2,300 Student Ambassadors Visit From China, Germany, Israel, India, Lebanon, as Well as From Other Overseas and US Cities To Debate Global Warming, Poverty and Peace in the Middle East at the United Nations, May 17-19.

The United Nations Association of the USA's Innovative Program, GLOBAL CLASSROOMS([R]), in Partnership With Merrill Lynch, Brings Global Economy and Global Citizenry Into Urban Public School Classrooms For Tens of Thousands of Transformed Teenagers

"This is a wonderful program and I'm glad that you're all involved in it. It also gives you an opportunity to see what it might be like to have a future in public service. Public service is enormously important to our country, to the United States, where the participation in democracy is a key to making democracy work."

- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

NEW YORK -- More than 2,300 students from over 170 public high schools in major US cities - many of which are in underserved urban areas -- will be joined by peers from across the globe to step into the shoes of UN ambassadors to debate and resolve current international issues from May 17 - 19 at the Global Classrooms 8(th) Annual New York City Model UN Conference.

Sponsored by the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and Merrill Lynch, the event is held at the United Nations headquarters. The conference mobilizes students to tackle world issues such as globalization, terrorism, Darfur, AIDS, Korea's nuclear capabilities, and other pressing problems. Speakers at the opening ceremony include: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, Ahmass L. Fakahany, Vice Chairman and Chief Administrative Officer of Merrill Lynch, the program's global sponsor and Ambassador William H. Luers, president of UNA-USA. The keynote speaker will be NBA Legend and Olympic gold medalist Sam Perkins. After 18 NBA seasons, Perkins retired in 2001 with more than 15,000 points and 7,000 rebounds. Through NBA Cares, he has traveled to Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Nigeria and South Africa. Perkins now serves as a spokesperson for the Nothing But Nets campaign which works to distribute bed nets to children and families throughout Africa.

Some students will travel more than 10,000 miles to participate, which includes young people from: China, Miami, Lebanon, Boston, Germany, Chicago, South Africa, Washington DC, United Kingdom; Tampa, Brazil, New York City, Israel, Houston, Japan, Los Angeles, Spain, St. Paul, Mexico, India, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Global Classrooms is made possible through the financial and employee volunteer support of Merrill Lynch.

The Global Classrooms program brings international issues and the Model UN experience to students in traditionally underserved schools and urban communities. It builds their conflict resolution, research, presentation and analytical skills. Global Classrooms students typically spend a year or semester studying all aspects of an assigned country and then role-play its position on key UN agenda items at the annual conference. Global Classrooms enriches students' knowledge of world affairs and the global economy, developing them as business leaders and politically empowered individuals.

"Global Classrooms brings the Model UN program - which is nearly 60 years old - from Ivy League colleges to middle school and high school students of public schools in urban areas," said Ambassador William Luers, president of UNA-USA. "Student delegates are enriched by the process of researching and writing position papers, negotiating with others, addressing committees through speeches, caucusing, and navigating the UN's rules of procedure."

"Seeing the world from a global perspective is one of the most critical insights that young people can acquire for business and for life," said Ahmass Fakahany, Merrill Lynch Vice Chairman. "This extraordinary gathering inspires our youth to develop the skills and perspectives needed to compete in a global economy and to be good global citizens. Global Classrooms helps today's youth to become tomorrow's global ambassadors and business leaders."

"Global Classrooms is successfully exposing students from diverse backgrounds to a more inclusive way of thinking, understanding and interacting," said Dr. Lucia Rodriguez, vice president of education for UNA-USA. "Armed with this new perspective, students feel empowered to actively shape their own future."

Dr. Rodriguez, Dr. Bayardelle and Ambassador Luers are available to discuss how:

* Global Classrooms educates students on history, geography, and the global economy.

* A teen's thinking and learning process can be transformed.

* Merrill Lynch's Global Classrooms fills a void in the education system.

* Students have begun to learn of the significance of globalization.

* A corporation, non-profit, and educators team up in a new model of learning that actively engages students in a participatory way.

* Students can develop their political voices as they overcome prejudice, move beyond ignorance or fear, and see things differently, in an eye-opening way.

* By teaching living history beyond our borders, where, the classroom is no longer just about American history, we train tomorrow's global leaders.

* Our local schools or students can get involved and adapt the UNA-USA and Global Classrooms as part of the school curriculum.

Though the Model UN will involve over 400,000 students globally in 2007, it has only recently expanded into urban public schools. Since 2000, Global Classrooms has touched tens of thousands of young people. This past year, 25,000 students were exposed to Model UN in US classrooms, and more than 100,000 participated via the Internet.

Merrill Lynch and UNA-USA have also teamed up to develop a new curriculum on The Economics of Globalization. The goal: to help youth better understand economic conditions and the role of the global economy in all major world issues, from health to environment to security. The new curriculum will bring to life the finance, trade and development aspects of globalization and challenge students to analyze complex issues and articulate their positions accordingly. Materials will reflect the guidance of Merrill Lynch researchers and experts from around the world, and will be aligned with educational standards for classroom use, including a teacher and student resource book and a guide for volunteers. The curriculum is designed to provide a foundation of global economic knowledge that will be applied and built upon as the students role play as UN delegates and ambassadors.

""While globalization is bringing people closer together, it is also requiring young people to develop skills and perspectives that enable them to understand the interconnected world," says Dr. Eddy Bayardelle, President of the Merrill Lynch Foundation. "When you see these young people in action negotiating across cultures, languages and economies, you know that they have already begun to shape a new world." Merrill Lynch, as the global sponsor, made a five-year, $7.5 million commitment to the program.

Dr. Rodriguez and Ambassador Luers are also available to discuss how:

* The future leaders of other countries really view America.

* The cultural divide is being narrowed by this innovative program, allowing for the understanding of complex issues that baffle seasoned politicians.

* Kids may have better solutions to the world's critical and chronic problems.

* Young people, if exposed properly, can fully appreciate and understand different cultures, perspectives, governments and global issue positions.

The Global Classrooms 8(th) Annual New York City Model UN Conference mobilizes students to engage in significant issues, in a non-violent way, including: human rights and refugees, sustainable development, terrorism, human trafficking, and children in armed conflict. This program marks the first American generation of students to take a global view in their education, and shows teens care about global literacy and are not just focused on their iPods, YouTube, or MySpace. Studies show the US is behind in global literacy. Global Classrooms turns role-playing into active critical thinking and ensures that students won't just debate who should win American Idol.

Global Classrooms, expanding into a total of 29 cities in 14 countries, helps us recognize the importance of the UN as a forum for international opinion. It is a unique learning experience, through simulation, which aids participants in understanding a multi-cultural view of world affairs, and encouraging them to develop debating skills, research skills, and the art of negotiation. "We've come a long way from students learning about current events by clipping out articles from local newspapers for their scrapbooks," concludes Dr. Rodriguez.

About UNA-USA: The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a center for innovative programs to engage Americans in issues of global concern. Its educational and humanitarian campaigns, along with its policy and advocacy programs, allow people to make a global impact at the local level. UNA-USA a non-profit, encourages US leader-ship in the UN. With 175 chapters, it has 20,000 members nationwide. www.unausa.org

About Merrill Lynch's Global Philanthropy: Merrill Lynch was founded on the idea that the world is full of opportunity. Opening the door to that opportunity for underserved children and youth is the focus of the firm's global philanthropy. In 2006, the firm's giving totaled more than $40 million, with education receiving nearly one-half of that support. In 2005, Merrill Lynch launched its multi-million dollar Young Ambassadors initiative to cultivate the next generation of global education for young people and taps Merrill Lynch volunteer efforts, the expertise of leading organizations and educators across the sectors, and educational resources available free of charge at www.volunteer.ml.com.