EARMUN 2009

Training concluded.

2009-07-20T12:19:00.003+03:00

Saturday 17th of July was the day for training for Uganda´s EARMUN delegates. The venue was located at Makerere University, and about 80 students spent a long Saturday preparing for EARMUN. Experts from Uganda Carbon Bureau shared their knowledge, and held lectures and group discussions. All delegates increased their knowledge on climate change, adaptation and mitigation, and the challenges connected to it.

The delegates also got an introduction to UN and the Security Council, as well as on negotiations and diplomatic skills. The training was concluded by tips on how to use the web for information searching, and the delegates went home inspired and stuffed with knowledge.

We thank you very much for your enthusiasm, and look forward to seeing you again in August!

Delegates Training

2009-07-17T08:56:00.002+03:00

Important notice to all Ugandan EARMUN delegates! The official, compulsory delegates training will be at Saturday 18th July at the Food, Science and Technology Hall at Makerere University, from 8.00AM to 5.00PM. Experts from Uganda Carbon Bureau will share their wide knowledge on climate change issues, and UNAU officials will lecture you on the procedures and codes of conduct at a UN General Assembly.

Please notice that this is a compulsory training for all delegates, and that time keeping is a must!

Welcome!

The coordinator general one to one.

2009-07-08T21:21:00.003+03:00

The 4^th East African Regional Model United Nations conference 2009 kicks off in 4 weeks and the Uganda country working group which is hosting the event has been working tirelessly to make certain that preparations are running according to schedule. Led by the Coordinator general Mr. William Warugaba, a hard working team of Committee heads, UNA-U chapter representatives and UNA-U staff, the country working group has been operating in overtime. Mr. Warugaba took time out of his busy schedule for a one on one interview with Omoding Kenneth to give an insight on the various tasks leading up to the conference as well as the success and challenges that come with hosting such an auspicious occasion:

Qn: With less than 4 weeks to go is it safe to assume that the country working group is on course to meet all its targets?

Ans: Absolutely Yes! I have a very hard working Country working group. Come August everything will be set.

Qn: As the coordinator general of the host country, what would you describe as the biggest challenge of hosting an event of this magnitude?

Ans: The challenges and setbacks are there and enormous, these are not limited to; Complications in finding potential funders, coordinating delegates to come on board and coordinating the five Eastern African countries. It is a hectic Job, but one thing I must say is that all these challenges mentioned and those that I have not mentioned are part of the whole progress. Without them, we may not realize that there is work to done.

Qn: What is to expect for delegates who will be coming from neighboring countries and nations around the world?

Ans: We expect them to create sustainable networks with our Uganda young people and out of which they can come up with joint initiatives towards addressing climate changing concerns. Another thing I would very much expect from them, is appreciating Uganda in many ways; not limited to; Nature and wildlife, Education system, steps our country and the youths have taken in addressing climate change concerns.

Qn: Are there any distinctive features that will separate EARMUN 2009 from previous EARMUN conferences?

Ans: Yes and a lot. One of which is the number of delegates expected during this year’s EARMUN conference. This year we have increased the number from 250 to 300, and many others to mention, but a few.

Qn: What would you consider as strong points in the preparatory stages of this conference?

Ans: Commitment and readiness of Country Working Group members to do any thing possible for the success of EARMUN 2009, is what I can count on as one of the greatest strong points in the preparatory stages.

Qn: What social events can the delegates look forward to?

Ans: The biggest social events shall be, Opening and Closing Dinner, cultural night, tour to one of the wildlife education centre

Qn: How would you describe the experience of being a coordinator general?

Ans: Being a coordinator General is great at the same time hectic/stressful. In other wards, to me I regard it as a human development situation/process; because it is educative, inspiring and challenging.

Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule. We are looking forward to seeing you in August and we wish you and your team the best!

The Hospitality Committee welcomes you!

2009-07-08T21:11:00.003+03:00

The Hospitality Committee would like to welcome you to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. As you prepare your journey to Uganda have all your travel documents and personal effects ready. The temperature here is relatively warm.

The venue of the conference is Makerere University, see www. mak.ac.ug. From Entebbe airport by taxis (Matatu) to the city is 3,000 Uganda shillings and $ 2. Taxis that move to Makerere University are found in Old Taxi Park. Uganda is an English speaking country with friendly people and Kampala City does not go to sleep.

Welcome to the land of smiles!

Follow this blog!

2009-06-15T11:32:00.007+03:00

Now you have the possibility to register as a follower of this blog. By doing so, you will get informed any time there is a new posting, and thereby keep up to date with what is going on with EARMUN. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and follow the instructions. Welcome!

Organization of EARMUN

2009-06-14T11:55:00.004+03:00

The EARMUN conference is scheduled for 10^th to 14^th August 2009 at Makerere University in Kampala. It is the fifth time EARMUN is arranged, and the first time it will be held in Uganda. The theme for this year´s conference is "climate change. Our rights and responsibilities towards sustainable development". The conference is organized by the United Nations Associations of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, Youth of United Nations Association of Tanzania and Youth of United Nations Association of Kenya.

United Nations Associations (UNAs) are NGOs working to disseminate information about the UN in their respective countries. The UNAs are not agencies of the UN, and do not have regular financial support from the UN or governments. The work with EARMUN is primarily volunteerism, and all planning and preparation is done by students from the different UNA branches.

For the conference to succeed, we are dependent on funding from donors. The delegates will also be charged with a participant fee. If you would like to support this important students event, please contact the Coordinator General, William Warugaba, on e-mail wwarugaba.yahoo.com.

Selection of delegates

2009-06-14T11:44:00.004+03:00

The selection of delegates is being completed these days. If you wish to be an EARMUN delegate, you have to contact the President of the UNA branch at your university immediately to get the application forms. It is not much time left!

If you have already applied to be a delegate, you will hear from the EARMUN administration any day now.

What is EARMUN?

2009-06-14T10:16:00.002+03:00

EARMUN is a Model United Nations (MUN) assembly for students from East African countries. A MUN could be described as a role play where the participants act as members of the UN General Assembly, and take on their tasks and responsibilities as would they be in the real GA. It is an essential tool for information dissemination on the work of the United Nations, and at the same time a great way for youth to learn the skills needed to be part of such negotiations. By simulating the General Assembly for four days, and thereby taking-up roles of ambassadors and delegates, the participants get in-depth knowledge on how the UN is organized, on the topics under scrutiny, and not at least; how the member states interact and find joint solutions to global issues.

The theme of this year’s EARMUN is “Climate Change – our rights and responsibilities towards sustainable development”. The main part of the Model UN will be simulations of General Assembly discussions, and there will also be GA caucuses. There will be four caucuses, and in addition a simulation of the Security Council. The delegates apply in advance on the specific caucus they want to participate in, and prepare accordingly. The topics of this year’s caucuses are as follows:
a) Industry and Industrialization
b) Political instability
c) Marginalized voices
d) Water and food security
The Security Council will discuss security problems regarding these four topics.

The aim of the conference is to come up with a written declaration agreed upon by all participants, as a respond to the climate change challenges in the region.

The delegates
Delegates are envisaged to be young people who possess leadership skills and have some influence on their communities. The success of EARMUN relies on the participants' ability to go back to their communities and work on the outcomes of the conference. Equal representation of gender, fair representation of age and social backgrounds are some of the guiding principles in the selection of participants and in all activities related to EARMUN. The EARMUN will also ensure representation of marginalized groups.

Each delegate is given a country to represent, so that all member nations are present in the General Assembly. The forum provides an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas on the various issues affecting the international community. The EARMUN also assists delegates in their personal development through the negotiation and lobbying sessions. They are required to front their country positions with occasional concessions to develop solutions to the problems that are common to the member states of the United Nations. All the delegates are given a concept note on the theme in advance the conference. They are also expected to gain as much knowledge on the topic as possible before the conference, and to learn about the stands and positions of the country they are representing. Each delegate is eager to represent “his” country in the best way, and will therefore put much effort into these preparations. We believe we can say that the EARMUN delegates show up with great knowledge and skills on the theme to be discussed. Each delegate has to pay a USD 60 participation fee, and this will also help ensuring the motivation of the participants.

Delegates are in advance and during the conference educated in the diplomatic rules and regulations which are guiding a debate like those in the UN, and through practicing this in the MUN they will gain skills in negotiating in a diplomatic manner. The training will be done through written text, as well as teaching from previous members of a Model UN and observers from the real UN General Assemblies.

The discussions
Discussions will be designed to enable young people to gain first hand information on Climate Change, immerging trends and solutions under discussion and discuss key issues revolving the Climate Change scene around the world. The gathering will also aim to contribute to ongoing discussions, developments and in particular to the Copenhagen Climate Change expected to take place December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Through the individual and country wise preparations, and particularly the discussions themselves, ending up in a joint declaration, the delegates will be empowered with leadership skills in communication, lobbying, negotiations and diplomacy. They will also gain awareness and build knowledge both on how to interact in a situation like the General Assembly, and on Climate Change, its impact and possible solutions. The General Assembly Codes of conduct are followed strictly, so the delegates has to know how to ask for speech time, how to address a large forum like the GA, keep time, and be precise and accurate in their presentations. Through preparing their speeches and responses they also learn very much about the topics discussed.

A vital responsibility of the delegates is to draw-up initiatives to address the impact of climate change in their respective communities (as outlined in the MUN Final Resolution) after the conference. This will further strengthen the participants’ leadership skills, as it will also spread their knowledge and awareness on the climate change challenges to a larger community. This will be so as to ensure that the delegates, using the knowledge learnt, will become agents of positive change in their communities.