From April 13thto 15th, RUC held their 13th Model United Nations Conference hosted by their Model United Nations Association. The theme of the conference was "New Age, New World, and New Youths". On a historical timeline, this conference shows the future generation's understanding and views on international issues. 179 representatives from 38 universities and 6 middle schools from across the country attended the conference.
On the afternoon of the 13th, the opening ceremony was held in the first lecture hall. RUC President LIU Wei, Deputy Minister of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League JIA Bo, and the representative of the United Nations Development Program in China SUN Qian attended the opening ceremony. RUC Dean of the School of International Relations YANG Guangbin and Secretary of the Youth League Committee LI Peng also attended the opening ceremony.
LIU Wei addressed the opening ceremony, and expressed his welcome to all the students on behalf of the school. He said that as an ancient civilized country that has made significant contributions towards the development and progress of mankind, China is now moving towards the world with an open mind and a more tolerant attitude while actively participating in international organizations represented by the United Nations. The United Nations model activities provides the younger generation of students with an important platform for paying attention to global events and enhancing communication skills.
LIU Wei pointed out that for a long time, RUC has been adhering to the goal of “national citizenship and social pillars” and devoted itself to educating outstanding talents with cross-cultural communication and excellent communicative skills. Organizing a model United Nations Conference is an important measure that the schools have launched to help achieve this goal. The Model United Nations Conference provides important practice for everyone involved. On the stage, no one is just a mere person but a representative of a country, encouraging participants to shoulder the responsibility of solving international problems, safeguarding national interests, and listening to the voices of other countries. In the conference, students focus on the entire world so they must learn to communicate and collaborate, compromise, think differently, and work for the well-being of their respective represented countries as well as the international community. He said that today's international community has made great progress since extreme poverty has been significantly reduced and sustainable development has received more recognition. However, there are still many problems that need to be resolved. Conflicts in hotspots, international terrorism, and environmental conditions are current problems that still need a resolution. All of these problems require a collaboration of countries to work together.
JIA Bo recalled the comprehensive development of China’s all-round diplomatic arrangements since the 18thCPC National Congress and the results of the comprehensive advancement of China’s diplomacy with major countries, as well as Xi’s brilliant statement on international relations, combined with the International Youth Movement and the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League. Leading the international youth exchange, JIA believes that the Model United Nations Conference of Renmin University is not only a venue for academic discussion, but also a training ground and experimental field for dealing with international relations and practicing the potential diplomatic capabilities of China. It is hoped that the delegates can cherish the beautiful era in which they are currently living and appreciate the opportunity they have to participate in the great cause of the Chinese nation’s rejuvenation. With the help of the NPC’s platform, delegates can increase their ability and broaden their horizons to lay a solid foundation to produce new achievements.
SUN Gan relayed his own experience to show that the influence of the United Nations exists in all aspects of our daily lives, and encourages everyone to further understand the United Nations so China may one day join the United Nations.
YANG Guangbin began by stating that the world is currently undergoing major changes including the changing of the power of world order due to the emergence of non-Western economies. Although China’s economy is very strong, they lack talent in the international affairs department, and still lack Chinese students who go to internships with international organizations, which provides an unfavorable situation to the training of international talents in China. As a university student, in order to participate in international affairs, students must first understand China itself, including China’s history, culture, and national conditions. However, to participate in international affairs, they must learn about foreign countries and understand the world. He believes that the Model United Nations is a very talented platform that will help train future international talents.
RUC Secretary-General of the United Nations Association for Model United Nations LI Xiaomeng welcomed the delegates as the secretariat of the conference. She thanked the leaders for the development and support of the NPC model, and officially announced the opening of RUC’s 13th Model United Nations Conference.
Over the next three days, the delegates were present at the "Council of Defense Ministers of NATO Member States," "Russian Federation Security Conference," "Geneva Summit," "World Energy Council," and "United Nations Security Council." The issues surrounding the "military deployment of the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea Coast," "Syria, Iraq's post-war reconstruction," the "World Energy Issues," and the "Palestinian-Israeli conflict" issues were also discussed, with student delegates providing their advice for resolutions on these international issues.
On the afternoon of the 15th, RUC’s 13th Model United Nations Conference concluded.
