Model UN Hits Historic 25-Year Milestone

The Model United Nations hosted by the Rotary Club of Central Port of Spain achieved a historic milestone on Saturday, November 8 when it hosted its 25th annual debate, with the support of the United Nations in Trinidad and Tobago and other partners.

The quarter-century edition of the simulated UN General Assembly debate featured an unprecedented 200+ secondary school students – more than double the usual number of participants.

After two months of training, research and preparation, delegates from Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, Grenada, Montserrat and St. Vincent and the Grenadines represented approximately 100 different countries as they debated a resolution on the prevention of genocide. 

During her feature address, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Her Excellency Christine Kangaloo, appealed to the youth advocates to use the skills and insights acquired during the Model UN to improve their communities.

“Participants will have to contend with language and behaviour in the public space that often divides and tears down rather than heals and builds up—language that runs counter to the values and core purpose of the United Nations.” She added, “Difficult situations are not dead ends but tests of persistence, resilience, and effort. What you are reaching for is valuable enough to require great effort.”

The UN in Trinidad and Tobago’s partnership with the Rotary Club of Central Port of Spain provided financial and technical support for the 25th annual Model UN, including comprehensive training offered by the United Nations Information Centre. 

UN Resident Coordinator, Joanna Kazana, applauded the timely relevance of a debate on peace and human rights, encouraging the youth leaders to use their voices to call out human rights violations in any form.

“Peace and human rights do not automatically sustain themselves, they are not a ‘given,’” explained UN Resident Coordinator, Joanna Kazana, in her opening remarks. “They must be protected and defended by all of us – including young people. It matters not if human rights violations affect a group to which we do not belong. The very principle of human rights is universality.”

In preparation for this year's debate, Model UN delegates spent seven Saturdays in training sessions that explored the workings of the UN General Assembly, the formulation of resolutions for debate, the fundamentals of human rights and peacebuilding and the principles of international diplomacy.

As part of that capacity-building foundation, UNDP/DPPA, UN Women, OHCHR and the United Nations Information Centre facilitated presentations on the history of the UN, the foundations of the UN Charter and the workings of the UN; human rights; peacebuilding and the role of women and youth. The joint UN agency initiative received coordination support from the UN Office of the Resident Coordinator, which also forged a financial partnership with the Rotary Club of Central Port of Spain for the hosting of this year's Model UN.