada help found in 1945?

What is an accord?

NATO is best described as...

Which accord bans landmines and was signed in Ottawa?

Which UN agency focuses on children?

Which is a good reason Canada joins international organizations?

The Paris Agreement (2015) is about...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Canada belongs to many international organizations (UN, NATO, the Commonwealth, La Francophonie, the Arctic Council and others) and has joined accords on human rights, the environment and peace. It takes part because many problems need cooperation, because it gives Canada a stronger voice, and to protect Canadians and act on shared values.

How to help at home:

Do the mini model UN with family members or stuffed animals. It shows why agreement takes time.
When the UN or an international meeting is in the news, ask: "What problem are they trying to solve together?"

Common difficulties:

Mixing up organizations and accords. An organization is a group (the UN); an accord is a written agreement (the Paris Agreement).
Thinking the UN is a world government. It is not; it is a place where countries work together, and countries keep their own decisions.