Commission proves UN mission
Guest Column
Laura Smith
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Opinion
Particularly striking was Mike, an 18-year-old from Tanzania who serves as his country's very first youth delegate and spent much of his time at the Commission lobbying other African nations to follow suit.
With the other youths, we spent hours learning about wider employment issues and practices that have remedied some of these problems.
We agonized word-by-word over how to express our concerns about youth in an official resolution.
However, when it came down to official delegations voting to ratify on these resolutions, countries stalled, bickered and walked out.
I went to the United Nations with energy and the hope that I was going to make a huge impact on the decision-making
and policy-drafting that was to occur.
I left the United Nations 10 days later with the news that the resolutions that had been drafted were still being debated by the member countries, and some had even been tabled until next year.
Nonetheless, I was overcome by the power of humanity of the United Nations. The great potential for humanity and peaceful negotiation allows a multinational body like the UN to exist.
I ultimately walked away from my experiences with a feeling of hope. For, while the United Nations may be slow and flawed, it is a venue that brought together young and old people from all over the world to engage and discuss social and economic problems while working towards solutions.
And like my friend Mike, that's a good place to start.
With the other youths, we spent hours learning about wider employment issues and practices that have remedied some of these problems.
We agonized word-by-word over how to express our concerns about youth in an official resolution.
However, when it came down to official delegations voting to ratify on these resolutions, countries stalled, bickered and walked out.
I went to the United Nations with energy and the hope that I was going to make a huge impact on the decision-making
and policy-drafting that was to occur.
I left the United Nations 10 days later with the news that the resolutions that had been drafted were still being debated by the member countries, and some had even been tabled until next year.
Nonetheless, I was overcome by the power of humanity of the United Nations. The great potential for humanity and peaceful negotiation allows a multinational body like the UN to exist.
I ultimately walked away from my experiences with a feeling of hope. For, while the United Nations may be slow and flawed, it is a venue that brought together young and old people from all over the world to engage and discuss social and economic problems while working towards solutions.
And like my friend Mike, that's a good place to start.
Be the first to comment on this story