Harvard IRC and Worldview Education successfully inaugurate the 9th edition of HMUN India

Converge for Change’ set as the theme for this edition; conference witnesses an active participation of over 1700 delegates and faculty members from 180 schools in India and other countries in Asia

Armed with an aim to empower Generation-Z with the opportunity to collaboratively find solutions to some of the world’s most daunting issues, Worldview Education in association with Harvard International Relations Council (IRC) inaugurated the Harvard Model United Nations India 2019. Making its return to the city for its ninth edition, HMUN India 2019 is hosting over 1700 high school delegates and faculty members representing 180 schools from India and across Asia and beyond. The four-day programme, being held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre, is driven with the theme ‘Converge for Change’ this year, thereby laying emphasis on diplomacy, collaborations, and social impact both on local as well as global scale.

The first day of the ninth edition of HMUN India was flagged off with a grand opening ceremony on 15^th August. The keynote address was delivered by Garvita Gulhati, a Gen-Z problem-solver who is the co-founder of Why Waste, an organization that works towards effective water conservation. The only Indian among 60 others from 42 countries to win the ‘Global Changemaker’ title in 2018, Garvita spoke at length about how one can use their privilege to bring about a change. “My parents told me that if you are born with a silver spoon, a steel spoon, or any spoon whatsoever—you are privileged and you should leverage the same to positively impact the society”, she said, inspiring all the delegates present at the ceremony.

In line with the theme, the delegates are further being engaged in 16 simulated committees including WHO, UNHRC, IMF, CSW, SPECPOL, ASEAN, IAEA, and Press Corps, to name a few. Broadly categorized into General Assembly, Economic and Social Council and Regional Bodies, and Specialized Agencies, the committees are led by sixteen of the most talented directors and MUN delegates at Harvard University who are helping encourage students to apply and incorporate what they learn at the conference into real-world initiatives of greater impact. Fostering insightful deliberations on some of the most pressing global issues such as climate-change driven disasters, rising global inequality, urban refugee challenges, and international political conflicts, among others, delegates at this conference are being enabled to channel their thoughts and skills into developing actionable solutions.

Commenting on the inauguration and the theme for this year, Jenna M. Wong, Secretary-General, HMUN India 2019 said, “The HMUN India goes beyond being a four-day conference and aims at inculcating a sense of urgency as well as belief in the young minds about contemporary issues and the potential that they have in them to drive a significant change. Over the past year, we have been working tirelessly towards realizing this conference and bringing its values forth. We believe in the immense potential of diversified collaborations, and our theme for the year ‘Converge for Change’ reflects the same. We hope that HMUN India 2019 will inspire and empower the delegates to transform their constructive ideas into decisive actions for scalable impact in the real world.”

While the committee sessions continued on Day 2, HMUN India 2019 also hosted a unique interactive forum with eminent and accomplished personalities. Called ‘The HMUN India Leadership Forum’, this event saw distinguished experts like Chandrasekar Radhakrishnan—Vice President, Strategy and Insights, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, and D Shivakumar—Group Executive President at Aditya Birla Group for Strategy and Business Development, sharing industry insights and urging the delegates to become proactive problem-solvers for greater societal impact. Furthermore, the delegates were also provided a space for rejuvenation post the intense sessions through a fun-filled evening of HMUN India’s Got Talent Fair, wherein they could witness and showcase their innate talents, as well as enjoy special performances from their respective Directors and the host team.

Speaking on this occasion, Sampreeth Reddy, CEO, Worldview Education remarked, “Since its inception, HMUN India has always aimed at upholding the values of the United Nations, encouraging participants to actively contribute towards achieving the SDGs and to create a positive impact on the society. We believe that Gen-Z are essentially the ‘Generation of Solvers’, and that they can bridge the cultural divides to drive impactful change on both local and well as global scale. Therefore, through the ninth edition of HMUN India that we are hosting together with Harvard IRC, we strive to achieve the same by tapping into this massive Gen-Z potential. The future begins with these young minds, and we envision channeling their capabilities and thought processes into developing decisive actionable solutions to pressing societal concerns at the grassroots levels.”

The largest and most prestigious Gen Z conference of its kind in India, HMUN India facilitates a breeding ground for delegates to pursue its mission outside of the committee rooms not just through rich insights from distinguished speakers, panelists, and dignitaries but also by urging them to contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Under its Act2Impact developmental initiative, HMUN India plans to leverage sustainable technologies for waste and sewage management in Shahpur, a small village in Telangana, armed with an objective to create circular economic models around waste and water. The conference has also introduced certain measures including digitization of logistical processes, reduction of plastic usage, collaborating with Robin Hood Army to reach out to the underfed with the surplus food, etc. Through such initiatives, HMUN India 2019 is driving true ‘convergence for change’. To learn more about the conference, please visit https://hmunindia.org.

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