In observance of English Language Day, which is celebrated at the UN on 23 April, and traditionally observed as the birthday of William Shakespeare, students of Azerbaijani University of Languages (AUL), shone on the University’s stage in admiration for the great poet and dramatist. Brought together on the initiative of the UNO in Azerbaijan, along with AUL’s Information Resource Centre and British Council Azerbaijan, students and the audience alike, remembered Shakespeare’s personal history and creative works with joy and enthusiasm.

To make it informative as well as enjoyable, embellished from a flat cap for Romeo to a colorful dress for Desdemona in traditional costumes, students marked the Day by first presenting the “Language Days at the United Nations'', an initiative which seeks to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity. The audience was also reminded that English, along with French, is one of the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, and one of the UN’s six official and working languages. 

“While stepping out of their comfort zones, students’ presentations were perfectly aligned with UN values. In addition, the universal themes expressed in Shakespeare’s plays have lost no potency with the passage of years, and this remarkable personality's legacy is fully alive here today, thanks to these brilliant youngsters,” said Envera Selimovic, UN Department of Public Information Representative in Azerbaijan. “We also seek to increase awareness and respect for the history, culture and achievements of each of the six working languages among the UN community (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish) throughout the year,” Selimovic added.

Wrapping up the celebration, the Head of the Information Resource Centre, Ms. Shahla Khudiyeva, said, “Language is the best tool in promoting and defining our cultures and traditions, and to reserve and pass it to the next generation is our duty. I would like to express our gratitude to all partners and UNO Azaerbaijan in particular for their continuous support and long-term cooperation within the United Nations Academic Impact.” http://outreach.un.org/unai.

With a view to creating awareness among the public regarding the need to preserve the planet, and in observance of Mother Earth Day, the UNO in Azerbaijan brought together around one hundred environmentalists and nature lovers representing a multitude of national NGOs, schools, local and international organizations in Azerbaijan, to watch the feature documentary “One Day on Earth” and to discuss those burning global problems that our planet is facing.

The enthusiastic Azerbaijani audience was mesmerized by the documentary that depicts one day of life in every country in the world, and highlights unprecedented challenges and pressing global issues that people are facing in various corners of the world. 

“We are really glad to be able to symbolically connect our Azerbaijani friends with like-minded people from 160 countries around the world who also watched the movie today, 22 April 2012,” says the UN DPI Representative in Azerbaijan, Envera Selimovic. 

Triggered by Selimovic’s warm introductory remarks and those amazing images of diverse cultures, conflicts, tragedies and triumphs that occurred and were filmed in one day around the globe on 10/10/10, many participants also shared their thoughts about the environment and passionately discussed ways of saving our Mother Earth, our one and only planet.

“I am really happy that by coming today I became one small bit of this unique global mosaic and I realized that we, young people, should really be a ‘wind of change.’  Every little step counts and may make a huge difference in nature where everything is interrelated, ” said Aida Gasanova, taking an active part in the discussion. 

Being one of the youngest, yet very active participants, Farrukh Rashadzadeh, a high school student from Baku European Lyceum, expressed his amazement in a simple, but direct way: “I am very touched by this astonishing movie. Through these minutes I felt like I was travelling, walking around the globe. It is truly a unique feeling and I am very happy to be part of this global movement.

Articulate, stylish and formally-attired, the delegates at the Fourth Annual Baku Model UN Conference (BMUN), held on 14 April, condemned in unequivocal terms the global community’s failure to halt the ever-widening network of human trafficking. Significantly, the 110 delegates at the BMUN Conference were not seasoned international diplomats, but talented young students drawn from 12 Baku-based high schools who, after a passionate wrestle and heated debate, adopted a resolution that urged member states to intensify efforts to fight the scourge of human trafficking.

Students assumed the roles of ambassadors representing 90 countries at the simulated session of the UN General Assembly, and acted in a very similar manner as at the real General Assembly session held on 03 April in New York.  Azerbaijani students discussed a wide range of issues related to the causes of human trafficking: increasing poverty, unemployment and gender inequality, in the first place. 

At this largest BMUN to date, in the role of President of the General Assembly, Cameron Gilroy, final year student at The International School of Azerbaijan (TISA), expressed the view that he and his fellow-students benefitted immensely from participating in the BMUN Conference: “Each student is required to display skills of cooperation, compromise and self-restraint.” Aiming to commence his university education in Glasgow, Cameron Gilroy stated, “It has been a unique experience for me. We have all learned how difficult but vital it is to maintain genuine dialogue, no matter what happens on the ground".

Three distinguished guest speakers were also in attendance: Fikret Akcura, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, Koray Targay, Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office in Baku, and Serhan Aktoprak, Officer-in-Charge of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office in Baku. The speakers were unanimous in commending the students for their eagerness to learn about global problems and their willingness to cooperate with their peers to formulate strategies to find solutions.

“This is a great occasion to mark the 20th anniversary of the UN’s presence in Azerbaijan. I hope that these students will become civically-minded to strive for peaceful, equitable, sustainable human development,” said UN Resident Coordinator, Fikret Akcura whose office supported this simulation session from the very beginning.

Elated that they had participated in this resoundingly successful event, the students noted that the BMUN Conference helped them to express their opinions in a concise manner and further enhance their debating skills. At the same time, it was a very good opportunity for them to engage in critical thinking and improve their decision-making skills, as they worked together in caucus or participated in plenary sessions of the General Assembly.

The event was widely covered by print and electronic media.

“Being surrounded by so many French speakers, I felt like I was walking down the Champs-Élysées or somewhere in southern France,” said Tural Abbasov, the fourth-year student at Azerbaijan Institute of Languages (AIL).  After taking part in celebrations for the UN French Language Day that his university hosted on 20 March, Tural said “this was a surprise spring present to have a fragrance of France for students like me who cannot afford to travel now.” 

This was a continuation of the global celebration of the six Official Languages of the United Nations that was taking place under guidance and encouragement of the staff of the UN Department of Public Information (UN DPI) offices around the world, including UN DPI team in Azerbaijan. The event aimed at raising awareness and respect for the culture and achievements of the French language.

“In addition to being one of the six Official UN Languages, French is one of the two working languages of the UN Secretariat, spoken on all continents, playing an important role in spreading the message of the UN in the world,” said Ms. Envera Selimovic, the UN DPI Representative in Azerbaijan. “I am happy to see so many young and enthusiastic people in the audience today. Learning French will help Azerbaijani youth to open their minds to different cultures and explore more about the world, in general, on the way of becoming the citoyen du monde,” she added.

The celebration was enriched by the lively performances of the students from the University who sang French songs, demonstrating their skills and at the same time expressing how the Language can preserve and develop friendly ties between people and nations.