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UFS hosts Model UN Summit 2024: Youth leadership in focus

19 July 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Sonja Dlamini and Nokuthula Tshabalala

Kovsie Model United Nations 2024 — Delegates at the 2024 Kovsies Model United Nations Summit engage in UN simulations, fostering international understanding and innovative problem-solving at the University of the Free State.

The University of the Free State (UFS) recently hosted the third annual Kovsies Model United Nations (KMUN) Summit, attracting delegates from universities and TVET colleges across South Africa.

This year's event, themed 'Building Sustainable Bridges for the World We Want', took place from 12 to 14 July 2024 and offered students the chance to engage in United Nations (UN) simulations to develop a deeper understanding of international affairs and innovative problem-solving. These UN simulations included the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council, and UNESCO.

Unique African solutions

The summit's keynote address was delivered by Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela. He stressed the importance of addressing global challenges in an African context, highlighting the role of youth in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and why education lies at the heart of making this possible.

Manamela noted that the African Union (AU) had declared 2024 ‘The Year of Education’, emphasising the need for resilient and education systems that equip African youth with skills and knowledge for the modern world.

"Our problems in Africa are not different from the rest of the world; however, the solutions that are required must respond to the material conditions and the historical realities of our continent," he said.

Localise development goals

Dibolelo Mance, Free State MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure, also addressed the summit, urging youth to use the SDGs as an impetus to enhance their own communities and participate in global movements.

She highlighted local initiatives aimed at empowering young people to take active roles in their communities, using the SDGs as a development framework.

Policy partnership key for change

Dr Kevin Naidoo, Deputy Director-General of Policy, Governance, and Administration in the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, stressed the role of youth as policy partners in implementing the UN SDGs and the AU’s Agenda 2063. He encouraged delegates to inspire change and actively participate in policymaking processes, advocating for a more inclusive and participatory approach to governance.

The KMUN Summit gave young leaders a platform to engage in meaningful discussions and develop critical skills. The event reaffirmed the importance of youth leadership in global affairs, highlighting their crucial role in shaping a better future.

News Archive

UFS Faculty of Law helps to establish a FS Forum on Human Trafficking

2009-10-12

The Unit for Children’s Rights in the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) is a member of the Trafficking Action Group that recently hosted an Indaba on Human Trafficking in Bloemfontein.

Adv. Beatri Kruger from the Department of Criminal and Medical Law and the Unit for Children’s Rights at the UFS gave a presentation at the Indaba on the South African legal response to combating human trafficking. Prof. Susan Kreston, Research Fellow at the Centre for Psychology and the Law at the UFS, was also a speaker at this event. She spoke, amongst others, about trafficking between South Africa and neighbouring countries and also gave some practical guidelines on how to prevent human trafficking.

Apart from creating awareness, various role players identified cases of human trafficking, which led the Indaba to realise that this crime is prevalent in the Free State, especially in Bloemfontein. Many problems that need to be addressed were identified at the Indaba. Consequently, a forum consisting of the most relevant role players was mobilised to proceed with the work to realise the goal of handling complicated human trafficking cases effectively.

The three-day Indaba was attended by more than 120 delegates from various key governmental departments such as the SAPS, Social Development, Health, Immigration and several civil societies, including Child Welfare Bloemfontein/Childline, Famsa, the Thuthuzela Centre, the Free State Network on Violence against Women, the Aurora Clinic, academia from the UFS, various churches and private-sector businesses.

At the event were, from the left: Ms Matshidiso Ntsiuoa from Childline Free State and Child Welfare Bloemfontein; Adv. Beatri Kruger from the Department of Criminal and Medical Law at the UFS; Ms Zine Mogorosi, Absa Regional Manager: Marketing, Communications and Corporate Affairs; Ms Motsedisi Shale from Lesotho Save the Children/Childline Lesotho; and Pastor Busi Khumalo from the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

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