MODEL U.N. HOSTED BY ODU FEB. 11-14
As world leaders try to make sense of the global war on terrorism and unrest in the Middle East, high school students from around Virginia, the Eastern U.S. and abroad will take part in mock discussions of those issues at the Old Dominion University Model United Nations Society annual High School Conference Wednesday through Saturday, Feb. 11-14, at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside hotel.
More than 800 students from more than 70 schools will pose as representatives from U.N. nations as they discuss issues ripped from today's headlines including protecting the rights of immigrants, threats posed by chemical and biological weapons and stabilizing post-war Afghanistan and Iraq.
The students are split into nine committees mimicking the actual United Nations in New York. Students' research on their delegation's actual global policies is emphasized, as are diplomatic principles of compromise and cooperation. Committees' discussions are graded and awards given at the end of the conference to the best delegations.
Other topics to be discussed in the committees include: reduction of illicit small arms trade; strengthening the nuclear nonproliferation treaty; advancing the role of women in global development; distributing and funding humanitarian aid; protecting children against abuse, exploitation, and violence; and North Korea.
Further information is available on the Web at http://www.odu.edu/al/mun/2003/hsc-index.htm or contact the ODU Model U.N. office at 683-5933.