King’s hosted the London International Model United Nations (LIMUN) for the first time in the conference's nine year history. The conference is the largest of its kind in Europe and was organised by students. It attracted more than 800 students from 80 universities spanning 25 countries.
The conference was held at the Franklin-Wilkins Building at the Waterloo Campus this weekend (8-10 February) and was planned and managed from students from London universities.
As a reproduction of the United Nations the conference included a keynote speech from Dr David Nabarro, UN System Senior Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, at the opening ceremony. Student formed committees discussed items such as the implications of climate change and peacekeeping in Darfur, the effects of counter-terrorism activities and the human rights situation in Myanmar.
Dr David Nabarro’s address The International Community and Crisis Response: A Personal Reflection focused on the billion people who live on less than one dollar a day as well as conflict ridden parts of the world. He also spoke about the bombing of the United Nations Head Quarters in Iraq in August 2003 as an ‘extraordinary transition time for the United Nations’. He went on to applaud LIMUN for fostering cultural empathy and promoting the values of the United Nations.
Jasper Pandza, Secretary-General of LIMUN, and King’s Department of Physics undergraduate comments: ‘LIMUN develops the skills of leadership, expertise in public speaking, negotiating and consensus building. By participating, delegates will cease thinking from their personal viewpoints and hence open themselves to new ideas, entering a world of international diplomacy and multilateral negotiations.’
The Under Secretary-General (Chairing & Delegates) of LIMUN, Martina Klicnarová, is also a King's student. Martina is in her first year of a War Studies degree.
The Committees produced working papers that were taken forward to conference and discussed by the rest of the delegates.
As an independent registered charity LIMUN aims to extend cultural empathy and understanding of international affairs. This year, the conference's partners include the Embassy of the United States of America (UK), the Embassy of France (UK), the Embassy of Norway (UK) and the United Nations Association (UK).
[Photo by Alynn Saripuddin]
Notes to editors
Dr David Nabarro
Dr Nabarro was appointed Assistant Secretary-General as the UN System Senior Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza in 2005. He has coordinated support for health aspects of crises response operations in Darfur, Sudan, and in countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and Tsunami.
Dr Nabarro's career in public health includes working as the Executive Director of the World Health Organization, and as Director of Human Development and Chief Health Adviser at the UK Department for International Development.
King’s College London
King’s College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher 2007) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King’s has 19,700 students from more than 140 countries, and 5,400 employees. King’s has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. The College is in the top group of UK universities for research earnings and has an annual income of approximately £400 million. An investment of £500 million has been made in the redevelopment of its estate.
King’s has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, social sciences, the health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, and has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe and is home to five Medical Research Council Centres - more than any other university.
Source: By King's College London
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