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| Chimezie Udechukwu |
Very Distinguished Participants,
An
African proverb says “if you think you
are too small to make an impact, then you have not spent a night a night with a
mosquito”. You have chosen to be a part of one of the fast growing Model
United Nations not just in Africa, but in the world. Let me congratulate you
for this fine choice.
On
behalf of the Secretariat and the entire Team at Value for Tomorrow Initiative,
I bid you welcome to the Second Session of the International Model United
Nations, Nigeria which we have tagged IMUNN II. I feel very excited and at the
same time privileged at my choice of Secretary General. Model United Nations is
an academic simulation of the organs and systems of the UN that aims to educate
participants about civics, effective communication, globalization, multilateral
diplomacy, the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs etc. It encourages unity in
diversity, team play, qualitative research, critical thinking, analytical
writing, excellent bargaining and negotiation skills, as well as public
speaking and presentation skills.
According
to the 2012 Report to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon titled “Realizing
the Future we want for all” The central challenge of the post-2015 UN
development agenda is to ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for
all the worlds’ peoples of present and future generations. Globalization offers
great opportunities, but its benefits are at present very unevenly shared. The
continuous striving for improvements in material welfare is threatening to
surpass the limits of the natural resource base unless there is a radical shift
towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production and resource
use. Persistent inequalities and struggles over scarce resources are among key
determinants of situations of conflict, hunger, insecurity and violence, which
in turn are key factors that hold back human development and efforts to achieve
sustainable development.
It
is against this background that our theme for this year’s conference is “Tackling
the Challenges of Inequality in an ever Fragmented World; Working Towards the
Future of our Collective Dreams”.
Hence, we welcome you to
Lagos Nigeria, the entertainment and economic hub of Africa, venue for this
Conference. Lagos offers you a true picture of a cosmopolitan metropolis where
cultures meet, destinies are achieved, ideas, are birthed and above all, it
presents a more glowing example of the unevenness in our world today. As some
people have argued, the fractious, confused, unequal and dangerous world we
live in today cannot be the main alternative to global peace and prosperity.
Humanity will need to rise above the prevailing ideas which have produced
chaos, terrorism, mass misery, cyclic global financial problems, climate change
disasters and unimaginable refugee and Internally Displaced Persons, IDP
crises, to build an egalitarian world based on freedom, peace, fairness, equity
and social justice; the very core values upon which the United Nations was
formed.
I
look forward to sharing your ideas, learning new cultures but above all,
arriving at workable solutions to mitigate this worrisome trend that threatens
the success of the SDGs. I also look forward to leading you through some of the
wonderful spots that makes Lagos, truly the Centre of Excellence.
Ekaabo! Nno nu! Sannunku!
Chimezie
Judemary Udechukwu
Secretary
General
IMUNN
2016
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