Students hold model UN conference
The 4th edition of the Life –Link Senior High School (SHS) Model United Nations conference has begun in Accra on the theme “Developing people to develop nation”.
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The three-day conference would feature 160 participants from selected SHSs across the country who will hold a simulation of the United Nations General Assembly and other UN agencies. The participants, representing various countries, will identify the most pressing issues associated with the theme and finally attempt providing solutions through effective debate and consultations. They will then come up with resolutions that address the issues raised in their discussions.
The ultimate goal of the conference, which is an extension of the Model UN conference held for junior high school students, is to promote youth awareness of international relations and to enable the youth discuss global issues to become more globally-conscious and ultimately develop leadership skills.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Secretary General of the conference, Mr Emmanuel Kwadwo Opoku, explained that the theme was expected to engage the minds of the students on the importance of developing human resources for national development.
In his address, the Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund, Mr Bernard Coquelin, said the conference was significant as the country was growing on the path of development, hence the need for the youth to understand the issues.
“We need to engage, debate and deliberate on these issues as the policies and programme interventions put in place will affect the young people,” he stated.
He urged the participants to employ variety of communication and critical thinking skills such as research, policy analysis, active listening, negotiating and conflict resolution in order to present the policies of the country.
In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mrs Hannah Tetteh, noted that active participation and empowerment of the youth in national and international endeavours was a guarantee for a stable society and sustainable development as they constituted a larger proportion of the overall global population.
“Now more than ever the youth need to be enlightened and better informed to enable them to understand the work of government in the country and abroad in order to take responsible decisions which will contribute to the shaping of a better world,” she added.
By Salomey Appiah/Daily Graphic/Ghana