Success story - MUN 2016 Assembly UN HQ NYC - MaltaMUN - Lisa Camilleri
I'm Lisa Camilleri, a fourth year student reading Law at the University of Malta. The United Ambassadors MUN at the UN HQ was the fourth MUN conference which I have participated in and it was by far the most enriching. Two other Maltese delegates and myself representing the Malta Model United Nations Society sat on three separate committees, mine in particular was Committee B. The scope of each Committee was defined by the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, laid down by the UN Summit in 2016. The specific goals dealt with in Committee B ranged from a spectrum of topics such as, Gender Equality, Global Partnerships, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities, among others.
Apart from the prestige of being able to form a part of a multi-cultural, global youth movement toward a brighter future - and doing so at the United Nations Head Quarters; the most valuable tool gained through this experience was the little 'awareness seed', which it planted inside me.
I have always been an activist for the environment and an envoy to the underdogs of our world. However, what was once more of an innate feeling has now slowly begun to develop into action, and this inspiration I owe to the conference. The Sustainable Development Goals are incentives which I believe are vital to the existence of our planet and above all human morality. The conference gave me a deep insight into how every step taken by each individual can and will make an impact to our world, it inspired me to be better, do better and motivate others to follow suit.
The highlight of this whole experience was without a doubt, the moment I was asked to deliver a speech on the GA Podium during the closing ceremony. I remember my initial reaction was, 'well I'm not much of a public speaker but I definitely cant let my nerves get the best of me this time. Walking onto the most prestigious podium in the world, i'll never forget the jelly feeling I had in my legs, seeing that this was the first public speech I would have ever delivered. Having said this, I sure am glad I did, as it was an experience I will certainly never forget. The topic of discussion throughout the conference was 'can MUN Change the world?' and seeing that my speech was to be delivered at the closing, thats exactly what I answered. I remember closing my speech by amending the famous quote by Neil Armstrong to 'One small step for MUN, One giant leap for Mankind'. I found this quote to be appropriate because, although this was the first MUN related conference to tackle real-life issues, which resulted in a factual and applicable Resolution, seeing hundreds of young pioneers gathered together to form a global change... well that seems like a pretty giant leap for mankind to me.
Even prior to the conference, I always believed there was something special about the MUN community. It's a united front of young people, who come together to debate issues, which either have had an effect or have an effect on our societies, on human beings and our planet in general. However after the conference I was convinced - MUN is one of the only chances this planet has left. Why is that one may ask? This is so because although it is mankind, who poisons our planet, it is also mankind that can save it; and who better to train than the future generations of the nations? MUN forms part of a worldwide movement, it creates an atmosphere for future young leaders to stimulate their minds, through heated diplomatic debate. It teaches them the vital importance of negotiation in situations where cultural differences are vast and varying, but its most prominent feature is the fact that it allows students to delve into their true personality by challenging themselves to overcome their fears, thus culminating that inner leader which this world so desperately needs.
Seeing that Malta is a developed and democratic country, that strongly believes in the fundamental human rights of people, there are many of the SDG's which may not be so applicable to us. However there are others which if not tackled, may be detrimental to our society. The goals, which we aim to develop within our society before, during and after MUN conferences will focus on the Sustainable Cities, Climate Change as well as Partnerships. Malta is a small country which unfortunately does not dedicate much of its time and money to the environment. Therefore, the MaltMUN society will strive to raise awareness in these regards by not only simulating debate, but also taking action through field advocacy i.e. public campaigns and local workshops as well as by encouraging large partnerships in our country to follow suit.Adopting the MUN Green Chart (MGC) to promote and facilitate the organization of environmentally friendly and responsible MUN conferences, involving actions, including but not limited to: reducing the use of paper and locating alternatives that are less harmful to the environment, using reusable or recyclable material and reducing waste and plastic use when possible, is also on the top of our list. The MaltMUN conference is also one which is reasonably priced and thus, does not create a barrier to students from less developed countries. We aim to continue to promote this attribute, which makes our conferences much more inclusive to various demographics. The MaltMUN Society also aims to send more students to UN4MUN conferences. This will slowly encourage more students to take part in committees which have the proper RoP's adopted by the UN.
At the closing of each conference MaltMUN forwards the adopted Resolutions to Maltese Members of Parliament and Members of the European Parliament, with the view of showing them what the delegates have created, this is done with the hope that at least some of the provisions may be taken into consideration during the legislative process. The MaltMUN society is a young organisation, having only organised 2 conferences. However, it is made up of secretariat, who are ready and willing to really make the change we wish to see in this world.
