Amity University hosts the 11th edition of its international Model United Nations virtually

Amity University hosted its 11th edition of the Amity International Model United Nations 2022 (AMIMUN 22) virtually.

The theme for the virtual edition of AMIMUN ’22 was “Perseverantia Omnia Vincit: Perseverance Conquers All”, and aimed to push the student delegates to engage in debates focusing on how the world has changed due to the unprecedented pandemic.

Balvinder Shukla, vice-chancellor, Amity University; Sriram Haridass, UNFPA Representative India and country director, Bhutan; Fabio Subia Diaz, first secretary for the Embassy of Peru in India; Massoud Rezvanian Rahaghi, deputy chief of mission for the Embassy of Iran and Vishnu Prakash, ambassador (Retd.) of India to Canada and South Korea were part of the virtual event.

Addressing the audience, Shukla said, "At Amity, students are nurtured towards academic excellence and encouraged to think analytically as future worldwide pioneers on issues that concern the nation and the world and concoct their thoughts and methodologies to address them. Through this platform we want to inculcate the important values, leadership and diplomatic skills amongst our students by making them understand the functioning and the role of the United Nations, which was started in 1947. The theme for this year’s edition is relevant, looking at the current scenario of the global COVID-19 crisis as the pandemic has affected not only businesses but also individuals and communities across the globe. I’m sure that the discussions are going to be very fruitful and beneficial for all concerned as it is not only the subject knowledge, but the presentation of thoughts, views and arguments that makes a huge difference and influences others to a great extent.”

Haridasss shared his own experience of working in different countries around the world. “I’m glad to be present here today and share my views on this occasion. I have had the opportunity to work in a number of countries, the people of these countries have helped me to build my own perseverance and resilience. The work involved me to travel and see my own country in a new light. The exposure you get by travelling to different countries enriches you personally as well as professionally,” he said.

Speaking about India, he further added, “India is a unique country, it is the fifth largest economy in the world, the most populous nation by 2027. Given its population size, its achievement of global sustainable development goals, particularly, those on health and gender will largely depend on how successful India is in implementing priorities of the 2020 agenda, not just at the national level but also at the state and local levels. Unfortunately, the inherent structures and constraints, regressive social norms, discrimination in practice, patriarchal values and biases prevalent in the society continue to disproportionately affect India’s growth. Promoting youth participation should be our prime objective and we should help them to develop their skills, knowledge, personality and support them to make informed decisions about their bodies, lives, families and communities. We can count on the energy and exuberance of youth, therefore they should keep thinking, innovating and persevering and should be the change they want to see in the world.”

According to Subia Diaz, there should be a new resurgence of multilateralism, especially in the field of health, where countries should come together to tackle the challenges posed by the pandemic. “This platform provides students with a great opportunity to shape their personality and develop their skills for working in international organisations. We must look for constructive solutions and learn to cope with the challenges so that the world can become a better place to live in,” he said.

This is the third year that the embassy of Peru is participating in this event.

Prakash touched upon an important point when he said, “As I see the Afghan tragedy was avoidable and should have never ever happened, I would urge the United Nations to take necessary steps to alleviate the sufferings of people as it is important that a solution must be found.”

Speaking about climate change, he explained how climate change poses an existential crisis to mankind and we need to address the same by holistic approach, change of lifestyle, cutting down on waste, adoption of the best practices and innovative ideas and solutions. “If we work together, we can reverse the effects of the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and can save our planet,” he added.