Dubai
If you thought young adults today are too laidback and entitled, a trip to the ongoing Dubai International Academy’s Model United Nations (Diamun) might change your perspective.
Looking for tangible and effective solutions to world problems, 706 student delegates representing 140 countries came together in Dubai to debate, negotiate and pass resolutions through the platform of the Model UN.
According to some of the students who spoke to Gulf News on the sidelines of the conference, such events helped them not just to develop a better understanding of the challenges facing the world today but also built self-confidence and public speaking and time management skills, .
Over the past 10 years, apart from the Model United Nations, the students have also created a Special Conference for Arabic, a World Energy Forum and an Economic and Social Council.
The students will be debating issues including the global energy crisis, innovation in education and the problems at refugee camps in Jordan and Turkey.
“As the youth, I believe it is our job to find solutions and fix issues such as these. In a few years, when we take over it is very important that we understand these issues,” 17-year-old Aditya Rathi, who is the Secretary General of this year’s Daimun, said.
The League of Arab States will be focussing on how tourism can impact and boost the economy, according to Tamara Khudair, who is working with the Special Conference in Arabic.
“Specifically related to the Middle East, we are focussing on the issues refugees face, the need for higher education options in the Middle East and economic and educational growth in the region,” she added.
Speaking about the impact such Model UNs have in the real world, Poonam Bhojani, the CEO of Innoventures Education, said: “In terms of experience, I think this is quite close to the actual United Nations because the main focus is on dialogue, debate and diplomacy and in the end only some resolutions get passed. When these students become decision makers, I am hopeful that many of the problems that the world faces today won’t be at the same magnitude because of how they deal with it.”
