A couple of months back, we partnered with the Lagos Model United Nations to make the 2017 edition of the conference bigger and more impactful. As part of the ways to increase youth participation in sustainable development, The LMUN has proved to be an outstanding platform that not only engages young people but inspires them to think globally and act locally.
We chat with the Secretary General – Gabriel Aliu who helps us understand what the whole LMUN hype is all about.
Can you tell us about LMUN?
LMUN is an international organization that brings together students from all over the world to simulate international organizations such as the United Nations and the African Union, wherein they will be speaking as delegates from various countries. The goal is to create a platform for the provision of solutions to world problems.
The theme for this year’s conference is Innovation, Diversity, and development for Global Sustainability. And for us, the focus is on the ability of youths to exhibit ingenuity in address specific world problems, the problems which are made acute in a diverse world and varying levels of development. The only yardsticks we are placing are the sustainable development goals (SDG). This in our opinion should be the fulcrum upon which any work should be done.
Our long run objective is to contribute to social change through intellectual debates on a global scale, either through our policy recommendations which is the end product of our three-day simulation or through practical steps, which is reflected in the LMUN Idea Fair.
Who attends the event?
LMUN is for students of any high institution anywhere in the world.
Tell us about some of the programs outlined this year
Well, as at last year, we had over 200 hundred participants including delegates and staff. For this year, we’re expecting to triple that number, so the expectation we have is about 650 delegates for the 2017 LMUN conference.
Also, as opposed to last year when we simulated just five committees of the African union, LMUN 2017 will be simulating 5 committees of the United Nations and 2 of the African Union, a total of 7.
The goal for us to create a platform for more intellectual debates with a larger realm of coverage and scope.
Again, we decided to take things a step further by adopting a more pragmatic approach to making impact through our idea fair and our school expo.
The Idea Fair is basically a competition between delegates who will be expected to come up with innovative ideas that can make an impact in either environmental sustainability or Women empowerment. The plan is to give the best Idea a grant of about N200,000 for the purpose of funding their proposed project.
And then, there is the School Expo, which is basically a platform for delegates to get information about various scholarship and further education opportunities that exist both at home and abroad.
Holistically speaking, this year’s conference will without any doubt give the delegates a more expansive and enthralling conference experience and will certainly be worth their while.
So what date is the event happening?
The date for this year’s conference is July 13th- 15th 2017
Where?
It will be holding at the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos
Is there a fee for this event?
Yes. Delegate registration fee is #15,000 for Local delegates and $40 for international delegates
What does the fee cover?
The fee covers registration for the three-day conference, delegate fee, conference materials, souvenirs, a meal a day, but does not cover accommodation
Okay great…. Is there anything you would like to share?
Well, I think everything I’ve said covers all one need to know about the conference. I’d only like to reiterate how beneficial the conference can be to a would-be participant.
The benefits include a chance to gain a better understanding of international law, international politics, international economic relations, international diplomacy, honing of skills in diplomacy, negotiation, communication, public speaking. It helps a delegate become a true global citizen with a holistic understanding of occurrences all over the world even outside the rubric of a participant’s chosen professional field.
Every student of a tertiary institution must participate in one before they graduate…and it also looks good on the CV 🙂
To learn more about the LMUN and apply, click here. You can also tweet at them via @LMUN2017_