WFUNA, in conjunction with United Nations Associations in the Asia/Pacific region and the newly formed WFUNA-Youth organization, held a very successful regional Model United Nations Conference for university level students in Beijing , China on August 19-21, 2004. The theme of the conference was "Global Challenge 2015: issues and prospects for achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the Asia / Pacific region."
The Model UN conference was a simulation of the 53 member Commission of ESCAP, together with its three committees on Poverty Reduction, Emerging Social Issues and Managing Globalization. This event had the active support of UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown and ESCAP Executive Secretary, Mr Kim Hak-Su.
The aims were to promote Asian/Pacific regional cooperation, educational opportunities and networking among university students, fostering their skills in research, advocacy and negotiation by focusing their attention on the critical trade and development issues associated with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
By linking the Model UN conference to the MDGs, students were encouraged to see their activities as an integral part of the Global Millennium Campaign. Participants gained:
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Knowledge of how the UN and the World Bank work with governments, civil society and corporate sector to achieve the MDGs
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Understanding of the strategic, political, economic and commercial issues that are being debated and need to be resolved if the Goals are to be achieved
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Skills to research, analyze, debate and negotiate on issues relating to the Goals
The policy issues related to the Millennium Development Goals are complex and touch on a myriad of domestic policy issues, legal provisions, institutional issues and political interests. The first step for students to take were to research all the factors that can have a bearing on the policy decision-making process at home and abroad of the country that they are required to represent. A range of government regulations and actions affect the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals - including standards in areas such as health, education and the environment; regulations covering services such as provision of water, energy, banking and telecommunications; competition policy and laws concerning bribery and corruption, agricultural support programs; and industrial subsidies.
Students came to the conference equipped to participate in negotiations that encompass the whole analysis, advocacy and negotiating chain that lead to international agreements on issues relating to trade and development.
Many world leaders and corporate executives cite Model UN as a formative experience that affected their career choices and worldviews. While MUN creates connections between participants, it fosters important skills in public relations and negotiation that are crucial in today's competitive job market.
It is proposed to optimize the use of information and communication technologies in the preparation, conduct and follow-up of the Asia/Pacific Model UN. Among the many reasons for doing so is to highlight the relevance of efforts to bridge the digital divide for the alleviation of poverty: this will be one of the sub-themes of the conference. The website will be a world online forum, through which students throughout the region may participate in debates before, during and after the conference. The website will enable students to register online, network with each other and serve as an exemplary data base for up-to-date and authoritative papers on all the issues relating to the Millennium Development Goals through to 2015.
University students from countries in Asia and pacific region which have, or are in the process of establishing, United Nations Associations were participating: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Mongolia, New Zealand, United States and Vietnam.
If you have any questions about the conference, please don't hesitate to contact me at Jensma@wfuna.org
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For the WFUNA Model UN Conference in Beijing 19-21 August 2004, various delegations produced draft resolutions in preparation of the Conference.
Below you can find the drafts that WFUNA has produced and the drafts that the delegations have produced.
The WFUNA draft resolutions on the four Millennium Development Goals;
The assigned countries that sent in their draft resolutions are:
When you are interested which country produced these draft resolution; the delegations are originally from the following countries:
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Plenary Session
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Committee 1(MDG1)
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Committee 2(MDG7)
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Committee 3(MDG6)
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China #5
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Sri Lanka
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Canada
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Canada
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Sri Lanka
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Brunei D.
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China #2
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Sri Lanka
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Brunei D.
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China #7
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China #7
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Russian Federation
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China #7
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Macao
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Kyrgyzstan
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China #2
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China #2
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Nepal
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China #5
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Brunei D.
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Macao
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Brunei D.
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Bangladesh
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Nepal
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Sri Lanka
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China #5
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Macao
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China #7
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Nepal
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China #6
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Macao
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R.O.Korea
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The delegations that attend the WFUNA Model UN in Beijing , have produced position papers for their assigned countries. These position papers were part of their preparation for the conference and proved to be a useful tool for other delegations to be informed about the other country's thoughts.
Below you find the delegations and the country that they represent. Countries listed in blue have submitted their position papers and you can access the paper through clicking on the country that they represent.
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