Ms Karen Wu, Secretary General THIMUN-Singapore 2005

Mr Ang Wee Hiong, CEO and Principal of Hwa Chong Institution

Mr Jack Huang, President of the High School Council, Hwa Chong Institution

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Good morning,

1 On behalf of the government of Singapore, I would like to bid a warm welcome to all the participants of the Hague International Model United Nations.

2 Today, you have gathered to discuss how you can make a difference to the numerous urgent challenges confronting our world. I believe you will have an interesting experience as the format of the conference is similar to that of the United Nations. You will participate in the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council to discuss and debate on a wide range of world issues. These issues include security, social and cultural problems, economic development and environmental protection.

3 The next few days will see you working together with your peers to explore solutions. You will have diverse perspectives because of your different cultural and national backgrounds. The conference will give you opportunities to negotiate and reconcile these differences as you formulate solutions to common problems confronting the world. This also makes the conference timely, as the problems have become increasingly global, and greater international cooperation is required to solve them. Let me explain why this is so.

Global Challenges

4 The challenges we face in developing our nations today are not peculiar to one country. Many countries now face the same problems, both man-made and natural. Terrorism knows no boundaries: from the World Trade Center bombings in the United States of America to the second bombing of the tourist areas in Bali, terrorism has affected our lives. From the tsunami that swept across Southeast Asia last December, to the hurricanes that battered the coast of the United States of America and the earthquake in Kashmir, no single country is immune to the wrath of Mother Nature. More recently, the H5N1 strain of bird flu, first detected in Asia, has now spread due to migratory birds, creating the real threat of a bird flu pandemic in humans.

5 The challenges are global because countries are becoming more inter-connected. The connections are multi-dimensional: countries are interdependent through trade and commerce, people move freely across nations and the media knows no boundaries. This means our lives and livelihood can be significantly affected by decisions or events in another part of the world. Consequently, a globally coordinated effort is required to tackle these problems.

Millennium Development Goals

6 These global challenges include a set of poverty–related problems that the United Nations has embarked to solve. World leaders, in September 2000, adopted the Millennium Declaration and pledged to free our fellow men, women and children from extreme poverty. Eight Millennium Development Goals are drawn from this declaration. The first seven Goals sought to reduce poverty in all its forms. They range from breaking the cycle of poverty by achieving universal primary education, to halting the spread of diseases by combating HIV/AIDS and malaria. The last Goal, to develop a global partnership for development, provides the driving force for the achievement of the first seven.

7 What do the Goals mean for young people like you? Today, there are 1.7 billion youth, between the ages of 10 and 24. This makes you the largest group of young people in history to enter adulthood. Eighty-six percent of your peers live in less developed countries, and many are plagued by poverty-related problems. You thus have a significant role to play to achieve the Goals and shape your future.

8 Some of you might think that the Goals are just one of the many resolutions made by the United Nations. They are not. What makes them unique is that the Goals are time-bound, quantifiable and achievable targets. For the first time, the world has abundant resources and technologies to combat poverty and hunger. We also understand much better the causes of poverty and its related issues, and the multi-dimension nature of development challenges. A team of over 250 of the world’s leading development experts, including scientists from The Earth Institute at Colombia University have worked out practical plans to achieve the Goals’ targets in 2015.

9 Many countries and people have benefited from the Millennium Development Goals. Here, in Asia, our rapid economic growth has reduced poverty significantly. We have made much progress, but we have to do a lot more. We may not currently be on track to achieve the Goals, but with the commitment of all stakeholders involved, the achievement of Goals will not be impossible.

What should youth do

10 What should you do to solve the world’s problems? As youth, you should not limit yourselves to only making statements. Do not sit back and call on the government or other organisations to address the world’s issues. You should actively participate in solving the world’s problems. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy’s quote, ask not what the world can do for you – ask what you can do for the world. 11 As youth, you can do much for the world. You can contribute fresh ideas, new perspectives and boundless energy in the search for new solutions to old problems. In the aftermath of the Tsunami, many youth came up with innovative ideas to help the people affected. These range from making and distributing a documentary of the disaster to selling ice-creams to raise funds and awareness. In Thailand, one of the hardest hit countries, local youth volunteered their European language skills to help foreigners search for their missing relatives and friends. These episodes show that youth can, and do make a significant difference.

12 There are some roles that you can excel in if you just take them up, simply because you are a youth. For example, you can take up the role of a peer educator and raise awareness among your friends. Peer advice, especially on topics of concern to youth, such as HIV and sex education, is more often listened to by youth as compared to parental advice.

13 In a inter-connected world, social norms and values are changing due to globalisation and advancement in technology. Some of the world’s problems, like terrorism, arise partly due to a fundamental misunderstanding of foreign cultures and societies. You, as global youth, are exposed to both global influences and traditional values. Hence you are in the best position to promote understanding of different societies and cultures to the members of your society.

14 My Ministry is responsible for youth matters, and runs many programmes for youths. One pilot project is the Young ChangeMakers (YCM) scheme. The scheme funds young people who want to initiate and implement projects that benefit the local community and the society at large. A panel comprising active youth volunteers and youth leaders from youth groups and organisations evaluates the proposals of their peers. Not only does the scheme give monetary support, mentorship is also provided by experienced youth volunteers who run their own community projects.

15 This Young ChangeMakers scheme reflects Singapore’s belief that youth activism should not be limited to advocacy, but should extend to action. It should not be a situation where youths propose and then leave it at that. We want to give youths the tools to help themselves and help others, and harness the youth energies to transform the world. There are many government and non-government sources of funding out there. I hope you will try and tap on these sources and become Young ChangeMakers yourselves.

Conclusion

16 This conference will provide opportunities for you, our future leaders, to interact and know more about others. You will, at the end of the conference, gain a deeper insight to some of the world’s major social, economic and security issues. However, this conference is not an end to itself. The knowledge that you gain from this conference is to assist you in your future efforts to benefit your community and country when you return home.

17 Solving the world’s problems, by pursuing the Millennium Development Goals and other security, social and economic agendas will be a long and challenging journey. Along the way, if you stumble in the course of your pursuit, and think that your efforts do not make a difference, do not be discouraged. Think of this quote by Winston Churchill: “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." With the right attitude – taking the lead and actively participating in solving the world’s problems, you can and will make the difference.

Thank you.