Sofia to host 3rd international young leaders summit
From July 24 to 31, Sofia will become the host of the 3rd World Youth Conference of the UN and the EU, which this year is entitled Sofia International Model United Nations. The event will be held in Sofia-based National Palace of Culture in the form of simulations of conferences of the UN and EU, with the main topics discussed being Europe 2020 strategy, Turkey’s accession to the EU, the global economic crisis, the violence against journalists and human rights activists, climate changes, etc. The event has been sponsored by Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the US Embassy to Bulgaria, Bulgaria’s Justice and Culture Ministries, the National Palace of Culture, Sofia Municipality, the representation of the EC and EP in Sofia, the Supreme Commissariat for Refugees at the UN. The Bulgarian National Radio is a media partner to the forum.
The 3rd annual conference SOFIMUN will welcome some 200 students from more than 40 countries across the world, among them 40 Bulgarian delegates. The participants will set up a total of 7 different committees imitating the structure of the two world organizations. Thus, four committees will be from the structure of the UN – the committees on security, human rights, sustainable development and international law; two of the structure of the European Union – the Council of Foreign Ministers and the European Parliament; and a specially created international press center where students will be able to work as journalists to 13 world media, including Euronews, EU Observer, Economist, etc. The delegates of the youth forum have been selected via a competitive procedure. During the debates, they are expected to advocate not their own positions, but that of a different country by making statements, suggestions, and conclusions on preliminarily assigned topics. This format is beneficial to participants as it helps them acquire some new experience in politics and diplomacy. For example, the present Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, has also taken part in such a forum. Paola Ivanova, president of SOFIMON Foundation, organizer of the event, said in an interview for Radio Bulgaria:
“On July 24, we will open the conference with an official ceremony in the National Palace of Culture. On July 25, we will introduce foreign participants to Bulgarian culture and history with a folk dance show and a visit to the National Historical Museum. Immediately afterwards, there will be a carnival of the nations in which all participants will present the countries from which they come from with their traditional music, food, and costumes. And from Monday on, the special sessions start work where the delegates from the forum play the role of real-life diplomats representing EU or UN member states and holding debates on urgent global issues”, Mrs. Ivanova said.
She explained that the organizers have selected a number of controversial topics for the students, such as Turkey’s accession to the EU. The delegates, who are future legal experts, will try to review the legal aspects of the events. In her opinion, although delegates need to imagine they represent another country, this does not mean they do not have the right to voice their personal opinion.
“When people regularly take part in such conferences, they start to regard the debate itself as some kind of competition. In representing a country with whose position the participant disagrees, he or she is allowed to make a slight bend, only to make the debate more interesting. The most important thing is not to stick strictly to the official policy but to learn how to use political and diplomatic levers, to think fast and take adequate decisions”.
Bulgarian participants in this type of forums are still relatively few in number, Paola Ivanova pointed out.
“We do not prefer foreigners in favor of Bulgarians. But this format is already hugely popular in Europe and is only now becoming known in Bulgaria. We have the highest number of Bulgarian participants at the simulated International Court. I am extremely happy to say that Bulgarian law students are very active in this respect. We hope to have more Bulgarian delegates next year”, concluded Paola Ivanova, president of SOFIMON Foundation, organizer of the International Youth Conference held in Sofia this July.
Source: bnr.bg
Image: google.bg
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(05.08.2010)