Nuclear disarmament and human trafficking will top the agenda at Bahrain's largest student-run conference, the eighth Bahrain Universities Model United Nations (Bumun) conference set to take place next month.

Young diplomats, aged 18 to 25, from across the region will tackle key issues facing the international community at the event. They will debate as UN delegates and finetune their diplomacy and communication skills at weekly training sessions in the run-up to the conference, said Bumun founder and adviser Doris Martin, who is also Ernst and Young Mena facilitation and university relations assistant director.

The sessions will include an overview of the Model United Nations, procedural training, effective communication skills and how to write a resolution, at the General Organisation for Youth and Sport (Goys) Science Centre, Umm Al Hassam.

The two-day event aims to inspire global citizenship among Bahrainis and will be held under the patronage of Goys president Hisham Al Jowder on November 29 and 30 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

"The Bumun programme is a great experience for young students," said Martin.

"It teaches them how to exploit and utilise their skills of public speaking, critical thinking and negotiation in order to seek solutions for various global problems.”

"In addition, they will learn to adapt to the views of others, which is the first step towards international unity and tolerance,” she added.

"Our main goal is to attain the objectives set out in the United Nations Charter, which emphasises on peace and tranquility.”

"We need to continue our efforts to revitalise Model United Nations in our societies. Our mission is to create a clear pragmatic vision and to respect all views, ideas, faiths and cultures.”

"Invitations for the event were sent to all the universities by Goys youth activities head Eman Janahi and we are expecting more students to register before the actual event takes place next month."

In previous years, Bumun participants had attended international conferences including the Harvard WorldMUN Conferences in Scotland, China and Mexico and the National MUN in New York.

More than 60 per cent of this year's participants are studying at universities in Bahrain and the remainder are visiting students from American University Sharjah, American University Kuwait, Unesco - Sharjah Higher Education College, Griffiths University Australia, Northwestern University Qatar and American University Dubai.

Each represents a country and participants have been split up into four committees: the General Assembly, the Security Council, Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Those in the Security Council panel will discuss achieving peace and stability in Somalia and the situation in Kosovo, and those in the IAEA will debate nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and improving emergency readiness for nuclear crisis.

Delegates on the General Assembly will tackle combating human trafficking, fresh water management and economic development, while topics in the Ecosoc will cover environmental migration and social vulnerability as a result of climate change, and the economic, social and political empowerment of women in the context of political transition. – TradeArabia News Service