'Converge, Connect and Conquer' with this theme in mind the Youth Thinkers' Society Bangladesh (YTSB), an organisation run by young minds, held its first International Model United Nations conference in the port city of Chittagong from August 24 to 26, 2017.
The conference was attended by 320 delegates and 23 executive board members from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Bhutan, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Kazakhstan.
The Secretary General of Youth Thinkers' Society International MUN (YTSIMUN) 2017 and the Founding President of Youth Thinkers' Society Bangladesh - YTSB Mohammad Jahin Showic shared the journey of making YTSIMUN possible and applauded his diligent secretariat for their untiring efforts.
He said, 'Today, our conference consists of the most diverse group of people from 10 countries, 51 different institutions, and we speak more than 15 languages besides English, the official language of our conference, the language which unites us all and the language of United Nations.'
YTSIMUN was inaugurated on August 24 in the auditorium of Chittagong Boat Club. It was comprised of three days of intense committee sessions where the delegates debated over the agendas such as 'Resolving the Crisis in the Middle East: The Qatar-Gulf Impasse', 'Workers' Rights Violation in the Manual Labour Industry of Developing Countries'.
The conference also set a benchmark in hosting the highest number of delegates in a single committee in any conference in Bangladesh. It also takes pride in simulating the first ever Historical United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,1971 (H-UNHCR), which takes us back to history.
On the first day, a river cruise was organised to give the delegates a view of nature and welcome them in the port city.
The ambience of second evening was different as cultures of different nations were brought to life through amazing social performances during the Global Village session.
The Global Village included performance from different nations such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal etc. At the end of the third day, the delegates were awarded based on their performance.
To mark a memorable end and practicing the idea of converging and connecting, a diplomatic ball was arranged along with the grand dinner.
The inauguration ceremony of YTSIMUN was formally commenced by Soleiman Alam Seth, the Honourary Consulate at the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.
He emphasised the role of youths in the society. He said that youths are the pillars of our nation, and hence are a great asset. He encouraged the engaging youths of the conference to come up with innovative solutions during the committee sessions to converge, connect and conquer the world.
Following him, Palki Ahmad, the youth coordinator at United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP), spoke to the audience. She described MUN as a 'prestigious gathering' and youth leadership at its 'best.'
As the youth coordinator of UNDP, she also adds that MUN does help youths to be creative, to think out of the box, come up with innovative ideas that will surely help them in their future goals. Her message to young generation was, 'Keep shining, keep burning and achieve the goal.'
Naveed Mahbub, the renowned comedian, columnist and the award winner of the Best Male Comedian of the 2007 Las Vegas Comedy Festival, lit up the audience with his amazing standup comedy skills.
He talked about the importance of taking risks and new challenges in life. He further advised the youth that 'Just don't work hard but work smart' and 'Try to be at the right place at the right time'.
Mahbubul Alam, the chief guest of the closing ceremony and the president of Chittagong Cabinet of Commerce and Industry, addressed the conference and distributed awards among the deserving delegates along with Suleiman Seth.
He said it was a great privilege to be able to speak in an international MUN conference in the land of seas. He further motivated the youth to work hard and be responsible citizens.
According to him, the conference brought a positive mindset to the youth minds and also provided a platform for them to indeed connect and collaborate.
The writer is a third-year student of BBA at Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), he can be reached at [email protected]
