Adil Najam Speaks to European Model UN delegates at The Hague

Pardee Center Director, Prof. Adil Najam, spoke to the student delegates from all over Europe at a special Model United Nations moot held at The Hague in the Netherlands.

Organized by The European International Model United Nations (TEIMUN) this special event was held to mark the fact that in 2009, the Netherlands will be chairing the 17th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 17). To mark the occasion and to encourage students in The Netherlands to think about topics related to sustainable development, the TEIMUN Foundation and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality organised a short simulation of the commission, based on the topics and results of CSD 16.

The conference took place from the 15th until the 17th of December 2008 in The Hague and was open to all students from The Netherlands and a selective group of students from outside of The Netherlands. There were 53 spaces in total, reflecting the same number of countries that currently sit in the UNCSD.

Prof. Najam’s presentation to the delegates covered the basics of the global politics of sustainable development, including some of the history of the CSD. He especially highlighted the importance of taking a development approach to environmental issues, i.e., sustainable development.

The topics for SCSD were: (a) Competing Claims on Water Use, and (b) Policies for Agricultural Development.