By Leticia L. and William W.
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On July 21, MUN Impact will be hosting it’s first Global Summit. This online gathering will host workshops led by a diverse cast, ranging from educators and students to diplomats and UN officials. The summit will last three days, from July 21-23 and is completely free of charge. It will be open to all middle school and high school students internationally and will focus on the theme: Uniting the world through the SDGs.
The summit aims to raise awareness of the SDGs, teach new and experienced MUN delegates tips and tricks for future debates, and inspire the leaders of tomorrow. Some of the confirmed speakers include Andrew Hudson (the current Head of the UNDP Water & Ocean Governance Programme), Esra Sergi Bertani (Associate Public Information Officer at the United Nations), Sam Altman (MUN alum and co-founder of OpenAi in Silicon Valley) and Evan Wesley (Vice President for Student Activation at Thirst Project). Alongside these speakers, the summit is due to host a variety of students presenting talks and workshops on a variety of topics such as ‘Addressing Gender Inequalities Within MUN’ and ‘World War 3: The Fight against Climate Change’, and in an aim to make workshops as accessible as possible, live Spanish interpretation will be available for select sessions.
One of the most notable presenters will be Dr. Charles McNeil, a senior advisor of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). He was responsible for organizing the forest section of the UN Secretary General’s “Climate Summit” on September 23, 2014 and holds a PhD in Genetics from UC Davis. His contributions to environmental and development issues are distinctly significant to the summit, considering the active need of action in this department from future generations. His participation will grant students the opportunity to hear from an expert in the area.
When asked about the summit, Ms. Lisa Martin (Executive Director of MUN Impact), told me, “The Global Summit allows us to bring together students, professionals and UN officials to hold the conversations and to share information that is the underpinning of active global citizenship. As the world tries to slow the spread of Covid-19 while protests erupt across countries, there needs to be more active engagement in our communities around these pressing issues amongst the backdrop of their global scope.
In addition to attending workshops led by specialists and learning more about the SDGs and their impact, students will also be given the tools and opportunities to create and plan their own initiatives. For more updates regarding the summit, please follow @mun_impact on Instagram. You can register by opening this page and clicking on the “Register Now!” button.