Dear young friends,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am glad to greet you at the ADAMUN Simulation Conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the UN-Azerbaijan partnership.

Together with the UN Country Team in Baku we organize a series of events to celebrate this remarkable anniversary. The Simulation Conference that we are inaugurating today is one of those events that bring together promising young minds.

Since joining the United Nations in 1992, Azerbaijan, as a responsible member of international community, has been sparing no effort to uphold and promote the strict adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

We actively contribute to sustainable development and engage at all levels in a wide-reaching UN agenda. We promote peace in our region and beyond, develop our bilateral and multilateral cooperation with other countries, participate in the UN peacekeeping operations, fight the COVID-19 pandemic and respond to humanitarian appeals. We are a strong supporter of multilateralism and one of the most active promoters of intercultural dialogue.

Azerbaijan is currently chairing the Non-Aligned Movement, that is the second biggest political grouping of states around the globe. Assumption of the NAM Chairmanship by Azerbaijan coincided with one of the acute global challenges of our times – the COVID-19 pandemic. We managed to transform the new challenges into cooperation opportunities. Multilateralism received a new boost through several significant initiatives of global scale put forward by His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev as chair of NAM.

Along with the ongoing pandemic, the humanity is going through a very difficult period when the international security system is being challenged again with confrontational approaches of different blocs. The growing discrepancies reaffirm the validity and historical relevance of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Our NAM Chairmanship provided a new impetus to multilateral youth cooperation. Last October we established the NAM Youth Network. It brings together youth representatives of the NAM Member States to promote the values and principles of the Movement, which are almost identical to those enshrined in the UN Charter.

Motivated by the Model UN simulation experience, for the first time in the 60 years-long history of NAM, we developed the Model NAM Simulation Exercises. In February this year at this very University we have inaugurated the first-ever in-person NAM Model Simulation Conference.

Simulation exercises are excellent experience for the young people in strengthening their practical skills before they become actual leaders. The participants test their knowledge and competencies in addressing challenging global topics. This is especially noteworthy in light of ongoing world developments.

The ADAMUN Simulation Conference will enable the young participants to gain relevant experience in understanding the working methods and principles of various UN bodies. It will help the participants to get acquainted with the political dynamics of the United Nations and to strengthen their negotiation and problem-solving skills. It will also enable the participants to better understand the interests, concerns and sensitivities of individual UN Member States related to the global agenda issues.

Being a diplomat is not an easy task. Putting yourselves in shoes of diplomats in these 3 days you will understand the difficulty and responsibility of decision-making on behalf of your nations. With this in mind, I wish best of luck to all participants in accomplishing another successful ADAMUN Simulation Conference.

I express my deepest gratitude to the UN Country Team in Baku led by Madame Andreeva for their dedication and commitment in developing our cooperation with the UN. Our successful collaboration in preparation for today’s Conference is yet another significant step in this regard.

I cordially thank the ADA University for once again opening its doors to the brilliant youth of Azerbaijan. And of course I cannot conclude without thanking volunteers and support team members who made this event possible.

Thank you.