The annual Thimun Qatar Model United Nations conference welcomed over 1,300 participants to the 2014 conference. A partnership programme between Qatar Academy, Qatar Foundation and The Hague International Model United Nations (Thimun) Foundation is held annually and brings together high school students from across Qatar and the Middle East, helping them develop as leaders. This year marks the 10th year that Qatar Shell has been sponsoring Model United Nations programmes in Qatar. This milestone was recognized at the opening ceremonies of the conference with a special presentation by Rob Sherwin, Deputy Country Chairman for Qatar Shell.
The event began with an opening ceremony in which hundreds of students presented musical and choral performance. This year’s keynote speaker was Ryan Hreljac who focused on the conference theme of sustainable development. Ryan is a compelling model for the young delegates and the power of youth advocacy. While only 22 years of age, his Ryan Foundation has contributed to hundreds of water and sanitation projects in 16 developing countries bringing access to clean water and sanitation to over 685,000 people.
Wessam Kanes, this year’s Secretary General of the conference, stated in her opening remarks: “We are all here today simply because we share a common vision. Many of us would only dream of a world with equal rights to education, no poverty and no discrimination. But it is by our very presence here today that we acknowledge these dreams to be difficult yet achievable realities. It is the kind of world we want to live in and one that we can build together with constructive solutions, great determination and long lasting commitment.”
Dr Eric Sands, Director of Qatar Academy Doha where Thimun Qatar is based, is proud of the school’s continuing leadership role in the conference and its other initiatives. “This year, one of the most pressing topics delegates will address relates to sustainability. Indeed, world hunger and human poverty are a thread in the fabric of sustainability, but the participants will also grapple with the potential for long-term maintenance of well being (both from a human and planetary perspective) which is directly related to the “three pillars” of sustainability: a reconciliation of environmental, social equity, and economic demands. The student resolutions will shed the unique insights into how the next generation of world leaders will address this timely topic”.
The Peninsula
