LUMS initiative: Five-day LUMUN conference starts

‘Youth activism is a driving force for change’.

LAHORE:

As many as 780 delegates from all over the country are attending the 9th annual Model United Nations Conference which kicked off at the Lahore University of Management Sciences on Tuesday.

Delegates from Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Mirpur and Lahore attended the opening ceremony of the LUMS Model UN (LUMUN). According to LUMUN Marketing Director Yusra Akhtar, Karachi and Lahore have the biggest turnout at the 5-day conference.

The first day was marked by the registration of delegates followed by an official opening ceremony. The ceremony was attended by LUMS Pro Chancellor Babar Ali, Vice Chancellor Dr Adil Najam, human rights activist Asma Jehangir and Ambassador Shehryar Khan. The screening of the India Pakistan T20 match was also part of the first-day’s programme.

Titled Embracing Responsibility, Enabling Change, the conference is being organised by the LUMUN Society. Having been held annually since 2004, the conference is the largest in Pakistan, claimed LUMUN President Zarak Pasha. “It’s not a typical debating competition, it’s a whole social experience for the delegates,” he said.



Speaking about the theme, Pasha said the youth were being recognised as an important resource the world over, so it was essential to help them understand their potential to make an impact in the societies they lived in. “The young must be made to realise that it is their social responsibility to work for a positive change, this is exactly what we aim at,” he said.

The LUMUN will include several events including a diplomatic moot, a panel discussion on media in Pakistan and a social responsibility boot camp. Explaining the social responsibility programme, Pasha said delegates would be trained on how they could launch their own social initiatives. “Through these events, we hope to give young delegates a chance to interact with dignitaries who can in turn help them use their ideas to enable positive social changes,” he said.

Conference Director General Sara Ahmed said the youth activism was turning into a driving force for change the world over. “Responsibility can be interpreted in several ways,” she said.

According to the organisers, Ambassadors Khalid Mahmood, Shaukat Umer and Iqbal Ahmad are expected to participate. The conference has also lined up a series of social events including a cultural night, a carnival and a musical concert. “We want to give out the message that being socially active can be fun as well,” said Ahmed.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26^th, 2012.