Vienna, 17 March 2026 – The two workshops titled “Teaching the United Nations, human hights and sustainable development” were organized by the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Austria in collaboration with the University College of Teacher Education Vienna (PH Wien). More than 30 primary and secondary school teachers from Vienna and Lower Austria attended. The first workshop, on March 10, was carried out in German, while the second workshop, on March 17, welcomed English teachers and was thus held in English.
Both workshops started with a tour of the Vienna International Centre (VIC), where participants learned about the United Nations in Vienna and abroad. “I learned something new about the history of the UN and refreshed what I already knew,” said one participant. The tour was followed by a presentation on the work of UNHCR on protecting refugees and what humanitarian aid really consists of. The teachers received classroom-ready materials on refugee and asylum topics and talked about how to approach this sensitive topic in classrooms with children.
The second presentation, held by UNIS, featured teaching material on sustainable development and offers for teachers and students, including guided tours for school classes at the VIC. Participants were introduced to platforms such as The World’s Largest Lesson, where educators can find various resources on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), suitable for different age groups. This includes games, quizzes, lesson plans, videos and book clubs to involve students in conversations about the UN, human rights, and sustainable development in a fun and engaging way.
After the presentations, the teachers had the opportunity to work in groups, where they could share and compare experiences and exchange opinions about teaching sensitive subjects and engaging children in topics discussed during the interactive workshops. The teachers left the VIC equipped not only with new knowledge, but also with a variety of hands-on online resources and other learning tools, including comics, postcards and posters. “It’s always good to receive new teaching material, it’s literally our job,” said one participant after the workshop, while another appreciated the content of the workshop, saying "these topics are actually interwoven into what I teach in English class”.
