Youth as global leaders: Model UN Security Council on Women, Peace and Security

“I had a midterm exam yesterday, and I was feeling anxious on my way here today. I wasn’t sure how well I articulated my position or how clear it would be to other participants,” says 21-year-old Mariam Tvaladze, a fourth-year student at the Law School of Caucasus University who assumed the role of UN Secretary-General during a model UN Security Council meeting for a few hours today—and became the winner of the open debate.

The Model UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security was organized by UN Women in partnership with European University and the youth initiative “16th Element”. The event brought together 31 young delegates from seven higher education institutions in Georgia. Participants had the opportunity to discuss one of the most pressing issues from the perspective of global leaders and to take decisions.

During the open debates, participants presented the positions of different Member States, formed alliances and, through a voting simulation, adopted a new resolution on Women, Peace and Security. Notably, prior to the event, a preparatory working session was held for the delegates, aimed at deepening their knowledge of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, strengthening their negotiation skills and preparing them for Security Council procedures.

Throughout the debates, Mariam Tvaladze provided guidance to young participants, deliberated together with them and listened to their diverse perspectives in order to preserve pluralism, all while ensuring that the final resolution reflected a position acceptable to all Members.

“While preparing for this event, I realized how significant resolution 1325 is for every country and, of course, for women’s rights,” Mariam notes. “Both the debates and the session as a whole went very well. The participants had done a lot of work from the perspective of women’s rights, and despite representing different ages and universities, they were fully engaged and truly enjoyed the process.”

For UN Women, informing and engaging young people within the Women, Peace and Security agenda and sparking their interest in the issue is one of the organization’s priorities. Indeed, this was the intention behind designing the model session.

“This is a format that helps young people develop various skills—for example, researching information, articulating ideas and [engaging in] public speaking,” Mariam adds. “The model session brings all of this together, which is why it is so important. Formats like this help us learn more information about women’s rights in a way that is engaging to young people. After the event, I realized that human rights is the field to which I definitely want to dedicate part of my future work.”

In addition to Mariam, other prizes were awarded to Giorgi Ghurchumelia, Elene-Ekaterine Dvalidze and Tsotne Kokiashvili, all of whom received special gifts from the Embassy of Latvia in Georgia. Notably, the four of them will travel to The Hague in December, where, within the framework of an international conference on women and peace, they will attend the Bertha von Suttner Peace Prize Award Ceremony. Mariam Tvaladze will also take part in a panel discussion at the conference on women’s unique contributions to peacebuilding and on intergenerational dialogue.

The event on Women, Peace and Security was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security and the 10th anniversary of resolution 2250 (2015) on Youth, Peace and Security. It was held within the framework of the regional programme “Women’s Increased Leadership for Resilient and Peaceful Societies”, generously supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.