Model UN participants
The Middle School Model United Nations (MSMUN) held its 17th annual session from 19 to 21 January 2011 at the UN Complex in Nairobi. The conference brought together over 800 delegates from 34 schools from Kenya and different countries in Africa.
The conference was officially opened by His Excellency Ambassador George Kayonga, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to UNEP and UN-HABITAT, who spoke to the delegates about his life and his rise from being a refugee in Uganda to becoming the Ambassador for Rwanda. Ambassador Kayonga spoke of the great emphasis the United Nations is putting on youth development and how Model UN provides a “critical connect” between the UN and youth.
During the three days, delegates lobbied and debated resolutions in four committees, namely: Human Rights, Ecology and Environment, Health and Technology and the Security Council. Also throughout the conference, the press corps, made up entirely of students, covered the days’ events and reported them in the “Daily Informer” the MUN’s news publication.
The MSMUN came to a close on a high note with the press corps screening a retrospective video of delegates caught in action through the course of the week. Later that evening, delegates attended a closing dance.
Among all the MUN held in Kenya, the MSMUN is represented by the youngest delegates, aged between 11 and 14 years.