A four-member Fijian delegation had the opportunity to at­tend the Global Goals Mod­el United Nation in Malay­sia earlier this week.

Head delegate represent­ing Fiji under the Sustain­able Development Goals (SDG) 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, Broderick Mervyn, said the experi­ence was an eye opener for him.

“The experience of at­tending the Global Goals Model United Nations was a once in a lifetime oppor­tunity and what I see and feel on a daily basis indi­cates what the world is now facing, a lot of difficulties which seem to be hard to overcome, unless we, as youth leaders join hands and try to fight it together,” Mr Mervyn said.

“There were four Fijian delegates out of the 2750 delegates that were in at­tendance. It was indeed a humbling experience to represent Fiji at this event given my past experienc­es at other international events.

“Global Goals Model Unit­ed Nations aims to provide a platform for young future diplomats to encourage themselves in understand­ing global issues and its policies.”

Mr Mervyn hopes to be part of the event next year.

“The Global Goals United Nations event in Kuala Lumpur was an excellent opportunity to discuss how we can address the SDGs in a coherent manner. We need the best minds to do it. Many of them are here today,” he said.

“We cannot lean back and assume that we have all the knowledge and insight we need. On the contrary, it is vital to invest in research and knowledge that can inform policy development and decision-making.

“This is why it is so im­portant that universities and research institutions develop new knowledge in the many areas that are relevant in this context – not only for Fijian policy development, but also for all the various actors that joining forces to achieve the SDGs.”

Edited by Susana Tuilau

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