The opening ceremony took place in the Duma Hall of the Tauride Palace.
On behalf of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg the participants and guests were welcomed by Deputy Chairman and Head of the Department for Foreign Economic Cooperation Arbi Abubakarov.
He mentioned the importance of holding of such events in terms of modern youth education, expanding horizons and developing oratorical abilities. “St. Petersburg has historically been created and developed as a multinational and multi-religious city, uniting peoples of different language and culture,” A.Abubakarov recalled. “Therefore, the readiness to go on dialogue and to hear each other has always been a defining feature of the citezens of St.Petersburg, This is very important, especially for interstate negotiations. “After all, international relations are, to a large extent, a reflection of interpersonal relations,” the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg concluded.
The opening ceremony of the conference was attended by officials: Acting Secretary General - Head of the Secretariat of the Council of the IPA CIS Dmitry Kobitsky, his deputies - Plenipotentiary Representative of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Askhat Nuskabay and Plenipotentiary Representative of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Irina Sokolova, as well as Deputy Executive Secretary of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly - Plenipotentiary Representative of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Viktor Rogalev.
Schoolchildren from St. Petersburg, as well as from Belarus, Germany, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, the USA and Turkey were among the participants.
The conference’s agenda traditionally included the most sensitive issues of the current time: a political settlement in Syria, the prevention of an arms control crisis, the preservation of natural resources, cyber security and other equally pressing issues.
Reference: "United Nations Model" is an international project aimed at civil responsibility development, teamwork and cooperation among young people, the ability to interact in an international environment. The project is implemented in the form of an international program of additional education for high school students. In St. Petersburg, "United Nations Model" operates on the basis of Gymnasium No.157 in the name. E.M. Oldenburg since 1997. The main form of activity within the program is the preparation and holding of annual international conferences that simulates the work of the real United Nations bodies: the Security Council, the General Assembly, the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The program also includes lectures and practical classes, visits to political life centers, participation in conferences held in Russia and abroad and etc. Basically, the "United Nations Model" conference is a large-scale role-playing game in which high school students act as diplomats of different countries.