When our MUN Impact team is invited to attend the meetings of the United Nations Department of Drugs and Crime we like to say, "the band is getting back together!". It's a wonderful opportunity for the founders and advisors of our NGO to meet with an amazing team at UNODC who are invested in developing pedagogical and curricular approaches that teach the next generation to better understand and address problems that can undermine the rule of law. We love that UNODC recognizes Model United Nations programs as universal educators of youth for the prevention of crime, terrorism and corruption. For the last few years more MUN conferences are focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically targeting SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
This particular High-Level conference brought together over 200 stakeholders from the worlds of education and justice, including policymakers and staff from Ministries of Education, Justice and Interior, educators, educational institutions and universities, representatives from academia, non-governmental organizations, the United Nations and the private sector. Together we spent three days building bridges and looking at concrete ways we can strengthen the global activities being undertaken at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels to shape the values and skills of future generations as positive agents of change.
Breakout sessions and interactive discussions were held the second and third days to bring leaders forward to share information about successful practices. Part of our team shared how Model UN inspires youth to support the SDGs. I served as a panelist on the topic of promoting justice and the rule of law through art. I was honored to share the floor with Daniel Hsuan from China and Leonardo Parraga from Columbia who were winners of the E4J Youth Competition that called for submissions ranging from essays and speeches, to poems, artwork, musical compositions and short films. Daniel wrote and performed a song about SDG-16 and human trafficking. Here's a link to the music video he created:
I absolutely love that students, ranging in age from 8 to 24, were invited to the event and shared their voices. I loved that the HELA team was present to share how they have brought MUN to Afghanistan and are currently promoting SDG 16 in their university conferences. I loved reconnecting with Aditya Soma from Worldview, Ryan Villanueva from Best Delegate and Kudzai Mukaratirwa the brilliant Director of Online Model UN. I am most excited about the partnerships MUN Impact continues to make and the exciting possibilities for our students to make real connections with the UN as we work together to support the SDGs. Thank you Gilberto Duarte (Anna Stransky, Marco Teixeira, Lulua Asaad and Bianca Kopp) for keeping us all connected and focused on SDG 16. And a special shout out to Lisa Martin (Founder, MUN Impact) and Alexandra Akira (CEO, MUN Impact) for investing so much of your lives to empower our students and giving us hope for a brighter future.
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