The work of WIMUN 2014, the largest international youth simulation of the United Nations organized in Rome in the Plenary Hall of the FAO, closed today. There were a thousand young people from all over the world involved in the event promoted by the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), in collaboration with the Italian Society for International Organization (SIOI – UNA Italy).
The youngest, but certainly not in the names with which they appear, are Graziana Italia and Sonia Garibaldi, 14 and 15 years old. They come from Modica. Their school mates have chosen another destination for these holidays, while they have asked their parents to be able to go to Rome - the first trip alone - to discuss "industrialized countries" and the "challenges of the future" with much older kids. big.
The seniors, on the other hand, mostly came from the United States and Africa which – thanks to Ghana – presented itself to the simulation with the title of the largest delegation. Not least the Indians who arrived in 23 from the Step-by-Step International School of Jaipur. As well as Afghans, Chinese and Nigerians. Countries that are not only distant, and which therefore have led to exorbitant travel expenses for the children. But that also involved complicated and lengthy bureaucratic procedures for obtaining visas. Yet they didn't give up. They resisted until the end to get a ticket to the Italian capital.
Fadwa Ouni is from Tunisia, she is 23 years old. Ann-Kristin Matthe comes from Germany. They met in Rome three days ago and despite being born and raised thousands of kilometers apart, they discovered they have a lot in common: a passion for international relations, the desire to pursue a diplomatic career, but above all the certainty that in order to build a better world must start from dialogue and understanding of the other. The two girls lead the Economics and Finance commission. And tomorrow (Friday) they will present the proposed resolution shared by the group at the General Assembly (conclusive moment of the simulation that began on Monday). Three other commissions work with them: one dedicated to gender equality and religious tolerance, one to disarmament and international security and the last - the only one made up of high school students - to food security.
"The most beautiful thing" - all the boys point out - "is the possibility of speaking with people who come from every corner of the Earth, trying to understand their countries, looking beyond the image of the flag that represents them".
On the first day of work, the aspiring diplomats arrived at the FAO headquarters "armed" with placards bearing the words "bring back our girls", and asked to be able to take a group photo in order to launch, also through this simulation, a very strong message to the world to try every way to bring home the young students kidnapped in Nigeria by Boko Haram.
This is the roadmap. Eight hours of work. It began in the morning at 09.30 and ended with a briefing at 17.30 which assigned the work and the agenda for the following day. Two plenary sessions, at the beginning and at the end of the works where the thematic resolutions were approved which will then be delivered to the attention of the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, and inserted as background material in the documentation of the next General Assembly - that “vera” – which will begin in September in New York.
“The UN calls on our generation to commit to the post-2015 agenda. So, be original! Propose something new for our future”, is the exhortation of Hillary Saviello who for a week had to interpret the difficult and balanced role of Secretary General. A critical message, but also one of hope for the future of the UN, came from the President of SIOI Franco Frattini who opened the week's work at FAO on Monday morning. “Let's face it: the United Nations has not done everything it could to avoid deserving of an often unforgiving reputation. However, to think that today's world can do without the UN is equivalent to believing that the internal combustion engine or penicillin could be abolished”, said the former foreign minister.
The message of the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, also arrived to welcome this particular General Assembly, highlighting the importance of the joint work of the international community in "building a more equitable, cohesive and dialoguing world".
