After registration, the students were given information on how the conference will work and were placed on committees. Over the next four days, they will simulate the working of 16 UN committees as representatives of 100 UN member states.
Most of the students taking part in the event are from Sindh and Punjab, with just one delegation from Balochistan.
Abdul Ahad from the Balochistan University of Information Technology and Engineering Management told The Express Tribune that he would represent Venezuela in the United Nations Development Programme committee. “I will present the socialist viewpoint on the ongoing recessions across the world,” he said. “I will try to convince others to support my proposals to ease the financial crunch.”
Ahad is a Hazara from Quetta. “These days we’re facing target killings and kidnapping from our homes,” he said.Ali Mustafa, also from Balochistan, will join the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Mujtaba, also from Balochistan, has been placed on the Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM), where he said he would speak about the abolition of the death penalty.
The LUMUN conference will open today (Thursday) with speeches by journalist Ahmed Rashid, former ambassador Shaharyar Khan and LUMS Pro Chancellor Babar Ali. Each committee will meet twice to select a topic, discuss it, and then present a draft resolution.
Also on Thursday, delegates will set up stalls showcasing the cultures of the countries they represent in a ‘Global Village’ contest.
The best stall will be awarded. There will also be a video conference with Matt Brown, a representative of NGO Global Zero, which is working towards a world without nuclear weapons.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2010.
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