Report of the Model United Nations General Assembly 2007
Another successful CEWC NI Model UN event took place on United Nations Day, 24th October 2007. One hundred & twenty sixth-formers attended from twenty-four schools throughout Ireland, representing thirty-five countries of the United Nations in teams of three.
Following the two successful Training Days in September, one in Antrim & one in Dublin, the delegates launched into their research & lobbying of like-minded countries, so that by the time UN Day came they were well prepared & enthusiastic.
On the evening before the event the delegates from RoI met with some of their counterparts from NI on an informal basis. Victoria College proved welcoming hosts, providing a hot meal, & delegates from Victoria College organised some icebreaking activities.
On 24th October Model UN Assembly Chair Professor Bernard Cullen, QUB, welcomed the Delegates to the Spires Conference Centre, Belfast. Two Draft Resolutions - one on Climate change & Global warming, and the other on the Exploitation of Peoples, were hotly discussed in committee groups & plenary sessions. Several amendments to both resolutions were voted on.
An Emergency Resolution - again vigorously discussed - concerning the current Turkish PKK incursion into the Kurdish area of N. Iraq, added to the realism of the event.
The team who won the CEWCNI Cup for Best Delegation came from Wallace High School, Lisburn.
It was obvious that the prior preparation by the teams showed a good all-round grasp of the current political situation with regard to their countries. Successful interaction, the value of reaching consensus and the expanded knowledge of the breadth of global problems demonstrated the effectiveness of this 'Active Citizenship' initiative.
