Model United Nations Update
Cleveland II – Spring Conference – April 14 & 15, 2011
The beautiful one-hundred year old Church of the Covenant on Euchlid Avenue in University Circle was the site of the fourth conference of the 2010-2011 school year. The beauty of our surroundings and the warmth of the staff at the Church had made this an excellent venue for our conferences.
The theme for the conference was “Challenges for a New Generation,” and this theme generated lively debate and discussion for the two day conference. Some examples of topics discussed included Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and Protection on the High Seas for the Security Council and Good Governance and Disaster Relief and Recovery for the United Nations Development Programme.
Nineteen schools and approximately 270 students attended the conference from a variety of schools from Cleveland and Eastern and Western suburbs. We were pleased to have chairs and observers from both Cleveland State University as well as New London and Monroeville High Schools.
Our keynote speaker for our Junior Model United Nations in January was so well recieved that we decided to invite him back for the Spring Model UN for High Schools. Wycliff Odhiambo, born in Naivasha, Kenya, is currently a sophomore at John Carroll University, majoring in Accounting and International Relations. Odhiambo told us about living in Kenya during a very volatile time in the country's history and clearly aroused the interest of his audience as he told about finding a small girl separated from her parents during a time of widespread violence. This discovery led to Wycliffe's founding and leading a refugee camp for about nine months, whose goal was the return of children to their parents.
Outstanding students in each of the eight committees were recognized at the Closing Ceremonies. Topics which were debated by some of these committees included the following:
United Nations Economic and Financial Council [ECOFIN] TOPIC A: Failing Nations and Global Financial Crisis TOPIC B: Mega Cities and Regions Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO] TOPIC A: The Use of Genetically Modified Food TOPIC B: Fighting Poverty and Food Insecurity United Nations Children’s Fund [UNICEF] TOPIC A: Improving Education in Conflict Areas TOPIC B: Child Nutrition in Underdeveloped Societes United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] TOPIC A: Preserving Culture TOPIC B: Information and Communications Technology United Nations Environment Program [UNEP] TOPIC A: Global Warming and International Regulation TOPIC B: Oil and Its Impact on the Global Environment United Nations Development Fund for Women [UNIFEM] TOPIC A: Women and HIV/AIDS TOPIC B: Women and Peace Building
Awards