UKZN Students in Model United Nations Debate

BY: .

Students under the auspices of the United Nations Association of South Africa - UKZN Chapter (UNASA-UKZN) assisted the South African Institute of International Affairs representatives with the organisation of a model United Nations Conference.  

The event, the first of its kind in KwaZulu-Natal, was hosted by the New West High School in Durban under the sponsorship and leadership of SAIIA.

The event, which featured a typical United Nations Environmental Programme Committee (UNEP) session, debated on rhino poaching. 

Pupils from schools all over KZN acted as representatives of various member countries most of whom are signatories to the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  

UKZN was mandated with the task of representing and protecting the interests of three UN member states - China, Kenya and Yemen. Each delegate made a presentation, submitted position papers and negotiated with other delegates in a bid to find agreement in passing a resolution that would help put an end to the problem of rhino poaching.

During the UN session, which was chaired by the SAIIA and co-chaired by UKZN, delegates agreed and disagreed on various grounds. Some voted in support of legalising the sale of rhino horns in order to put an end to the scourge in Africa, while some others were sceptical of that position.  

The session ended without a resolution and a motion of adjournment was successfully tabled by Yemen.  

At the end of the debate, awards for debate were handed out with UKZN winning two best speakers’ awards, second and third place respectively. 

Chiwueze Benedict Udeh