The UNIS-UN Conference is organized and run by high school students from the United Nations International School (UNIS). It aims to foster an environment in which young adults can grow their worldview and expand their horizons, whilst learning about and discussing important, influential issues in our world today. By inviting a variety of different schools from around the world, with different outlooks and cultures, it creates an atmosphere in which students can learn and form opinions in a globalized setting and ultimately become better, well-rounded world citizens. An integral part of the UNIS-UN experience was the hosting of visiting students by UNIS families to help foster friendships and promote cross-cultural exchange.
The conference is held annually in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters. The use of the General Assembly Hall by the UNIS-UN Conference is a strong representation of the tie between the United Nations International School and the United Nations. The conference is targeted towards the international high-school students that make up the majority of its audience. Attending schools must be invited and attendees must be affiliated with a school.Each year, a new topic of interest and importance is chosen for the conference. The UNIS-UN Conference is designed to provide students with expert knowledge imparted by provocative guest speakers. The conference also endeavors to give visiting students a platform to express their own opinions and views during the debate segment, introduced in 2006. The conference has gained much fame over the years, and is commonly the first thing associated with the United Nations International School. More than seven hundred students hailing from six continents attend the conference. Approximately 400 of the attending students are enrolled at UNIS. An additional 300 - 400 more students are invited from international schools around the world.
History UNIS-UN was founded in 1976 by several UNIS students in collaboration with a Tutorial House (UNIS equivalent of high school) humanities teacher. The conference was first held on March 3 and 4, 1977, in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters, and became a tradition every year since then. In 2011, the Cultural Showcase was introduced, featuring international performances at UNIS by visiting schools the day before the conference. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 conference was cancelled along with the tradition of hosting visiting schools. The organizing committee has grown over the years (to its current number of approximately seventy).
Organization The UNIS-UN Organizing Committee is split up into several committees (Visiting Schools, Finance, Tech, Logistics, Editing, and Speakers) to ease the organization process. Visiting Schools is in charge of organizing the students visiting from abroad. Finance manages the budget and buys merchandise for the attendees to purchase. Technology organizes any technological components, like presentations for the speakers and liaising with UN staff. Logistics organizes the Day of Cultural Exchange, which includes workshops, the Cultural Showcase, and a welcome dinner the day before the conference. Editing edits the articles for the Working Paper, and Speakers finds people to speak at the conference and organizes the debates. Each committee is headed by one or two students (usually juniors and seniors). These committee heads make up the UNIS-UN Executive Committee (ExComm); however, there are a select few students who are not the heads of the commissions but are prominent members of the committees.
Preparations for the conference are begun nearly a year in advance and include finding and researching a topic of global relevance, drawing up a list of speakers, inviting several hundred students from schools all over the world, and compiling a Working Paper of articles pertaining to the topic written and edited by members of the UNIS-UN Editing ExComm. The conference is broadcast live on UN Web TV.
Past conferences Previous UNIS-UN speakers and panelists include: Kofi Annan (Former Secretary-General of the UN) Jan Eliasson (Former President of the General Assembly of the UN) Danny Glover Harry Belafonte Vanessa Redgrave Morgan Spurlock Hillary Clinton (Former First Lady of the United States) Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti (Former Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations)
Previous topics include: +Previous UNIS-UN ConferencesYearConference TopicExComm Co-chairsSpeakers and Panelists2024Equal Rights Equal Heights: Climbing the Ladder of Gender EqualityJusta van Gaal and Aaliya MalholtaDiene KeitaNavina Haidar HaykelMariam VahradyanCaryl SternAnna Karin Eneström (Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations)Jörundur Valtýsson (Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations)Vanessa Frazier (Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations)Felipe Paullier (Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs at the United Nations)2023Turning the Page: A New Chapter in EducationSophie Chen and Antonio AthiasChristopher de BonoRoser SalavertAna Paula ZakariasJuan Ramón de la FuenteRobert Keith RaeSheikha Alya Ahmed Bin Saif Al-ThaniSheikh Manssour Bin MussallamLauren RumbleSoraya Fouladi2022Food for Thought: A Sustainable Approach to Food SecurityEva Lifsec and Jack HochmanSeth GoldmanAbby MaxmanMary-Ellen McGroartySusan BrattonRebekah HodgeEsther PenuniaMai Thin Yu MonOscar EkponimoEli Goldman2021A Global Catastrophe: The Impacts of COVID-19Eva Lifsec and Jack HochmanAnthony FauciMichael S. PhillipsChristiane AmanpourSanjay GuptaBurhan Gafoor2020Megacities: A Sustainable FutureSophia Duff and Tom Mckillop2019Ripple Effect: The Water CrisisNoëlla Kalasa and Sophia DuffGalila GrayAndrew HudsonSeth M. SiegelWolfram SchlenkerZaria FormanFiona Ward2018Under CTRL: Technology, Innovation and the Future of WorkAyesha Wijesekera and Noëlla KalasaMaha AzizAndrew BrustMichael ScissonsFederico RampiniTsvi GalClay Shirky2017Migration: Crossing the LineSarah Blau and Sean Waxman-LenzWilliam MilbergAngy RiveraSirin SelcukGregory ManiatisBen Fox RubinVictor Flores2016Media’s Influence: Opinions, Activism, & OutcomesSuroosh AlviBuzz BissingerSusan ChiraCasey NeistatPaloma EscuderoTrevor Johnson2015Sustainability: Balancing People, Planet, & ProfitAmina J. MohammedEstela VazquezGeorg KellHans RoslingJennifer Siebel NewsomJoel K. Bourne2014Globalization: A World of Exchange2013Modern Youthquake: A Generation’s ImpactBan Ki-moonCorinne WoodsSheena MatheikenClaudia LópezBrandon StantonKiran Bir SethiChris TempleZach Ingrasci2012Human Exploitation: Exposing the UnseenDaniel F. PersicoKatherine ChonJohanna M. EspositoRadhika CoomaraswamyAsha-Rose MigiroKenneth D. JohnsonRachel LloydLynn StratfordHelen Benedict2011The Web: Wiring our WorldNicholas NegroponteKamran ElahianJudith DonathBurt HermanClay ShirkyJon LawheadMarc RotenbergAlexis Ohanian2010Bioethics: Striking a BalanceChristine MitchellKenneth PragerAna LitaDavid MagnusJoseph FinsWesley Smith2009The Food Crisis: A Global ChallengeBan Ki-moonDaniel GustafsonJ.W. SmithCaryl SternA. G. KawamuraHenk-Jan Brinkman2008The Pursuit of Energy: A Catalyst To ConflictCarlos AlejaldreMark CrandallLucas McConnell2007Global Warming: Confronting the Crisis200630 Years of UNIS-UN: The Role of the Corporation in Today's World2005Global Health: Rights and Responsibilities in the 21st Century2004Modern Mass Media: The Influence of Information2003Youth at Risk: The Future in Our Hands2002Prejudice: How Racism and Bigotry Scar Our World2001Twenty-five years of the UNIS-UN: Problems and Progress over the Past Quarter Century2000A Changing World: Examining Global Interdependence and Inequalities1999Facing the New Millennium: a Search for Global Ethics1998Civil Conflicts: Global Consequences and Concerns1997Technology and Communications in the 21st Century: the Impact on Society1996Children of the World: Struggles of a Generation1995Women in Society: a Natural Balance, an Unequal World1994International Responsibility: Power and Politics1993Ethnic Struggles: Identity and Survival1992Environment and Development: a Common Ground1991A New World Order: the Opportunity for Change1990Education for Survival1989Human Rights1988The Environment: a Global Crisis - the Need for Change1987The Cost of War - The Price of Peace1986Men and Women: Tradition and Change1985Rights and Responsibilities of Youth1984The Communication Revolution: Freedom or Control1983Disarmament1982Population and Development1981Food and Development1980Energy, Development and the Environment1979Development Strategies and the Needs of Children in Celebration of the International Year of the Child1978The Law of the Sea1977New International Economic Order
References
External links UNIS-UN United Nations International School The United Nations 2014 Conference Live Stream