UNA-DR Announces Conferencia Internacional de Las Américas (CILA) 2016 Taking Place in October

The 12th Conferencia Internacional de Las Américas (CILA) 2016, to be held from October 26 to 30 in the Convention Center Hotel Barceló Bávaro in Punta Cana, Domincan Republic, is the largest student activity in the region, where students participate in committees with preselected topics directly from the official agenda of the United Nations and agencies part of the simulation. At the conference, young people have the opportunity to make speeches, negotiate, develop
strategies and solve global problems through dialogue and consensus.

CILA, organized by the UNA-DR, whose main strategic partner is the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode), brings together more than 1,000 young people between 12 and 18 years of age attending middle school, high school or university.

For 15 years, the United Nations Association of the Dominican Republic has implemented the Model United Nations, which is an interactive
simulation where youth pretend to be ambassadors to the United Nations (UN) and other agencies.

Mr. Edwin Jackson, founder and secretary general of the UNA-DR, highlights the importance of this training tool, which contributes to the development of young people, and therefore, to a better future for the
country.

The International Conference of the Americas is not only an event that promotes academic participation, but also seeks social and cultural integration of its participants.

This exercise allows them to increase their academic knowledge, promote scientific research, develop their communication and leadership skills, raise awareness and encourage citizen participation.

"CILA 2016 will break all previous molds of past
events, publicizing the various committees and bodies simulated" explains Dr. Claudia Taboada, General Manager of the UNA-DR.

At the Conference, the meetings of 12 bodies and commissions of the United Nations and other multilateral, regional and international institutions will be simulated. The discussions will be based on hypothetical issues creating a futuristic context, never simulated before in the Dominican Republic. We will also offer seminars, conferences,
workshops and exhibitions, as well as social and cultural activities on topics directly related to the agenda of the United Nations.

The working languages will be English and the Spanish. This effort is carried out in coordination with Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) and Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD).

About UNA-DR:
The Dominican Association of the United Nations was founded in
2001 with the support of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA). The entity has 15 years of experience hosting this kind of meetings, such as the New York-Dominican Republic Model United Nations Conference (NYDRMUN), the Simulation Haitian United Nations Conference (SIMHANU), and the Dominican-European Model United Nations Conference (DEUROMU), among others.