BATTLE OF BRAINWAVES
Young leaders across South India got together at PSGIM to debate over current global issues
The D Block Conference hall saw MUNners dressed impeccably in formal attires chatting away on the morning of the 17th of March. The inaugural ceremony of the Young Leaders Global Conclave (YLGC) 2017 began with Mr. Tariq Aziz (B.E. Mechanical 2014-2018), the deputy secretary general, delivering the welcome speech whilst making the participants of the conference feel at home. The faculty advisor of Global Leaders’ Forum, Ms. G. Menaka gave her thoughts on what issues had to be addressed in the councils, following which Mr. Anirudh Nandhuri, the secretary general of YLGC declared the conference open. Mr. Arun Raja (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham), the Chairperson of United Nations Security Council, spoke about Aurora – a charitable trust society that he has founded. Aurora aims to pool in resources and raise funds to address the pressing issue of the global refugee crisis. The welcome ceremony came to an end and the gathering anticipated three days of fruitful debating.
The Human Rights Council (HRC) this year dealt with “the rights of the indigenous people”, which is one of the most sensitive topics across the globe. This council was headed by some of the finest and experienced debaters of the state. It also saw many first time participants of Model United Nations but the Executive Board (EB) of the council made sure that they participated equally and even corrected them wherever they went wrong. They discussed various issues namely, the right to education of indigenous people, the protection of women and children of indigenous tribes, the aftermath of climatic changes with respect to the indigenous tribes and the role of government on the protection of indigenous tribes. The best part of this council was the participants’ involvement and enthusiasm in the debates. Each delegate spoke about the issues concerning the minority tribes in the country they represent as well as in other countries. In addition to that, the participants also came out with really good solutions for the issues. They worked together as a team in spite of the differences they had during the debating sessions and submitted the draft resolution for the same.
The United Nations Security Council convened to discuss the crisis situation in Afghanistan. Deeply assessing the various economic, financial, political and terror issues, the delegates tried their best to quell the crisis. The solution put forward was building a border wall between Afghanistan and Pakistan, funded by United States of America, People’s Republic of China, Japan, India and Pakistan, with a promise of further financial aid to Afghanistan by the Delegate of Egypt. The Delegate of the Russian Federation did not supplement any points to the solution but only raised concerns and splattered mud over the corruption happening in the Afghanistan region along with the rise of Taliban.
United Nations Disarmament and International Security Council sought to discuss the role of small arms and light weapons in the African countries. Insurgents, armed gang members, pirates, and terrorists are augmenting their strength by engaging in the trade of unlawfully acquired firepower. The illicit circulation of small arms, light weapons and ammunition destabilizes communities and impacts security and development in all regions of the world. Be it drugs or illicit small arms and light weapons (SALWs), countries in Africa have become important transit locations and sometimes, destinations. SALWs in this region have caught the attention of the international community, yet the situation continues to worsen over the years. At times, the council saw heated debates but the course of debate was unidirectional and unanimous for the most part. The council successfully drafted their resolution by the end of the third day. The EB felt that the quality of debate was nothing short of rich and extraordinary.
YLGC 2017 came to a finish in a grand ceremony. All the participants, International Press members, Chairpersons of the respective councils, the volunteers, organising committee members and the faculty in charge were present at the ceremony. The ceremony started with Mr. Tariq Aziz thanking all the heads of the councils, the organising team, volunteers and members of the faculty. Then, the award ceremony began with the EB members talking about how well the sessions went on. They also mentioned that YLGC was one of their favourite MUNs and that they came back each year with the same enthusiasm they had the first time. Then, the Chairs gave away prizes to the best delegates. SRM College of Engineering, Chennai won the overall Best Delegation award. Finally, Mr. Anirudh Nandhuri gave the official closing statement of the conference.
Team BRIDGE, wishes the members of YLGC a hearty congrats and success in their future endeavours.
Anjali M. (MSc. Software Systems 2015-2020) is extremely passionate about coding. Her other interests include reading, writing and binge watching shows.
Ms. R.PRAKRUTHI (B.E., Robotics and Automation, 2015-19) is an extrovert and an ardent reader of the “The Vogue”. She loves to Dine, Drive and Dance. She is a feminist and a big fan of Margaret Thatcher. Being a huge supporter of human rights, she hopes to make this world a better place.
For comments/feedback/suggestions, please write to thebridgepsg@gmail.com
