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Third Model ESCWA Conference

17
November
2018
Location: 
UN-House, Beirut
Event Type: 

Seventy students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Université Saint-Joseph (USJ) will gather on Saturday, 17 November 2018 at the UN House in the Lebanese capital for the annual Model ESCWA Conference. Now in its third year, the conference is a key component of ESCWA’s community outreach and youth engagement efforts.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is partnering with these two institutions to offer undergraduate students with an interest in international affairs the opportunity to take part in a unique hands-on simulation of multilateral diplomacy.

The Conference simulates a Ministerial Session of the Commission ESCWA’s governing body. It will thrust students in the role of officials from 18 Arab countries as well as UN entities and NGOs as they assess regional progress on sustainable development in the region and agree on future orientations.

Under the theme of Conflict and Development, with a focus on youth, gender, reconstruction and resilience, participants will develop regional consensus on national priorities for the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The students will attempt to formulate a UN resolution, articulating a regional vision to overcome current challenges and promote peaceful, sustainable economic and social development for the children, women and men who call this region home.

For the first time, USJ students will also be collaborating with ESCWA’s Conference Services to provide interpretation from Arabic into French and English, further modeling conditions at actual UN conferences and allowing non-Arabic speakers to follow the event.

Highlights of the conference will be shared on ESCWA’s social media platforms (Twitter: @UNESCWA and Facebook: @unescwa).