The role of youth in the development of society
The Al-Farabi Kazakh National University hosted the international conference "Model UN – New Silk Road", dedicated to the day of volunteers for economic and social development, Independence Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the 90th anniversary of the University and the 10th anniversary of its status as a global hub of the United Nations sustainability program.
"Model UN" (MUN) is a large–scale international project for students and high school students, which aims to draw the attention of young people to the global problems of our time.
The event was organized in the context of the UNAI initiative, in cooperation with the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU) and Xi'an University of International Studies (XISU), with the support of the United Nations Information Office in Almaty (UNIC), foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Kazakhstan, SPAs, as well as other partners.
Deputy Chairman of the Board – Acting First Vice-Rector Yerkin Duissenov, opening the forum, noted the growing role of youth in the political and socio-economic development of society and the contribution of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University to the implementation of international UN initiatives in the field of sustainable development.
"Since 2012, KazNU, as a global hub for the UN Academic Impact program on sustainability, has been actively supporting the international youth initiative 'Model UN - New Silk Road'. The university consistently contributes to achieving the sustainable development goals by integrating them into education, research, and international collaboration. One of the brightest examples of these efforts is the Global MDP program, a partnership with the Earth Institute at Columbia University (New York, USA), which unites 35 top universities from around the globe to explore sustainable development practices," - highlighted Erkin Ermanovich.
The opening ceremony was also attended by: Deputy Head of the Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sergey Viktorov; Deputy Consul General of the People's Republic of China Liu Yi, Vice Consul of the Consulate General of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan in Almaty Sholpan Isanayeva, Head of the UN Information Office in Kazakhstan, representative of the UN Department of Global Communications Vlastimil Samek and others.
The conference was attended by more than 100 students and delegates from Central Asia and China. During the five sessions, the participants discussed global and topical issues: volunteerism and inclusive development, strengthening cooperation between China and Central Asia through the revival of the Silk Road; sustainable water resources management, etc.
The forum ended with a diplomatic ball, which brought together representatives of the diplomatic corps of foreign countries in order to strengthen multilateral cooperation.
Press-service of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
