Feature

My UN Trip

Miftahul Jannat Chowdhury

With immense joy and curiosity, I set out to fly to New York to attend the 7th Annual Youth Assembly 2010 at U.N headquarter where I got accepted and formally invited. After a long flight, which I would describe as tiring and troublesome, the three daylong conference was however, all worth it.

Being one of the two representatives from Bangladesh, both of us being from International Affairs Club (IAC), Department of Media and Communication of Independent University, Bangladesh, the pressure was pretty high. Yet it was a grand experience for me, no doubt.

The event 'Idea Leadership' of the Annual Youth Assembly at U.N started in 2004. It focuses on youth-led development in the context of U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Over the past 6 years, the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation (FAF) and International Institute have originally created this initiative for a culture of peace, and this 3 day conference has grown into the premier youth event at the U.N.'s world headquarters in New York. This year, the FAF and Youth Assembly team brought together nearly 600 young people from around the world who seek practical ways to contribute to the achievement of the MDG, global networking and social entrepreneurship skills, as well as meeting with and contributing to civil society formally affiliated with the U.N. The Youth Assembly offers substantive opportunities to the registered delegates for increased youth involvement in the U.N. activities. From my view, it not only promotes a commitment to the MDG, but also encourages personal career development in the civil society by promoting democratic values, international partnership and the much-needed promises for peace, diplomacy and human security.

The first day of the Youth Assembly started with a mesmerizing musical opening, with the welcoming speech by Patrick Sciarratta, the humorous Executive Director of FAF, followed by Gillian Sorensen, Senior Advisor, U.N. Foundation and many other keynote speakers who shared their experiences and perspectives on youth leadership and global partnership. There were workshop sessions in one of which Patrick briefly stated, 'If I were a woman, I'd be a little pissed off seeing the statistics on how underpaid women workers are compared to their male co-workers in many parts of the world!'

The second day of the conference brought about different message. After the fascinating HIV/AIDS prevention video and campaign by Jason Rzepka, Vice President of Public Affairs, MTV, and the stellar presentation of Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO of Terracycle which makes eco-friendly products from garbagewe were escorted to visit the U.N. missions of different countries, with little groups of youth delegates assigned to visit each missions. After the visits, there was the Free Networking Session organised by the International Youth Council in Dag Hammarskjold Park near the U.N. H.Q. This networking session was an eye opener and a life changing experience for most of us who were in high spirits to make new friends from all over the world, allowing different people from diverse cultures, ethnicities, customs and rituals to get to know each other. It was the Youth Assembly where I met several amazing people like Francisco, Esperanza, and many others, who, being young students like us, have come a long way to pursue the MDG and global leadership campaigns, and have successfully initiated the International Youth Council (IYC) for young leaders. I was quite impressed by Katie Spotz who rowed the ocean by herself to raise funds for safe drinking water, and Ishmael Beah, an author who was a child soldier, and how can I forget about Maggie Doyne, who lives with 30 orphans in a mountainous part of Nepal, providing them food, shelter and education.

For me, the Annual Youth Assembly shows how one person can make a difference by facing the challenges of present times. It was no doubt, a life changing experience for me, inspiring enough to return with a will to initiate something to contribute to my society, and connect with my new friends from Korea, Ghana, Afghanistan and other countries, ensuring global friendship.

(The author is an executive member of International Affairs Club and is a student of the Department of Media and Communication, Independent University, Bangladesh).