5 December 2019
December 5th, the grand opening of the Moscow International Youth Model United Nations for schoolchildren took place at MGIMO. The High Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia T. Moskalkova delivered a lecture to the delegates and guests.
This year, the Moscow International Youth Model UN, organized by MGIMO, the United Nations Association of Russia and the Moscow International School, celebrates its 30th anniversary. The model is held annually in December and timed to the International Human Rights Day. During the lecture, T. Moskalkova spoke to the schoolchildren about how human rights first emerged, how they are classified and implemented. The speaker also took questions from the audience on a myriad of topics including health issues, migration problems and the protection of workers’ rights.
Upon completion of her speech, T. Moskalkova awarded prizes to the winners of the All-Russian contest «Innovative technologies in legal education concerning the rights and freedoms of citizens, forms and methods of their protection.» The lecture was broadcasted live in 60 Russian regions.
The Director of the Moscow International School, E. Shkurenko, and the Head of the UNESCO Chair at MGIMO also the First Deputy Chairman of the UN Association of Russia, A. Borisov, gave a welcome speech, relating the origins of the models’ tradition in Russia and the special role played by the Moscow International School in developing models.
During the ceremony, schools having contributed to the model movement were awarded prizes and a concert was held.
Afterwards, the delegates attended consultation sessions regarding the topics to be discussed, the procedures and the working bodies of the Model. The event is supervised by the Secretariat of the MGIMO Model UN. These students, who have years of experience participating in Model UN events, shared their insights and gave practical guidance to the schoolchildren; preparing them for productive work during the two days of the Model.
— See the MGIMO web-site for russian version
