A committee of students was given the opportunity to submit a declaration on the Millennium Development Goals to the United Nations at the 2013 World MUN (Model United Nations) summit, hosted by Melbourne.
Last week over 2000 delegates from eighty countries across the globe gathered in Melbourne for the 22nd Harvard World Model United Nations.
The annual youth summit is held at a new international city every year. But this was the first time Harvard’s prestigious conference was held in an Australian city.
Throughout the week, delegates from participating countries engaged and placated contemporary international politics, international relations and diplomacy.
A Committee of Delegates in Session
The Senior Director of Communications for the event was Monash journalism and international politics student, Charles Chia.
Mr. Chia said the one of the most vital aspects of the conference was the presence of the UN officials.
He said even more significant was the fact that the MDG (Millienium Development Goals) Committee was able to submit their declaration on the Global Development Goals to the UN.
A group of Delegates at WorldMUN
What was the role of MDG Committee?
The MDG committee was distinctly different from the standard MUN committees. It was comprised of just 20 delegates – a Harvard Chair, an AusAID Mentor, and members of NGOs.
In the year 2000, a common agenda for development was achieved at the United Nations Head Quarters in New York. All 189-member states of the UN voted on a document that focused on possibilities for global development, post-2015.
The document was summarised by eight Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are:
- Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
- Achieving universal primary education,
- Promoting gender equality and empowering women
- Reducing child mortality rates,
- Improving maternal health,
- Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
- Ensuring environmental sustainability, and
- Developing a global partnership for development
The purpose of the MDG committee over the week, was to produce a resolution that would reignite the enthusiasm at the signing of the Millennium Declaration in 2000.
Joel Duah, a delegate from Ghana was selectively chosen to be a member of the MDG Committee.
He said their final declaration was a reflection of the global ideas of youth leaders.
“We think the document outlines the major points we need for development now and also post 2015.
“We hope that when we present our declaration to the United Nations, they will consider our resolutions and help us get global institutions to implement them,” said Mr Duah.
How did Melbourne Rate as a Host City?
In a poll that asked a group of delegates to rate Melbourne as an overal host city for the event, 75 percent of participants rated it as ‘Excellent.’
Mr. Chia agreed the event was a success.
“A team made up of a team of about 200 plus student volunteers, being able to garner the endorsement of UNESCAP, the support and partnership of entities like UNICEF, the State Government and AusAID, and finally gathering 2000 students from such a diverse range of countries to Melbourne for a week-long conference – it was as professional as it gets,” said Mr. Chia.
He said such an event “provides youth – especially those from developing nations – with a platform to voice their opinion and take on global issues that impact their lives.”
WorldMUN Melbourne 2013 Highlights
Highlights video of the week that was! Reliving the fantastic opening ceremony, conference participants and social events!WorldMUN 2013 was truly a conferenc…
