This conference recap was provided by Aditya Soma of MUN Cafe, Co-Host of HMUN India 2012
Delegates at HMUN India 2012
Harvard Model United Nations India 2012 was held from August 16th to August 19th, 2012 at the state of the art Hyderabad International Convention Centre. The second session of the conference in India, was attended by more than 1000 participants including 840 Delegates, 110 faculty members, 70 On- Site conference staff members, Media Representatives and Guests.
HMUN India 2012 was co-hosted by The International Relations Council of The Harvard University and MUN Cafe – A brand of Worldview Education Services. It brought together students from places across the world including China, Kuwait, Oman, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Bangladesh and over 50 participants from Pakistan. The students participated in 3 days of intense debates to come out with resolutions on various topics discussed in the 12 simulated committees.
This conference also saw the presence of distinguished speakers from across various fields who shared their knowledge and words of encouragement with the participants.
Mr. Suresh Reddy, Former Speaker -Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, Dr. Chakrapani, Chairman of The Legislative Council of Andhra Pradesh, Ms. Katherine Dhanani, Consul General of USA in Hyderabad graced the opening ceremony with their words.
Mr. Jonathan Bill, Head of Business Development and Innovation, Vodafone India spoke to the delegates as part of The Leadership Development Track conceptualized to establish a connect between business leaders and the youth of the country.
On the India Night, Mr. Birad Yajnik who is a renowned thinker and a fine print author spoke to the delegates on “Peace, Truth & Ahimsa(Non Violence)” as concepts that represent brand India and shared some interesting and lesser known facts that showcase the impact that Gandhi has had on the world. The highlight of his session was the ‘Ahimsa Harley’ that he unveiled to the delegates. The Harley Davidson motorcycle was painted in white with messages of peace written by the delegates and participants of the conference.
Dr. Sakhtivel Selvraj, a Takemi Fellow (Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvard School of Public Health) and a Fulbright Scholar during 2006-07 and a Public Health Specialist at the Public Health Foundation of India joined the World Health Organization session on the 18th of August and addressed delegates about access to medicine following Natural Disasters and about India’s Public Healthcare policy. He also explained about the various challenges that are faced in making public health more accessible to citizens. He answered many questions from Delegates about various aspects of the Indian public Health policy.
Each day of the conference had intense debating sessions and the evenings were marked by social events for the delegates and Faculty Advisors. A wholesome conference experience that had the participants asking for more with promises of returning next year for HMUN India 2013!
