About 500 delegates comprising college and university students participated in the inaugural session of the DALMUN (Dawood A-Level Model United Nations) conference at the Karachi Arts Council on Thursday. The opening day of the conference was graced by the presence of keynote speakers Sumita Afzal Syed, MPA and Abdullah Jamil Khan, Acting Space Law Officer and Section Head of International Affairs from the National Space Agency.
Building on the Paris UN Climate Change Conference in December last year, the theme of the DALMUN conference, which is being organised by Dawood Public School (DPS) in collaboration with WWF, is "Forwarding Environmental Concerns Through Diplomacy." Over the four-day conference from February 4 to 7, the delegates will be divided into 11 committees, each of which will focus on separate topics ranging from "Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs" to "Disarmament and International Security."
However, protection of the environment is a common theme for all committees. For instance, the Disarmament and International Security committee will be discussing the emergence of armed conflict due to the depletion of natural resources. Similarly, the United Nations Programme for Youth will discuss the role of youth in environmental protection and management.
Sabrina Dawood, Trustee of the DPS & CEO of The Dawood Foundation said, "Model United Nations is a great platform for students to enhance their understanding of local and international issues while learning the art of diplomacy. DALMUN 2016 is a partnership between WWF and DPS to focus on the importance of preserving our natural habitat. Our youth needs to think about how we can make a positive impact on our environment in the choices we make and the decisions we take in our daily lives."-PR