UN-HABITAT Chief opens East Africa Model United Nations

Nairobi, 18 February 2003 --The Executive Director of UN-HAIBTAT, Mrs. Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, opened a three-day East Africa Model United Nations on 18 February in which more 30 schools participated at the United Nations headquarters in Nairobi. Welcoming some 3,000 student delegates, Mrs. Tibaijuka said the United Nations system “is the only global political body for both dialogue and action.”

“As delegates to this Model United Nations, you will be working on issues that are most important to you, collectively, and working through the politics to achieve consensus and cooperation. As you negotiate your “country’s” interests, you will begin to understand why the United Nations is so necessary in today’s world. There is nothing else like it, and we within the United Nations are extremely proud to be able to serve this unique and beneficial organization,” she said at the opening ceremony.

The Executive Director said that with each passing year, we become more and more aware that cooperation among countries is the future of this planet. “As they become more aware of each other, people begin to see inequalities, comparing their lives with those of others, and asking what can be done to create a more sustainable and equitable planet.”

She urged the student delegates to view the political process in the United Nations not as a frustrating and inefficient way to solve problems, but as a reflection of the real world, where different cultures and different systems, intent on working together, work hard to find a common thread that each can grasp.

For more information contact Sharad Shankardass, e-mail: Sharad.Shankardass@UNHABITAT.org