Students brainstorm on global issues in Shillong

Indian students Friday began a brainstorming session in the state capital of Meghalaya on several issues ranging from conflict, climate change to growth and employment.

The three-day session, organised by the North East India International Model United Nations (NEIMUN), is being attended by students from India's northeastern states and from the metropolitan cities.

NEIMUN Director Limabenla Jamir said: "The consultations will focus on 11 thematic areas: conflict and fragility; education; environmental sustainability; governance; growth and employment; health; hunger, food and nutrition; inequalities; population dynamics; energy; and water."

She added that the discussions will revolve around whether to extend the current Millennium Development Goals (MDG) framework or create a new framework drawing from past experiences -- Global Policy Forum.

Inaugurating the session, Meghalaya Chief Secretary P.B.O. Warjri underlined the need for "change", and that young people should be part of the "change".

He said: "One cannot change for good unless we first realise that we are valuable individually and others are also valuable."

Warjri said: "We are concerned with wars because we know that human beings are valuable. We are concerned with health because we know everyone has tremendous value. Be it education, provision for food, climate change, environment, political freedom, all these issues are important because we realise value of human beings."

NEIMUN's objectives are to encourage students for active participation and study of international organisations and global issues and to train future young leaders of northeast India through the participation and simulations of the United Nations in India and across the world.

Jamir said: "We hope to advance the interest of international education through promotion of Model United Nations conferences, promoting interaction and dialogue between young people, as they try to find enduring solutions to global challenges."