Closing of Seventh Conference Dominican Republic Model United Nations in New York (NYDRMUN 2011)

The United Nations Association of the Dominican Republic (UNA-DR), in collaboration with Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), and its sister institution in the US, the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), formally closed its Seventh Conference Dominican Republic Model United Nations in New York (NYDRMUN 2011) at the GA, UN Headquarters in New York City.

This 5-day event that developed at Hunter College, provided an invaluable platform for students to engage in discussions about the principal challenges that presently confront the international community and possible solutions to resolve them.

For more than 700 Dominican students and students from across the region, this conference was an opportunity to formulate resolutions and proposals corresponding to the UN’s System agenda in several key
Assemblies, Commissions and Council’s,  in addition to offering an insider’s look into the work conducted by diplomatic representatives at the United Nations.

The program for the conference was divided into the following 4 major areas:

1.  General Assembly

The General Assembly session opened with a formal presentation by the Chair of the board, followed by the roll
call by the rapporteur, showing 119 delegations present and 6 absent.

2.  Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

After an initial debate on the subject of the effects of macroeconomic policy on development: "Moving on from lessons learned and charting a new course," the discussion focused on the role of the government and its participation in the economy of each of the Latin
American nations.

Following the third and fourth working session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the process initiated during the first day of the meeting was concluded, and after the committee reviewed the working paper thoroughly, the processes of including the amendment and the willingness of the delegates to bring such a document to its optimum condition started.

3.  Commission for
College Students of The International Atomic Energy Agency

In the first place the agenda approved by the delegates for discussion by this Committee will be "Israel”s nuclear capabilities," and in the second place "Nuclear Safety", including measures to protect against nuclear and radiological terrorism. At the end of the first part of the debate, it was determined that indeed it was an interesting discussion where
delegates represented their assigned countries as if they were their own nations.

During the third and fourth working sessions the writing of the draft resolutions was completed and the committee decided to establish two regular and continuous caucuses, divided into three blocks, to further discuss the draft resolutions. Two resolutions were emerged from the first blocks, and later the resolutions were read.

4.  Human Rights
Council Commission

During the first working session the CDDHH addressed the subject of children in armed conflict, and then the formal discussions started. From the beginning the discussions stood out due to the powerful presentations and the passion of the delegates; the essential topics of discussion were the consequences of war on children and their impact on quality of life, restrictions on fundamental freedoms and the necessary measures to facilitate
the reintegration of the child soldiers into the post-conflict societies, along with other topics.

At the end of the day, the forum fulfilled the content of the draft resolution which would become the most categorical action by the NYDRMUN 2011 in the framework of Human Rights. The proposals put forward solutions for addressing inter-agency cooperation between the Council, UN agencies related to the issues, the Member States and civil society; also, the proposals sought
the strengths and weaknesses of the implementation of the international commitments undertaken, recommended strategies and projects to promote international solidarity and the modernization of national legislations in order to ensure the rule of law where the impact of armed conflicts does not doom present and future generations of children.

NYDRMUN 2012 will return to New York City again in April next year, as it has been doing for the last 6 years. UN-ARD assembles
thousands of high school and college students from the Dominican Republic and the region around the celebration modeling the UN System as well as the Inter-American System with its different commissions and units, where the young participants learn about the art of argumentation and positive discussion following UN and OAS protocols of conduct as they learn about international issues, functions and responsibilities of the bodies and the countries.

ANURD link: www.unadr.org.do