As Youth from More Than 50 Countries Debate Bridging Cultures, Second Global

Model United Nations Conference Concludes in Kuala Lumpur

 

Youth from all regions of the world came together on 14 to 18 August in the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to participate in the second edition of the Global Model United Nations Conference 2010 organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information on the theme “Towards an Alliance of Civilizations — Bridging Cultures to Achieve Peace and Development”.

The annual conference brought together university-level students from more than 50 countries to debate in four committees on the main areas of focus of the Alliance of Civilizations — education, media, youth and migration.  The inaugural event held at the United Nations Office in Geneva took place in August 2009.  This year’s Conference was hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Government of Malaysia.

During a welcome ceremony organized by the host country, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said, “ Malaysia believes the diversity and various backgrounds of a nation should not be an obstacle to peaceful coexistence and prosperous living.”  He invited Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, to connect a replica of the Petronas Towers with a bridge to symbolize the theme of the Conference, “bridging cultures to achieve peace and development”.

Addressing the students at the closing ceremony, Mr. Akasaka said that during the Model United Nations students worked together to find sustainable and long-term solutions to complex problems, which require persistence, open dialogue and respect for different perspectives.  He hoped that their experience in the Conference would stand as a powerful reminder that diversity and pluralism were our strength.  He urged them to find ways to continue the work started at the Model United Nations and to create new and maintain existing networks that were started to draw attention to issues that involve and affect young people.  Mr. Akasaka, who had participated in Model United Nations conferences himself as a student, has previously stated that he hopes that participation in the Global Model United Nations will inspire young people to become involved in the work of the United Nations.

The Conference was led by a group of 28 university students from around the world previously chosen by the Department of Public Information to take on the challenge of leading the 2010 Conference, with nine being selected to form the Secretariat while others were elected online by their peers, as General Assembly officials.

In his remarks during the event’s opening plenary, Global Model United Nations Secretary-General Esteban Ramirez Gonzalez reiterated that civilizations and human societies have thrived in the collective hope for a better world for future generations.  He said that he hoped that the Conference would emphasize the importance of working towards consensus on the basis of effective dialogue and collaboration; open discussions; respectful and inclusive engagement; and with tolerance and appreciation for diversity.

In a message to the Model United Nations delegates, Jean-Christophe Bas, representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, said that combating radicalization, whether religious or political, required the participation of all.  It is about policymaking and education, but also day-to-day changes in behaviour.  Model United Nations delegates could contribute to raising awareness and thereby stand up against intolerance and stereotypes.

Intended to serve as a model of best practices for Model United Nations conferences, the Global Model United Nations involves youth in all aspects of the planning process and encourages the establishment of new Model United Nations programmes where they currently do not exist.  It uses rules of procedure that closely represent how the Organization’s bodies function, and gives students access to officials prior to, and during, Conference deliberations.

The Department of Public Information provides training materials and online tools that allow participants to collaborate, using new communication technology.  The Conference is designed to expand and deepen the Department’s outreach to youth, a top priority for the United Nations.

More information on the Global Model United Nations Conference and on the student leaders can be found on the Conference website:  www.un.org/gmun.

For additional information, please contact Yvonne Acosta, Chief, Education Outreach Cluster, Outreach Division, Department of Public Information, at e-mail:  acostay@un.org; or Bill Yotive, Manager, Global Teaching and Learning Project, at e-mail:  yotive@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record