Peking University, Mar. 31, 2011: The opening ceremony of the 2011 Asian International Model United Nations (AIMUN) was held in Qiulin Lecture Hall at Peking University on March 24.
The China Director of UN World Food Program (WFP) Anthea Webb, Professor Zhang Haibin from PKU School of International Studies, President of PKU Model United Nations (MUN) Lu Ziyan, and Secretary-General of PKU AIMUN He Tianyu attended the ceremony as honored guests. Student delegates from altogether 25 countries, over 120 colleges and universities participate in this conference.
AIMUN occupies an important place in the world's MUN with its four distinguished features: being professional, international, characteristic and humane. The theme of the conference this year is "The Asian Page in the Global Age". After half a year's preparation, the 2011 AIMUN will continue shouldering its responsibility in exploiting new land for Asian development with a globalized and modernized perspective.
The ceremony commenced with a video in retrospect of the major events which took place worldwide in 2010, such as the earthquake in Chile, the riot in Greece, the confrontation in the Korean Peninsula.
After the video, the China Director of WFP Anthea Webb made a speech informing the delegates of the task of Asia. Anthea Webb pointed out that two-thirds of the people facing food crisis live in Asia-pacific areas. Nevertheless, sometimes Asian countries fail to realize their status or exert their influence in the international stage. In Anthea Webb's view, it's up to every individual and every institution (e.g. the UN, the government, colleges and universities) to be engaged in solving problems like famine. "This is exactly the reason why you are here," said Anthea Webb to the present students.
The next speaker was Professor Zhang Haibin. In Zhang's speech, he suggested that the goal of the delegates is to make a better Asia and a better world. Faced with the challenges mentioned above, the primary issue now is to raise the awareness of cooperation among the Asian countries. To achieve this consensus, they need to enhance communication and mutual understanding. More importantly, youths of these countries must take actions in building a harmonious Asia.
Near the end of the ceremony, Secretary-General He Tianyu briefly introduced to the attendees the recent development of MUN. On the one hand, the delegates are supposed to come up with more advisable proposals during the conference. On the other hand, he hoped that the four-day conference could be an impressive and valuable experience for them.
The AIMUN conference would last from March 24 to March 27. As usual, the conference will center on issues in aspects of global economy, environment and society. This year, however, an on-the-spot investigation in Beijing will be added to the conventional schedule. The delegates will be able to make their own contributions to the development of Asia by taking part in the discussions and investigation.
Translated by: Yan Binghan
Edited by: Chen Miaojuan
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
