Regional Model UN Conference starts

KATHMANDU, May 8: A five-day Regional Model United Nations Conference 2018 kicked off in Kathmandu on Monday. 

The conference hosted by the US Embassy in Kathmandu draws participants from various 16 countries in South and Central Asia and beyond, according to the organizer. 

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The conference will have various sessions including on UN Security Council, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Human Rights Council, UN Women and United Nations Development Program. The agenda items of the conference range from achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) through inclusive local governance to strengthening effective participation of women in decision-making roles in politics and advancing human rights through gender equality to articulating linkages between policy and programming to ensure gender responsive budget. 

Addressing the function, US ambassador to Nepal Alaina Teplitz recalled how her participation in the Model UN events in her high school and in college days had shaped her career as diplomat. “My years as a Model UN delegate were my first taste of a diplomatic career, and it was at once a challenging and transformative experience,” said the envoy, recalling how that helped her to learn an essential set of skills as a diplomat. 

The envoy said that the habit of making research and learning to appreciate other’s perspectives were some of the important skills she learnt through the Model UN event. “I hope this experience will only be the first step into a diplomatic career for many of you, as it was for me,” she said. 

While highlighting the role youths can play to bring positive change in the society, the envoy said that Model UN is a dynamic and increasingly relevant learning experience, where youths can exchange ideas and debate the course that the world is taking. “The knowledge and skills you develop in, and gain from, this simulation will be ones you use well into your future to chart a path forward for your communities as well as to negotiate agreements between your  own countries and its neighbors, as well as the broader international community,” she said.