Nine students from Armenia nominated by the Armenian UN Association took part in the 1^st Global Model UN

For the first time ever a Global Model United Nations conference was organized by the UN Department of Public Information New York Headquarters (UN DPI NY) in partnership with World Federation of UN Associations (WFUNA).

The theme of the Conference was "The Millennium Development Goals – Lifting the Bottom Billion out Poverty".

The Conference was dedicated to the best university-level students and took place in Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, from 5-7 August 2009.

Armenian UN Association represented a nine-member delegation in the conference. Nine best students from the Yerevan State University, French University of Armenia and Armenian-Russian Slavonic University were among 700 participants from 60 UN member states in the GMUN conference. The Armenian students' participation was supported by the RA President Mr. Serge Sargsyan, RA General Civil Aviation Department, UN DPI Yerevan office and Armenian UN Association.

The conference aimed at serving as a bridge for exchanging experience on UN modelling and decisionmaking in the framework of United Nations. It encouraged the next generation of world leaders to take part in dealing with national and global problems, to voice their own solution mechanisms and approaches concerning these core issues.

Preparatory works
A 2-stage careful selection of students was organized from January to March, locally by the Armenian UN Association and by a special panel at the UN DPI NY Headquarters. Nine delegates were selected finally.
Ms. Amalya Hovsepyan was elected to be a Vice President of the General Assembly.
Mr. Aram Voskanyan, Ms. Amalya Grigoryan and Ms. Nare Vardanyan were subsequently selected to be heads of delegations of their countries represented (Uganda, Algeria and Cyprus).

For the selected participants the UN New York Headquarters initiated special online classes and video-conference sessions with the officials of UN in New York and Geneva.
More than 10 online classes were held, the main subjects of which concerned the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the influence of economic crisis on MDGs, the effective tools and procedures for developing efficient mechanisms in order to achieve the MDGs, as well as the necessary local initiatives. The online classes were followed by mutual debates and discussions between experts and participants.

The Armenian UN Association's young enthusiasts took part in the online election process of Global Model UN officials. All the participants of the conference elected the members of UN Secretariat, the Secretary-General, the chairperson of each committee, the vice-chairs and the rapporteurs through online voting.
The heads of the delegations of General Assembly member countries were also elected online.

Fundraising
The Armenian UN Association was engaged in searching for financial support for about three months . AUNA had applied to the RA President Mr. Serge Sargsyan with a request for sponsorship for the delegates' air tickets.
The application was forwarded from the Cabinet of the President to the RA General Civil Aviation Department which financed the flight of the six delegates.

The accommodation expenses of students were covered by the Armenian UN Association, UN DPI Armenia and partly by the delegates themselves.
Two delegates from Aragatsotn and Gegharqunik were supported by the head of Aragatsotn region and local authorities of Gegharqunik as well.

The Conference
The UN General Assembly was simulated in Geneva.
Before the official opening of the conference and the work in the four Committees, young people took part in different events, with the UN officials involved.
The participants of the GMUN were given a unique chance to take part in real UN gatherings, to get to know the departments of the Geneva Headquarters, its main missions and working strategies.

At the eve of the Conference opening ceremony the Armenian delegation was hosted by the RA Consul in Switzerland, Mr. Gagik Hovhannisyan. Thanks to Mr. Hovhannisyan the Armenian delegation learnt about the consulate works in Switzerland, the Armenian Diaspora there and also discussed the conference items. He outlined necessary information and diplomatic nuances for the delegates to get prepared for a speech in the UN Geneva Headquarters.

The Conference Opening
The Conference opening ceremony was held in the General Assembly Hall at the UN office in Geneva. The participants received a greeting from the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.
... "The world has the human, financial and technological resources to lift the bottom billion out of poverty. Young people will be crucial in mustering political resolve and forging partnerships we need for success. The Global Model UN will reveal the real leaders, our world needs today" - reads the statement.

At the opening ceremony a number of UN high officials were present, among whom the UN DPI USG in New York and Under Secretary-General Kiyo Akasaka was.

The Work in Committees
For three days the participants worked, debated and adopted subsequent resolutions in the following committees.
First Committee (Disarmament and International Security)
Topics:

1. The Impact of uncontrolled Spread of Illegal Small Arms/Light Weapons on the Realization of MDGs
2. Observance of Environmental Norms in the Drafting and Implementation of Agreements on Disarmament and Arms Control

1. The Impact of the Economic and Financial Crisis on the Achievement of MDGs:
2. Climate Change

Third Committee
Topics:

1. Human Rights and Environment
2. Children of Conflict and the Achievement of MDGs

Fourth Committee:
Topics:

1. Assessing UNRWA's (UN Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees) contribution to the realization of the MDGs in the Near East.
2. The Outer Space and Development Agendas: crafting Global Approaches to ensuring the peaceful uses of Outer Space as an indispensable Tool in the Achievement of MDGs.

After three-day intense debates each Committee adopted a resolution related to the problems raised above.
The resolutions were completed in a Declaration for all.

The Conference Closing
The conference was concluded by the gathering in the General Assembly Hall, during which the Declaration was read up.
The young delegates adopted it by consensus calling different countries to follow their example and reach an agreement for a more efficient realization of the MDGs.
The closing of the conference was processed by the Certificate Awarding Ceremony.

Participation of the Armenian UN Association's Delegation

• The Armenian delegation's participation in the 1^st Global Model UN was of core importance. Firstly, the young people learnt on practice about the work, done by the UN office in Geneva, got to know UN agencies and bodies, which is a huge professional upgrade.
• They affirmed and enriched their diplomatic skills and knowledge during the international negotiations and discussions.
• Two representatives of the Armenian delegation have been given a chance to take special courses at the UN Peace University in Geneva in 2010, with the perspective of recieving necessary qualification to be accepted at the UN missions worldwide.
• Impressed by the participation of the Armenian delegates, two experts of the UN office in Geneva expressed their willingness to visit Armenia this autumn, aimed at holding a special training-track, on the UN and other international organizations, at RA Universities.
• The young delegates from Armenia took part in filmmaking on UN youth and were interviewed by popular Argentinean, Ghana and US TV-channels.
• The Armenian UN Association's delegation, on behalf of the Armenian youth, joined the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change, going to be held this year, and has forwarded an open letter to the organizers, expressing the concern of young people in Armenia on Global Warming.

The theme of the conference was "Achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015: Proactive Approaches beyond Conventional Wisdom".

In considering how to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the delegates discussed in a Plenary and three Committees, the need for pursuing alternative energy sources to ensure the future against threats of climate change, diminishing the risk of natural disasters especially in impoverished areas, advancing towards a knowledge-based economy, and regional collaboration to stop human trafficking.