13th International Conference of the Americas Concludes

In the culmination and closing ceremony of the 13th International Conference of the Americas (CILA 2017), recognition and prizes were awarded by committees and educational institutions to leading student delegations.

In a collaborative effort between the Dominican United Nations Association (UNA-DR), the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and its sister institution in the Dominican Republic, Funglode, and the Mexican civic organization
GlobalMuners, this year’s CILA, held from October 29th to November 1st, brought together more than 500 high school and university students from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and other countries in the region.

Sitting at the head table were Dr. Leonel Fernández, former
President of the Dominican Republic, president of GFDD/Funglode, and president of the UNA-DR; Edwin Jackson, Executive Director of the UNA-DR; Yamile Eusebio Paulino, Acting Co-Executive Director of GFDD; Pilar Sandoval, Executive Director of GlobalMuners; Jeannie Ferreras, Director of Programs, Gender, and Youth at the United Nations Population Fund Dominican Republic (UNFPA); Aida Montero, Director of the Funglode Juan Bosch Library; and Luis Jiménez, Secretary General of CILA
2017.

During this year’s conference, simulations were carried out involving eight bodies and commissions of the United Nations and other regional and multilateral international institutions. CILA 2017 also included seminars, conferences, workshops, and exhibitions in addition to cultural and social activities dealing with topics directly related to the agenda of the United Nations.

First Cross-Sectional Dialogue on Sustainable
Development
Prior to the closing of CILA 2017, the first Cross-Sectional Dialogue on Sustainable Development was convened to reflect on the importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The dialogue aimed to discuss implementation strategies for the UN 2030 Agenda and foster the participation of various economic sectors, while focusing on SDG #4: to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.

The
discussion panel included former President Dr. Leonel Fernández; Enrique Darwin Caraballo, Executive Director of EDUCA; Jeannie Ferreras, Director of Programs, Gender, and Youth at the United Nations Population Fund Dominican Republic (UNFPA); and Rafael Izquierdo, Executive Vice President of Administration, Risk Management, and Legal at Grupo Universal. It was moderated by Paola Molina, volunteer organization member for the UNA-DR.

Some key questions and issues that the
panelists reflected on were: “What are some of the main challenges facing our current education system?”; “How can strategies and public policies be modeled using the indicators and measurements of educational quality that are currently available?”; “What type of policies or actions can be implemented in order to promote knowledge generation through research in the Dominican Republic, Latin America and the Caribbean?”; and
“How best to prepare young people transitioning from school to professional life and which technical and professional competencies are essential?”

Leonel Fernández Visits Working Commissions
After concluding a walkthrough of the working commissions in this year’s International Conference of the Americas, Dr. Leonel Fernández highlighted the importance of this event for young people.

He
explained that the CILA “represents a great learning opportunity to develop competencies, skills, and certain abilities that go beyond what can be learned in classrooms, and converts young people into global citizens; a requirement in today’s world.”

About Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD):
The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), sister organization of Funglode in the
United States is a non-partisan and non-profit organization dedicated to promote the collaboration among organizations in the United States and the Dominican Republic in order to conduct research, enhance public debate, design public policy, propose strategies and provide training to facilitate change in crucial areas of the social, economic and democratic development of the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean and Latin America.

About the UNA-DR:
The Dominican United Nations Association (UNA-DR) is a nonprofit NGO dedicated to supporting the work of the United Nations and helping to strengthen its mission by coordinating educational and cultural activities to raise awareness and foster civic involvement. Since 2001, the UNA-DR has designed and implemented mock debates and forums on national, regional, and international issues, impacting more than 60,000 young people in the Dominican Republic and 25 other countries.

More Information:
http://unadr.org.do/