On 19 April 2013, Cosmo City Secondary School in Johannesburg hosted UNIC Pretoria for a briefing on the UN. This event was lead by the UNIC Librarian.

The 8 Goals for Africa video was screened to grade 12 students followed by the UN4U video. The Librarian gave an overview of the work of the UN and the Millennium Development Goals.  The students were engaged in the discussion session which provoked interesting questions on poverty in general and what the UN was doing specifically towards the eradication of poverty in South Africa. Students also wanted to know how they could get involved in the work of the UN while still in school.  The UNIC Librarian conducted a quiz and rewarded students with the UNICEF publication Miles Ahead and pencil cases.

The UN team handed out information packs on various UN topics to the students, and the UNIC Librarian encouraged the students to visit the UN websites and UNIC Pretoria facebook and twitter pages for additional information and communication purposes as well as a visit to the UNIC Library in Pretoria.

The principal, Mr. Mokate and the life orientation teacher Mr. Makobe thanked the UNIC team for visiting the school and extended an invitation to visit the school again to engage on other topics of interest to students.

The event concluded with a student volunteering to read an excerpt of the UN Secretary-General’s speech addressed to the youth at the 2010 Young Atlanticist Summit in Lisbon, Portugal: "You have to work and think about how we can make this world a better place for all. This is what I'd really like to ask our young leaders. We will try as leaders of today to minimize the problems which we will hand over to you. But it is up to you. You have to take ownership and be the leadership of tomorrow. For that to be possible, you have to strengthen your capacity and widen your vision as a global citizen.”

Professionals from different walks of life --a lawyer, MBA, journalist newsreader, engineer, human rights activist and from various other professions -- are enrolled in a weekend study and lecture course offered by the Institute of UN Studies of the Assam UN Association, led by Mr. Aswini Sarma. “Your keen interest in promoting the work of the United Nations is exactly what we need to spread awareness of the UN ideals said UNIC New Delhi's Director, Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman and reflected on the sustainable goals and the Future We Want, before she replied to the numerous questions the young people asked. “You can help in so many ways, but start around you and help someone achieve a better life in whatever way you can and soon, the ripple effect will cascade into a sea change”, she added when asked how they could make an impact and a difference in the world.

Similarly, a chapter of the same Institute is being run by the Meghalaya UN Association and young professionals who make up the first batch held a mock UN General Assembly. Chief Minister of Meghalaya, H.E. Dr. Mukul Sangma said that the statements of the delegates showed great preparation and maturity. 

“The thirst of knowledge among the young population in this region is evident and the United Nations is proud that through the UN Associations it is able to increase its outreach to the generation of tomorrow”, UNIC Director added.

 

On 1 March, a group of students from Istanbul’s Işık University visited UNIC Ankara for a briefing on the principles and priorities of the United Nations.
 
The students, who were accompanied by their professors, were in Ankara as part of a tour of the City which included visiting government offices, think-thank organizations and NGOs.
 
During the meeting, the UNIC Information Officer made a UN4U presentation and briefed the students on the Post-2015 Development Agenda which is in the making. The meeting ended after a question and answer session.
 
UNIC Ankara gives special importance to developing close working relations with universities, including the ones outside Ankara.

UNIC New Delhi organized an information session on the role and work of the United Nations for visiting law students from the Govindrao Wanjari University, Nagpur, Maharashtra state, in New Delhi. UNIC Assistant Information Officer Rineeta Naik addressed questions on a range of issues such as accountability for war crimes, the ratification of international treaties, and the functioning of the UN Security Council.