"We at the United Nations are convinced that young people can make a crucial difference in building a peaceful and inclusive global order", said UNIS Director Janos Tisovszky in his welcoming speech for the Vienna Schools' Model United Nations (VSMUN) which took place from 2 - 4 May 2012 at the United Nations Office in Vienna.
More than 160 students from 20 schools in Vienna, Lower Austria, Berlin and Geneva participated in the 3-day conference that gave them the chance to experience UN decision making processes from a close-up perspective. The United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Vienna hosted the event for the third time and was pleased to be part of an event which aims to inspire young people to stand up to the political challenges of a globalized world.
In the Model United Nations (MUN), students act as state representatives in a simulation of real United Nations meetings and participate in negotiations and debates. Within smaller committees, the students discuss different topics of international importance and draft as well as pass the topic-related resolutions. Among the topics discussed this year were measures to fight international terrorism, threats towards coastal zones and oceans, land grabbing in Africa, torture and the death penalty as well as the rights of refugees.
Wishing the students good luck and a great time, Mr. Tisovszky sent the "generation United Nations" off into an exciting and challenging conference.
