Conference: Global Model United Nations 2011
Venue: Incheon, South Korea

Six hundred students from all corners of the globe came together to discuss the future. Language was not a barrier as they all articulated common dreams and aspirations to make the world a better place for future generations.

It was a week in a foreign land that opened my eyes to myriad cultures and traditions from around the world. From the exotic Kenya to the colourful Uzbekistan, the Global Model United Nations (GMUN), held in South Korea, was more than another Model UN—it was an explosion of new sights, sounds, and tastes.

Each year, several hundred Model UN conferences are organised all over the world at varying educational levels and in many different configurations. GMUN differs from the rest because not only is it organised by the United Nations, providing access to UN officials and diplomats throughout the conference, it also uses Rules of Procedures that closely represent how actual UN conferences take place.

More than 600 university students from 60 countries gathered in Incheon for the international conference where for five days, we role-played as foreign diplomats in simulated sessions of the United Nations General Assembly.

Following successful conferences in Geneva and Kuala Lumpur, the GMUN 2011 was held between Aug 10-14 in the modern and beautiful Songdo—a new district in Incheon that prides itself upon environmentally-friendly infrastructure, an ecological environment and commendable efforts in reducing carbon emissions.

It was an ideal location to hold the conference, aptly themed “Sustainable Development: Advancing Human Progress in Harmony with Nature.” For the conference, each delegate was given a country to represent, and slotted into committees that would discuss topics related to environmental refugees, nuclear safety, alternative energy, food security, and political commitment towards an international environmental governance.

I represented the Republic of Zambia, an African nation that is one of the world’s fastest economically reforming countries.

The experience was both exciting and unnerving. On the first day, I came across student leaders in all shapes and sizes, colour and creed, religions, and nationalities. What impressed me was, although we looked different from one other, although we spoke different languages, and although we grew up in different parts of the world, we still shared a common goal: making the world a better place to live.

Under the UN body, diversity is embraced for the purpose of unity. Different traditions, customs, and social norms make our world a dynamic and revolving civilisation and that uniqueness should be cherished, which is why although participants came from extremely varying backgrounds, we were still eager to work with each other—we could share our thoughts, exchange opinions, and debate on issues without bigotry.

We had fun teaching each other common phrases in different languages, too. By the end of the conference I had learned to say a simple ‘How are you?’ in Korean, Mongolian, Russian, and Hindi.

Youth and UN

For the United Nations, youths are an important integral component. The youth of today represent a new generation of support, with fresh ideas and enthusiasm to carry on the UN spirit. In fact, many of today’s leaders, ambassadors and UN officials themselves were involved in Model UN during their youth.

Kiyotaka Akasaka, the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, is such an example. He often reminisces his younger days when he participated in such conferences, and reminded us ‘youngsters’ to learn as much as we could throughout this one.

The highlight of the conference was none other than UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who attended the GMUN official opening ceremony and dinner. He was welcomed with ‘rock-star’ treatment—hundreds of recording devices including cameras, mobile phones, and iPads were whipped out the moment he entered the hall. Soon after, photos, videos and snippets of his speech flooded Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds. Ban Ki-moon reiterated that youths were part of the solution in tackling global issues, and the world needed more active engagement of young people.

He also urged us to use the knowledge and skills that we gained from GMUN to strengthen UN efforts in tackling climate change and helping human beings in crisis.

“Help shape our world for the better, help us meet the collective tests of our times, and help the United Nations deliver what the world needs at this crucial moment.”

At the end of the conference, the resolutions that were drafted by delegates will be adopted by the UN and will be taken into consideration in future UN conferences and summits, such as the much-anticipated Sustainable Development (Rio+20) Summit 2012. These documents represent the voices of the youth, our hopes for the future, laid down in clear operatives that we feel should be implemented in the interest of the world community.

Government operatives aside, conferences such as these, where young minds with aspiring visions mingle together, are often a birthplace for new and inspiring projects. Last year’s GMUN saw the birth of ‘You!’ the Movement - a global youth project spearheaded by several GMUN 2010 alumni.

‘You!’ aims to encourage youths around the world to be active global citizens, and involve themselves in efforts to make the world a better place. It begins with a simple concept: Every positive change in the world begins with you!

Social Events: Music and Food in South Korea

Intense meetings and committee sessions aside, the week in Korea was also filled with other excitement. With newly-made friends, we ventured together into the city, eager to have a dose of the
Korean wave which is sweeping most parts of the world. The nightlife in Incheon Metropolitan City was alive with music, dance, and plenty of food.

I tried the Korean vodka soju, which was sold cheaply and readily available almost everywhere we went. Their rice wine, makgeolli, is milder and milkier than the Malaysian version and rather strangely, poured from a kettle.

The famed spicy kimchi is served free in any restaurant you walk into, which meant a lot of spiced cabbage during my stay. I tried a lot of dishes that are hard to come by in Kuala Lumpur, and some of my favourites are jeon (Korean pancakes) and gimbap, steamed rice rolled in seaweed.

Nothing, however, can compare to samgyeopsal, which wins hands down. Who would’ve thought that grilled meat wrapped in lettuce leaves could be so delicious? GMUN 2011 on the whole was an amazing, exhilarating, and international experience.

The United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) in collaboration with Incheon Metropolitan City did an incredible job in orchestrating the conference, which provided a platform for us to meet people from every corner of the globe, exchange views, share hopes, and forge friendships that transcended religion, race, and nationality.