Conference Theme: Urban and Rural Development
The theme of the Global Ismaili Youth Model United Nations 2021 Conference is Urban and Rural Development - a topic that inadvertently impacts all of us, and our families around the world. 70% of the world’s population is expected to reside in cities by the year 2050. Over a billion individuals already live in informal settlements. This shift in population dynamics means that we need to collectively rethink the way our man-made habitats are designed and managed. However, as noted by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in his 2015 Millennium Development Goals Report, “disparities between rural and urban areas remain pronounced.”
Urban and rural development is the umbrella term that refers to efforts to bridge disparities between populations in terms of access to basic necessities such as clean drinking water, food, adequate primary healthcare, education, electricity, and sanitation. Some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations’ post-2015 Development Agenda include” No Poverty (1); Zero Hunger (2); Good Health (3); Quality Education (4); and Clean Water and Sanitation (6), referring to the human side of urban and rural development. However, our environment includes more than just us. Alongside human activity is a whole universe of natural environmental factors interacting to form the places in which we live, whose resources we are rapidly depleting. This is why goals such as Affordable and Clean Energy (7); Sustainable Cities and Communities (11); and Climate Action (13) are all necessary steps towards building a better tomorrow.
The theme of Urban and Rural Development prompts us to focus on how we can continue to live and progress as a society in harmony with our planet. We may find solutions to our problems in the forms of innovative transport, sustainable housing, and eco-friendly public spaces. We may also look in the fields of renewable energies, circular economies, and habitats of the future. The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is proud to be collaborating with Expo 2020 Dubai on topics related to the three broad umbrellas of the convention: ‘sustainability, opportunity, and mobility’. The goal of IYMUN 2021, as well as Expo 2020 Dubai, is to encourage tomorrow’s leaders to imagine a future founded on sustainability and inclusivity. We have full faith that our delegates from all over the world will work together in solving these issues faced by human and natural factors in urban and rural environments, and propose steps we can take as a global community to build a better future.
Committee Topics:
ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council)
Committee to be held in English and Arabic
• Topic 1: Efforts to rebuild and reinforce health care infrastructure in the developing world in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Topic 2: The role of Non-Governmental Organisations in improving standards of living and the quality of life of individuals.
UNSCD (United Nations Committee on Sustainable Development)
• Topic 1: Sustainable measures to combat climate change caused by rapid urbanization.
• Topic 2: Developing and implementing practices of sustainable agriculture and farming practices to encourage self-reliance.
Human Rights Council (HRC)
Committee to be held in English and Arabic
• Topic 1: Evaluating the global duty towards both war and climate refugees
• Topic 2: Fair and equitable employment of women across all sectors of work
United Nations Security Council
• Topic 1: The question of Afghanistan.
• Topic 2: Measures to combat the security threat in West Africa and the Sahel region.
General Assembly 1: Disarmament and Security
• Topic 1: Information and technologies to empower vulnerable societies.
• Topic 2: Addressing the rising issue of weaponization of the skies and the seas.
