New Delhi: SAI International School, one of the leading schools of India with a commitment of purposeful education in the K-12 educational space of the country has shared details today about eSAI Model United Nations 2020 (eSAIMUN 2020), the annual Model United Nations (MUN) Conference which it is organising on August 13^thand 14^th, 2020 adopting the digital route, the first ever such Conference being organised virtually at SAI International.

SAI Model United Nations (SAIMUN) Conference is considered as one of India’s largest MUN.SAIMUN is a duly accredited registered event of United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan (UNIC), under the aegis of the United Nations (UN) and follows the UN4MUN procedures. Initiated in the year 2013, the maiden event of SAIMUN was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik. The objective of SAIMUN is to seek, through discussion, negotiation and debate solutions to the various problems of the world, enabling the participating students learn to adopt views and attitudes, other than their own and break away from the confined self-interest and develop international cooperation and tolerance. SAIMUN is held every year to build leadership skills, increase global literacy and expand critical thinking in students by exposing them to the working of the UN. The theme of SAIMUN is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”- One world one family, which inspires the participants to work collaboratively and come out with innovative solutions to the various challenges outlined in the agenda.

Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, Founder and Mentor – SAI International Education Group & Advisor and Working President of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan, Government of Odisha said “The pandemic is a challenge thrown to the humanity to re-think and rediscover that is yet untouched and unexplored, to make learning more meaningful. Across the globe, the pandemic has sparked uncertainties of an unparalleled magnitude, not only on the economy of the countries but also on the education sector. eSAIMUN has given us an opportunity to connect with luminaries across the globe who will provide a great input on the working of the UN, insight on the contemporary global challenges and stimulate the young minds to ideate and come out with rational solutions”.

The conference will be attended online by Ambassador Kelly Craft, Permanent Representative, U.S. Mission to the United Nations at New York, Mr Joel Riefman, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad, Mr Daniel Sim,Deputy Consul General, Australian Consulate Kolkata, Mr Nick Low, Deputy High Commissioner United Kingdom, Kolkata, and Dr Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, Founder and Mentor SAI International Education Group & Advisor and Working President of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan, Government of Odisha as the key note speakers on the opening day of eSAIMUN 2020.

To mark the 75th anniversary of United Nations, the UN has launched the biggest listening exercise “to build a truly global partnership to realize our shared aspirations for a just, peaceful and sustainable future.” UN@75 intends to inspire dialogues across the world to collate diverse perspectives and creative ideas on what is needed globally to address multiple emerging risks and opportunities. To commemorate the occasion, and to strengthen the eight years of partnership with UNIC, eSAIMUN will have a Plenary Session facilitated by Shri Rajiv Chandran, National Information Officer (and currently Officer-in-Charge) at the United Nations Office in India and Bhutan. The event will also have an inspiring video message by Secretary-General to the United Nations, H.E.  António Guterres. Going further the participants will be encouraged to discuss four key questions ‘What kind of future do we want to create?’, ‘Are we on track?’, ‘ What action is needed to bridge the gap?’ and ‘ How can we Build Back Better?’

The valedictory session will be attended by Ms. Barbara Wickham OBE, Director of British Council in India, Mr Kyewalabye Male David, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Palaces, Buganda Kingdom, Uganda and Ms Archana Soren, UN Youth Advisor on Climate Change as the key note speakers. Around 750 delegates 20 committees and 10 countries will be participating in eSAIMUN 2020.

This year, the students will discuss, delve and deliberate on global issues in twenty different committees including United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), United Nations General Assembly – Disarmament & International Security (UNGA-DISEC), United Nations Security Council (UNSC), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL), United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) and International Labour Organization (ILO).

Participants from countries like Australia, Japan, UAE, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, USA and India along with 18 Round Square Schools are participating in the mega event.

The first ever eSAIMUN assures to be a more dynamic and intellectually stimulating event and will bring about a prolific change in the learning horizon of all the participants. Apart from the enriching debates and interesting agendas, a lot of global interactions would take place during the two-day Conference which would complement the learning experiences of the delegates. For easy monitoring and better interaction, two different groups are formed, one for Classes IX and X and another for Classes XI and XII. Each group will have ten different Committees with interesting and contemporary agendas and will be chaired by extremely competent Executive Board.