E³ Summit – Earth, Economy, Equity

Youth for Youth Rwanda is a non-government organization (NGO) based on encouraging the youth of Rwanda to work together to find diverse ways to address issues facing the youth, the country, and the world at large. This organization was also created to build a sense of community and support system within the youth of our country. As a nonprofit organization, we aspire to give the youth a platform to fully express themselves in ways that they can truly be seen and heard. I would love to be given to opportunity to present our accomplishments and future projects/goals, despite the limited resources in the country, and to hopefully inspire others to do the same because starting an NGO is not as farfetched as most may believe.

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Elsie Ishami Muhirwa

My name is Elsie Ishami Muhirwa I am 17 years old and I am a rising senior at Kigali International Community School. I am the Founder and CEO of Youth for Youth Rwanda which falls under the Equity theme as it aligns with SDGs 2,3,4,5,10, and 16. I love public speaking, debating, and MUN. I’ve participated in numerous national debate competitions at iDebate Rwanda, and I also participated in the 38th Annual EAMUN last year.

Acknowledging the importance of collective cooperation to deal with the climate crisis, I have recently opened Climaero_, an Instagram page that features 4 free and easy challenges per week. Those challenges are simple actions everyone, regardless of their age or location, can take to help address climate change, such as not using plastic for a day, having a 10-minute talk with a child to raise awareness on the issue… On our social media, we strive to get a large group of people to participate in our challenges, and on the page we also highlight fundraising campaigns for climate change and other pressing issues such as world hunger. Donating is not part of the challenges, but it allows those with financial means to further help people and causes in need.

In this workshop participants will learn more facts about climate change, like how much harm it can cause in terms of health and the economy, raising awareness and encouraging people to take action. Participants will have the opportunity to share their stories about how they have felt the consequences of climate change and we will have a conversation on how we can address said problems. Participants will be encouraged to implement the challenges presented on my page and the solutions mentioned in the workshop in their communities. Finally, by the end of this workshop, they will have enhanced their communication, motivation, and problem-solving skills.

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Noor Al-Zubi

My name is Noor Al-Zubi, I live in Jordan, a student in ModernMontessoriSchool. I have 5 MUN experiences, one of which has been chair, 3 of the 5 have been with MUN Impact. Although Climaero_ Instagram page is my first official action towards the SDGs, I am highly interested in the SDGs and want to further help address such pressing issues in university as I want to study politics.

The workshop will talk about the impact of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems. The main topics to be discussed are: what SDGs 13 and 15 are, the United Nations Environmental Programme, harmful impacts of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems, such as vulnerable/extinct species, our field experience, and a description of an action campaign organized by MUN Impact, the 100K Deeds Challenge. The aim of the workshop is to discuss different viewpoints on the topic and highlight the idea that all actions count to achieve the 2030 Agenda. There will be interactive questions and polls presented throughout the workshop. At the end of the session, participants will be able to ask questions and take part in a quiz.

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Tanisha Saxena

My name is Tanisha Saxena and currently, I live in Al Wakra, Qatar, and am from India. I’m 14 years old and will be going into Year 10 soon. I developed my interest in MUN in 2019, and ever since I have attended around 6 conferences, including MSMUNQ 2019. I have been a part of MUN Impact for 8 months, throughout the SDGHubs, 100k deeds challenge, and the GS 3.0 team.

Komal Gupta

I am Komal Gupta from India pursuing my Bachelor’s in Commerce with Honours from Hansraj College, India. I love to connect with people and listen to their sides of the story. I have been involved with organizations working for SDGs including MUN Impact and began my MUN journey this March.

Luna Mercuri

My name is Luna, a 17-year-old girl from Europe, and in MUNI I’m a diplomat for my region. I’m going to present about climate change which, unfortunately, has a huge impact on everyone’s life. I am always trying my best to share knowledge and action that can help mitigate his effects, in every aspect of our lives, for everyone. Because none of us is safe until all of us are safe!

Description: The audience should expect to learn how to ask the right questions about when innovating or problem-solving in a new community or for a social issue; how to make certain they have the right solutions for the proposed problem; how to keep solutions practically beneficiary centric.

Rya is a refugee integration consultant with nearly a decade of working in higher and marginalised education in Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Singapore, and Kenya. He also works on refugee development, especially on their economic and social integration. He was home-schooled his entire life in Accra, Ghana by his father who did not believe in the effectiveness of formal education. Under his father’s tutelage, he studied the sciences, languages, economics and behavioural economics, philosophy and the arts. Rya does not have any certificates or degrees to his name.
He is a frequent speaker at the World Economic Forum, the African Union, and at the IOM’s International Dialogue on Migration at the United Nations’ Headquarters. He has researched refugee economic and social integration in the Dadaab, Ampain, and Krisan refugee camps (in Kenya and Ghana). He has also designed refugee integration solutions with the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) in Munich and Bavaria and has tested his solutions in Ghana and Brazil.

Today, his organisation, the Refugee Integration Organisation (RIO) has made Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) available to the Krisan and Ampain refugee camps in Ghana, the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, as well as to migrants in India. RIO presently provides UBI to 2,300 refugees and migrants. The project runs on Blockchain technology, is funded by the Celo crypto currency, and is delivered through a USSD integration in order to be able to serve the most vulnerable of refugees who do not have access to smartphones, making this programme the first of its kind in the world. The beneficiaries are able to claim and receive $1.50 a day into their mobile money accounts every day.

Rya is the Global lead for Equity and Inclusion for Refugees and Migrants for the Global Shapers Community. He speaks 9 international and local languages, is a TEDx Speaker, a World Economic Forum Agenda Contributor and Global Shaper, and a Fellow of the Amani Institute. His articles on refugee integration and economic development have been published by Forbes, the World Economic Forum, Apolitical Academy, etc.

Welcome Address: AY Young – Head of Battery Tour, Global Superstar, and Passionate SDG Advocate

AY is a producer, singer, songwriter, entertainer, and entrepreneur. He powers his concerts (“The Battery Tour”) using renewable energy. He was recently named a UN Youth Leader for SDGs and performed at President Biden’s inauguration. AY is currently working on a Global Goals album, labeled “Project 17” in collaboration with earth’s biggest artists to create one song for each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

AY Young is currently making the world’s first sustainable album containing 17 songs, 1 per each Sustainable Development Goal, recorded in partnership with the best artists in the world in a carbon-neutral way. Other focuses are 17 sustainable tours and the education program in schools K-12 across the country. AY Young is a UN Young Leader from the U.S. and has held 800+ solar-powered concerts across the country since 2012.

Keynote Speaker: Kehkashan Basu – World Future Council

Iconic youth leader, global influencer, environmentalist, champion of children’s rights, a Forbes 30 Under 30, TEDx speaker, Climate Reality Mentor, author, musician, peace and sustainability campaigner and a passionate advocate of women’s rights, 20-year-old Kehkashan Basu is a trailblazer who has been challenging the status quo and breaking social strictures and taboos which impede the progress and rights of future generations. Winner of the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize for her work on children’s rights and the environment, and the first-ever Voices Youth Gorbachev-Shultz Legacy Award for her work on nuclear disarmament, Kehkashan is a tireless advocate for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She is a United Nations Human Rights Champion, National Geographic Young Explorer and the youngest ever Global Coordinator for the UN Environment Program’s Major Group for Children & Youth. She was named the youngest recipient of Canada’s Top25 Women of Influence, one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and is the Council Lead of the Toronto-St. Paul’s Constituency Youth Council. 

Kehkashan is the Founder President of the social innovation enterprise Green Hope Foundation, which provides over 140,000 young people in 25 countries a networking platform to engage in the sustainable development process and take actions to mitigate climate change. Her internationally acclaimed work on sustainability has resulted in her being named one of the Top 100 SDG Leaders in the world and one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. She is the youngest member of Canada’s Women in Renewable Energy forum and the youngest Councillor of World Future Council. She has just been elected to the Board of Trustees of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, making her, at 20 years old, its youngest trustee in its 127-year history. 

Kehkashan is a 2020 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth Honouree, and the recipient of the 2019 Innovator of the Year Award for Sustainability Education, the John Muir Conservation Award for Habitat Restoration, the Energy Globe Award, the Turner Prize for Social Change, the Lewis Perinbam Impact and Innovation Award, and the Women Super Achiever Award. A powerful voice for future generations, she has spoken at over 200 United Nations and other global fora across 25 countries.

Tasneem Essop: Tasneem Essop is an expert on climate, energy, poverty and social justice issues and is the Founding Director of the Energy Democracy Initiative in South Africa.
South African born and based, Ms Essop has significant experience in the climate movement. She has held various senior government positions in South Africa. She was a global climate policy and strategy leader for environmental NGO WWF International and served as the Head of Delegation for the organisation at the UNFCCC including at the Paris COP. During this period she also served on the Board of the Global Call for Climate Action (GCCA) and was an active participant in the work of CAN International.

Tasneem is also serving her second term as Commissioner in the National Planning Commission of South Africa. She was also recently appointed to the Board of Sanparks, the leading conservation authority in South Africa.
Before joining WWF in 2008, she held the positions of Provincial Minister for the Environment, Planning and Economic Development and Provincial Minister of Transport, Public Works and Property Management in the Western Cape.
Before becoming a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature in 1994, she was a trade unionist in COSATU Western Cape. She is a qualified teacher.

Her vast management and leadership experience include convening and building consensus around common goals amongst stakeholders from government, labour, business and communities, building collaborative partnerships, working in virtual teams across cultures, and building strong organisational governance, with an emphasis on finance.

Amy Wickham: Amy Wickham is a Programme Specialist on Climate, Energy and Environment at UNICEF. Since joining UNICEF in 2013 she has been conducting significant research and analysis on the environmental pollution and climate change consequences for women, children and young people, identifying technical innovations for more environmentally sustainable programmes, as well as documentation, reporting and awareness raising through various advocacy methods at each of country, regional and global levels. She has worked at UNICEF Zimbabwe, UNICEF Mongolia and is now based at UNICEF HQ in New York. Previously, she has worked with international organizations in Kenya, India, Ireland and Rwanda. She has bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, and an MSc in Development Practice.

Giulia Jacovella: Giulia is a multi-faceted, efficient and reliable policy and communication expert with over 6 years of professional experience in Senegal, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the UK. Since 2013, she has been working for organisations promoting resource governance, rural development, food and energy security, human rights and gender equality and equity. She is currently based in New York, where she works as a Youth and Climate Analyst at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Her diversified skill set covers research, monitoring and evaluation, stakeholder relations, writing, editing, graphic design and project management. She has excellent inter-personal, communication and analytical skills. She is fluent in English, Italian, Spanish and French. Giulia holds a master degree in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development from SOAS University (UK) and a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from LUISS University (Italy).

Christian Schwarzer: Christian is one of the founders of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network and has dedicated most of his life to working on biodiversity and environmental issues. In recognition of his accomplishments in biodiversity policy and advocacy, he has been appointed as Youth Ambassador for the UN Decade on Biodiversity. He is a member of NAJU and Co-Chair of Germany’s NGO working group on biodiversity policy. He has participated in over 25 rounds of UN negotiations under the UNFCCC, IPBES and the CBD, has published numerous articles and studies on environmental policy issues, and is one of the lead authors of CBD in a Nutshell.

OneSky is a network of dedicated students and young professionals who are committed to supporting OneSky’s work for vulnerable children in Asia through advocacy and fundraising.

Students for OneSky were known as China Care Clubs, a program of China Care Foundation (CCF) founded in 2003 to “give special needs Chinese orphans the opportunity for a better life and to empower youth through direct humanitarian service.” In 2012, CCF transferred the China Care Clubs program to OneSky.

Since then, China Care Clubs have worked with OneSky to provide orphaned children with an education and family-like love. In 2016, when Half the Sky became OneSky, we renamed the program Students for OneSky. The new name reflects our resolve to bring our approach to the millions of children the world forgot. We are fortunate that so many of our China Care Club partner clubs support our expanded mission to give our world’s most vulnerable children a second chance at a bright future.

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Heather Mayes Gleason is OneSky’s Head of Philanthropy, where she leads the organization’s Individual Donor initiatives, raising critical unrestricted funds to support all aspects of the organization’s work for vulnerable children in Asia. Heather has a BA from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and an MPA from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an active member of her Takoma Park, MD, community where she lives with her husband, two teens, and two dogs.

The COVID 19 Pandemic has set back sustainability by many years of effort. The Tourism Industry is one of the worst-hit and countries are working to revive it. During this revival, it is important that sustainability is ensured simultaneously with development. This workshop will inform participants about the importance of sustainable tourism, how they can help as tourists/ citizens to foster sustainability in their communities. The workshop will highlight the actions taken by UN bodies, governments in this direction and also hint at recommendations for the future. This topic will be linked to the various SDGs and inspire action towards it. This workshop will encourage participants to take part in the 100k Deeds Challenge. There will be audience interaction activities as well as a Q/A session.

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Meera Ranjan

I am Meera Ranjan, a 16-year-old, Grade-12 Student from Chennai, India. I am the Head of India for the 100k Deeds Challenge. I have attended over 10 MUNs and many online MUNs and love debating. I am deeply passionate about achieving the SDGs and committed to creating a positive change in society. I joined MUN Impact as I found the principle behind the organization very interesting- an organization that conducts MUNs, but also inspires change in the world!

Prince Santosh Kumar

I am Prince. I hail from India and I am currently living in the Kingdom of Bahrain. I am passionate about the SDGs with a special emphasis on SDGs 4,5,13 and 16. I have been involved with MUNs since 2020 and I am currently serving as the Deputy Secretary-General for a MUN Conference as well as a Diplomat for MENA At MUN Impact Global.

This presentation will introduce participants to the Arctic, the Arctic Council, and the opportunity to take part in the Online Model Arctic Council delegate training and conference. Participants will especially learn about issues of equity in the Arctic, particularly Indigenous rights and the voice of Indigenous peoples in Arctic politics and around the negotiating table at the Arctic Council.

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Joshua Gray

Since 2018, Mr. Gray has taken part in a range of diplomatic simulations, including MAC, MUN, and Model US Senate. He has served as Secretary of NORMAC, one of Polar Aspect’s MACs, which he also previously attended as a delegate, and he is part of the OMAC Secretariat. He has a passionate interest in the Arctic, especially issues facing Arctic Indigenous peoples, and he is keen to share this interest with other students and pupils. Mr. Gray is currently reading Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford in the UK.

Gain access to the experiences InnerView offers US students (ages 14- 24) to explore the UN Sustainable Development Goals, engage in volunteer opportunities, and develop a personal social impact credential: a Service Resume.  Student volunteers on InnerView are able to earn National Awards from United Nations Association USA for personal commitment to the UN SDGs.  We will also review a number of initiatives and programs you can lead for your club, neighborhood, school, or community. 

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Kristine Sturgeon is the CEO of InnerView, the leading social responsibility platform connecting students, skills, and impact to the UN Global Goals.  Over the last 25 years Kristine has focused her experience on new technologies that help unlock the potential in individuals and activate groups and ecosystems.  Ms. Sturgeon has launched new businesses and technologies in North America, Europe, and Asia.  Her education provided an ideal blend of creativity and structure earning a Bachelor of Architecture and Honors degree from the University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning.

OneShared.World is a broad and inclusive movement of stakeholders working collaboratively across diverse cultures, communities, ethnicities, organizations, entities, interests, generations, and nations to ensure a better future for humankind and the sustainability of our collective home. Join the leaders of its Global Youth Coalition and learn how to systematically shift the direction of our world, from your own communities to a global level. The Global Youth Coalition is a home for people who wish to integrate the best minds of humanity, bridge divides, and rise together towards a brighter future. Together, we continuously learn how to make our vision a reality through each moment of our lives, our personal careers, and our chapters. Learn how you can contribute to this movement!

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Sandi Gendi: Sandi is a OneShared.World Director of Global Leadership and acts as a lead coordinator for our WASHPAP team. Sandi Gendi is a student of law at Queens University, Faculty of Law in Canada. She also has a Joint Honours degree in Law with Business and Management from the University of Sussex, U.K. Sandi has been an active member of community legal clinic, StreetLaw, in advocating for members of the homeless community and ethnic minorities suffering with homelessness, against a piece of legislation that targeted these communities. In addition, Sandi has been an active member of the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, as an ambassador to multiple Youth Assembly conferences and an intern working with the United Nations-affiliated NGO. Recently, in 2021, she founded Nunah, a platform for women of colour, created by women of colour to find support, mentorship and community.

Shagun Sethi: Shagun Sethi, is the Programs and Operations Manager at Pontoka, a global Environment Social Governance Advisory, based in Denmark and India. She has a master’s degree in Global Affairs from Columbia University, where she studied on a merit fellowship. Prior to that, she studied Political Science and Sociology at The University of Delhi. Shagun serves as a Director For Global Leadership for One Shared World, and is on the Advisory Board of the Center for Career Development. For her work on global leadership and development, she has been recognized on India’s A list. Shagun is a passionate feminist, and has brought her expertise in research to Urban Design, and serves as a Research Fellow at Leading Cities, Boston USA, where she has published ‘Walk With Women: Gendered Perceptions of Safety in Urban Spaces’. In 2018, Shagun started a non-profit initiative in India entitled ‘Be A Man’, which aims to provide original curricula on gender stereotypes and empower women with information. Recently, in 2021, she founded Nunah, a platform for women of colour, created by women of colour to find support, mentorship and community.

Lucia Ferreira: Lucia Ferreira leads Russell Reynolds Associates’ non-profit team in New York and co-heads the firm’s Global Development Practice. She conducts Board and senior executive assignments for domestic and international nonprofit organizations with a focus on economic & social advancement and inclusion, global health, education and youth development, civil and human rights, and conservation and the environment.

Lucia was previously based in the London and Paris offices and led the firm’s European Banking, Markets and Private Equity Practice. She is active in searches that cut across the private and nonprofit sectors and is also a member of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion and Leadership and Assessment Practices. Lucia has led senior level projects involving succession planning, Board development, and broad organizational assessments.

Lucia joined Russell Reynolds Associates in 1996. She has chaired the firm’s Learning and Development Committee and was a Member of the firm’s Global Executive Committee. Prior to executive search, she was in the Corporate Finance Department of Smith, Barney, Harris Upham & Co., Inc., in New York and London.

Lucia received her A.B. in economics and political science from Yale University and her MBA from Columbia Business School. A dual national of Brazil and the United Kingdom, she is fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.

Lucia serves on the Board of the National Book Foundation and is a member of the Economic Club of New York.

The MUN Impact global Summit Social Hour is back by popular demand. Meet students from around the world, chat, listen to music and play a few online games.

Plan to attend the MUN Impact Social Hour. We strongly recommend you RSVP to save yourself a spot!

Do you think you possess the potential to become a leader in your community? And to achieve that, you want to start your own social enterprise or non-profit but you don’t have the resources and don’t know where to start. This workshop will provide you a complete roadmap on how to start your own organization, from finding an idea to launching, you will get to know everything. I launched a community project in just a month and have also received $1000 funding for my initiative. In this workshop, you will learn all the tips and secrets that I learned through my journey. Ready to use your talents for social good? Sign up for the workshop now!

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Priyal Agrawal

Hey, changemaker! I am Priyal Agarwal and I live in Farrukhabad, India. Despite lack of resources, I created my own opportunities, I wrote a research paper about the mental health impact of COVID-19, worked for a legal literacy project impacting 10,000+ people, and created a mobile app to encourage active citizenship among youth. Now, I want to share my experience and knowledge with all of you in my workshop, ‘How to launch a social enterprise in just a month’.

The term “open forum” refers to the open exchange of ideas and information, usually to better the common good. During the open forum on the theme of Economy, we will be discussing Effective Youth Employment and Innovation as a Key to a Worldwide Economic Bloom.

Bring ideas, stories, ideas for a way to address the issue of Youth Employment and Innovation and the many ways this issue is being addressed in our own communities. Take the floor, share your thoughts and network with like-minded youth.

In order to ensure the best possible conversations, panellists will be joining us. The panellists have experience in the field of discussion and will allow for a high calibre debate.

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Kenneth Kwok: Mr. Kenneth Kwok is the Founder and CEO of Global Citizen Capital, an impact-oriented healthcare, biotech, logistics, technology and education focused multi-family office investment venture based out of Hong Kong. It also facilitates one-stop-shop, off-shore and cross-border financial investment and asset management solutions to investors from more than 12 countries across Asia, Middle East and Europe.

Kenneth has worked over 10 years across UBS Investment Bank, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs in the investment banking and equities divisions. He studied at Columbia University and University of Pennsylvania (The Wharton School of Business), speaks fluent English, Mandarin, Cantonese and conversational French. He has lived in Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing, Tokyo, Vancouver, Philadelphia, New York and London.

He is passionate about social impact work through his Better Together Foundation, which supports minority communities and youth entrepreneurship related initiatives across Asia, and about well-being through his Co-President role at Asia World Anti-Aging and Well-Being Association (“AWAWA”). He is deeply passionate about United Nations and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and is a UNDP SDG Accelerator Labs Mentor.

Aurora Chiste: Aurora is the founder of global fashion brand Maakola and the energy company Ray Power Africa, both created to generate a real and tangible impact, while promoting a new idea of wealth at the same time. Born in Venice, Italy, Aurora moved to Silicon Valley during her undergraduate studies. On gaining a bachelor’s degree in communication, she started her professional journey at Beintoo, an Italian social gamification platform. In 2012, while still in San Francisco, Aurora founded the nonprofit Hack for Big Choices. Bringing together tech, innovation and communities, the company was intended to bridge the innovation gap, using the power of entrepreneurship to overcome the development barriers by supporting grassroots initiatives. Meanwhile, In the same year, Aurora became a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum. Seeking change, and thirsty for discovery, in 2015 Aurora found herself based in Ghana. Here, she became an advisor at Impact Hub Accra, and a year later, she co-launched the Health Innovation Center in the city. Her next step was to join BlueSPACE Africa, which provides financial technology integration. Through this organization, Aurora dedicated herself to helping small and medium businesses (SMEs) develop new financial solutions and facilitate inclusion and trade. Although Aurora soon realised that data infrastructure was fundamental to driving business and innovation; Ghana clearly lacked such tools. In response, she launched a spinoff of Orb Intelligence—a San Francisco-based firmographic data provider—to bridge this gap. It was during this period of change and innovation in 2015 that Aurora founded Maakola as a side project. She was growing and empowering an entire community, but nothing in the closet matched her values and personality. In 2018 Aurora brought together everything she’d learned to launch Ray Power Africa. The company would use energy as a driver of change through business model experimentation and by developing the market for such essential services. To create impact at the local level and meaningfully support local communities of changemakers, Aurora also serves as an advisor to Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area. Using its global connections, the Hub currently focuses on advancing action to reach the Sustainable Development Goals in the post-pandemic world through programs designed to help impactful ideas take off.

Edison Gbenga Ade: Inspire businesses and people to reach peak performance. Loves to think outside the box and try new things. Director at The Founder Institute. The World’s largest pre seed accelerator. https://www.fi.co
Managing Consultant at Bloop Global. Full end-end capability: From business strategy consulting to process redesign and management to web and mobile applications development. Bloopglobal.com
I am also a Tech Evangelist. I teach people how to code. Trained more than 3000 people so far. The goal is 50,000 people in the next five years.
Serial entrepreneur, spoken word artist. God driven.

Martin Stavenhagen: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to travel long, go together.”
Passionate about bringing people together for sustainable development, net-zero pathways, and thriving cities and societies. Supporting co-creation of circular, collaborative, innovative cities, communities, and companies/startups. Open to collaboration to make an impact together.

Co-founder and Director of Get Circular with SD Consulting. Policy consultant, facilitator/trainer and project manager with 12 years of experience researching and implementing sustainable development and capacity building in Asia and Europe. Focus on climate innovation, circular economy, environmental policy, urban governance and innovative cities, and capacity building for sustainable development.

Coordinated several German technical cooperation (ODA) projects in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, in the areas of quality infrastructure and standards, environmental measurements and solar energy. Project management and field research in Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Netherlands, Sweden, and Singapore.

The innovation of various technologies has lead to the rise of global and local economies. In the workshop, I will explore the effects of the Internet of Things, Blockchain, and Artificial Intelligence in the smart cities of the future. Utilizing the three outlined technologies, smart and dynamic cities can emerge. The smart cities that form will give rise to the fourth industrial revolution, enabling great economic growth in developed and developing nations. Those who attend the workshop will learn about the three technologies and their impacts on our future world and other SDGs. I will lead the attendees by showing how smart cities can utilize the three deep technologies to improve the economy and beyond.

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Micah Nkrumah Ardayfio

My name is Micah Nkrumah-Ardayfio and I go to school at St.Albans in Washington, DC. My main experience with the SDG and the topic I am introducing is through my research and development company. During the last two years, I have founded and led a 501(c)(3) R&D company that aims to improve the world through smart city infrastructure. I have managed several doctorate-level researchers in conducting research in IoT, Blockchain, and AI.

Sustainability is not just environmentalism or based around the state of the environment. It also involves natural resources, social resources, and economic resources. Therefore, when thinking about sustainability, think about these two factors: (a) The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. (b) To be upheld without compromising the needs of future generations. Of course, learning about sustainability, climate change, and other important and profound topics can get overwhelming and dull. So, I hope to bring a youthful perspective to the conversation and add some value to what should be an enjoyable and insightful conversation. I entitled this workshop “Sustainable How” to share how our impact can be long-lasting, renewable, and viable for the world.

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Eric Johnson

I earned my bachelor’s in Mass Communication from Rust College and am currently a graduate student studying Nonprofit Management at Columbia University. I’m the head organizer of The Everyday Innovation Lab, a social project that improves social entrepreneurship in rural communities. In addition, I served as President of the Rust College Student Government Association during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Eric learned that “There are two kinds of smart people: those who take simple things and make them sound complicated, and those who take complicated things and make them sound simple.”

On Day 2 of plenaries, we’ll be joined by Brighton Kaoma, a radio journalist, environmental activist, and youth empowerment leader. We’ll also test your knowledge of the world and more. Join us and learn and deepen your understanding of the issues we face around Equity, discover the progress made, and what still needs to be done

Keynote Speaker: Brighton Kaoma – Sustainable Development Solutions Network

MPA graduate from Columbia University with a vast track record in working at the intersection of sustainable development, business development, corporate sustainability, Communication for development, and youth development in over 20 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, and America. Awarded and recognized by President Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, Angela Merkel, WWF International President, UN Environment, and Junior Chamber International.

The workshop will talk about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sustainable Development Goal 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. The main topics to be discussed are: what the SDGs are, what the United Nations is doing in regards to the economy, the United Nations Development Programme, different ways that governments are proposing we pay for the pandemic, such as a global wealth tax, what the green economy is and a description of an action campaign organized by MUN Impact, the 100K Deeds Challenge. The aim of the workshop is to discuss different viewpoints on the topic and highlight the idea that all actions count to achieve the 2030 Agenda. At the end of the session, participants will be able to ask questions and take part in a quiz.

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Maria Teresa Egea Diaz

My name is María Teresa Egea and I’m a 17-year-old student from Spain. I have participated in MUN for the past two and a half years, and it has been an eye-opener! I have also been a member of MUN Impact for just under a year.

Tanisha Saxena

My name is Tanisha Saxena and currently, I live in Al Wakra, Qatar, and am from India. I’m 14 years old and will be going into Year 10 soon. I developed my interest in MUN in 2019, and ever since I have attended around 6 conferences, including MSMUNQ 2019. I have been a part of MUN Impact for 8 months, throughout the SDGHubs, 100k deeds challenge, and the GS 3.0 team.

Most students struggle to find an opportunity to create meaningful change. For many, volunteering is spending a few dozen hours throughout high school to fulfill an academic requirement. In this workshop, you will learn how each EFA volunteer is changing the lives of dozens of impoverished children from their computer screens. After seeing how a group of high school students changed the prospects of hundreds of students living below the poverty line, we hope to show you that every person has the power to make a difference. You can realize that power by volunteering at EFA or by starting an initiative yourself.

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Alex Hu

I am the founder of the Education For All Foundation (EFA) and an incoming freshman at Babson College where I will be studying the intersections of psychology and philosophy with business. I am a competitive chess player and an avid reader. I believe everyone has the capacity to do good, and I hope to help more people realize that capacity.

One does not fully understand what it is like to walk in the shoes of another, especially for an individual with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). Often individuals with an IDD are put into the shadows of society and always having to take a back seat to social justice conversations. Throughout this session one will gain a new perspective of walking the path with an individual who has an IDD, as Margo and Michelle describe the true inhumane treatments conducted such as shocking for behavior treatment, leading the conversation the daily struggles of dating diving into the inadequate focus on disabled romantic relationships. To wrap up the session, they have invited two special guests (two Best Buddies International Global Ambassadors) to provide insight on how to easily adapt yourself and organization’s behavior to be more inclusive of all abilities.

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Michelle Raitman

Michelle Raitman, born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, discovered Best Buddies in high school. She instantly fell in love with the organization and was fortunate enough to become the chapter’s Vice-President in her senior year. Fast forward 4 years, Michelle served as the Co-President at her university – the University of Toronto Scarborough. Joining that chapter allowed her to meet her current Buddy, Leo. After learning about the Young Leaders Council and finding out they were opening their applications to Canadians for the first time ever, she took the opportunity to apply. She is now one of two first-ever Canadian leaders. She also just had the privilege of speaking at the 2021 Best Buddies Leadership Conference. Outside of Best Buddies, Michelle studies psychology and international development. This year, she will be focusing on completing an undergraduate thesis. In the future, she aspires to become a clinical psychologist and provide mental health support to underprivileged communities.

Margo Meley

Margo joined Best Buddies in 2016 while finishing her Associate’s Degree in General Studies at Quinebaug Valley Community College. She has continued her involvement in the Best Buddies Eastern Connecticut State University college chapter program where she is currently paired with her buddy Natalie, who she considers her apart of her girl squad. “I just love that Natalie doesn’t see my challenges; she just sees me.” her an inspiration to anyone who meets her. Margo’s ambitions and passion to not only advocate for herself and others sets her apart from anyone else. But she didn’t get there overnight. When Margo has a dream, she sees it through. For example, participating in the National Miss Amazing pageant and organization in 2016 also gave her the to succeed confidently in the world. When Margo entered the Ambassadors program in 2017 it became a game changer. In 2018, by enhancing those skills she used the tools and confidence to give a moving speech at closing ceremonies at BBLC 2018. This allowed her the connection she needed to further her leadership development skills. It opened up her opportunities to become a member on the Best Buddies Young Leaders Council in 2020 and as of January 2021 she was elected to be an incoming co-chair for the 2022-2024 term.

Jack Mayor

Hello everyone! My name is Jack Mayor. I’m 17 and a soon-to-be senior at Neuqua Valley High School in Illinois. I became an Ambassador for Best Buddies last year and I am loving every single second of it and I will tell you why. Before I share my story about Best Buddies with you, I want to share some things about myself. One in 68 kids are diagnosed with autism and it affects one in 42 boys. I am one of those 42 boys. I was diagnosed with autism at the age of six. Life with autism is a daily struggle. I am different but I am also unique and I have been blessed with special gifts like super memory when it comes to calendars. Now that you know some things about me, I’ll get back to why I am here today. That is all because I found the best organization on this planet…Best Buddies.

Kellie Howard

Hi my name is Kellie “Boo” Howard. I’ve been a part of Best Buddies since 2009. I’ve accomplished so many leadership pillars. I’m YLC alum & Board of Directors alum and Current Global Ambassador. Now I’m with the Job Program and Citizen Program and work for the Company Kforce as a Social media Specialist on the Reconnection team. My favorite things are Social media and Food and Music and Family. Helping others.

What if the first step to ending poverty as we know it was through the simplest of resources, water? What if young people were the most powerful agents of social change in the world? Come learn how water is critical for the future of the global community, and what students around the world are doing about it.

Krysta Couzi

Krysta Couzi is a junior undergraduate student studying Public Health, Emergency Management, and Communications with two minors in Global and Local Social Justice and Urban Poverty Studies at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. She is originally from Beirut, Lebanon and moved to Colorado at a young age, where she currently resides. She loves to adventure, meet new people, eat every kind of food (she is not picky at all), and most of all, she loves to purse her passion in helping the unhoused community, speaking about the global water crisis, and the other passions she pursues. You can find her reading a book on her balcony, having a picnic with friends (sushi of course), snuggled up watching a movie, or having a dance party in the living room on a Thursday night. Whatever she may be doing, she will always invite you along for the ride!

 In this workshop, we will focus on the history of global health and its dangerous beginning in colonization. We will talk about what decolonizing global health really means and how global health interventions and systems can be changed to better fit the ideal of a decolonized world.

Nadine Jarrar

Nadine Jarrar is a Palestinian-Jordanian sophomore from Amman, Jordan. She is studying Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology with a minor in Anthropology on the pre-med track. She started MUN as a freshman in high school and is a three-time Secretary-General. Her favourite SDG is Partnerships for the Goals. Nadine is the Secretary-General for ENMUNC, Emory’s high school model UN conference. Outside of Model UN, she’s a professional swimmer, and in her free time, she enjoys studying endocrinology and colour-coding her notes.

Trisha Sengupta

Trisha is a sophomore from Saratoga, California studying Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology and Human Health on the pre-med track. She has been a part of her school’s Model UN club for five years now. Now, she serves as the Director-General for ENMUNC. Her favourite UN SDG is Quality Education. In her free time, she plays the bassoon, draws, and rides bicycles. A fun fact about her is that she has a mug collection (with 21 specimens!) and a dog named Coco.

The MUN Impact global Summit Social Hour is back by popular demand. Meet students from around the world, chat, listen to music and play a few online games.

Plan to attend the MUN Impact Social Hour. We strongly recommend you RSVP to save yourself a spot!

“EDUCATION IS NOT A LUXURY BUT A BASIC NEED”

Unfortunately, the Covid 19 pandemic has made education unreachable for thousands of students around the world. Also, it has made a lot of students unlikely to return to their schools when the schools are reopened. Issues of distance learning are not limited to specific regions but to all developed, developing, and least developed regions. During the workshop participants will be able to learn about this issue in-depth and discuss the ways to solve them. If you are a person who believes that education is as essential as all the other SDGs during the Covid 19 period, It is time for us to put ourselves in the shoes of those most affected.

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Naduni Kalungalla

I’m Naduni Kalungalla from Galle, Sri Lanka. I have been doing MUN for more than 5 years. I’ve always been interested in discussing topics related to Human rights and related SDGs. I’m an award winner in Harvard Model MUNs. I’m currently working as a diplomat in MUNI and I’m a mentor in MUN@Home. Apart from those, I work actively in taking SDG action on an individual scale.

MUN Impact began its journey in 2017 with a small group of individuals striving to foster youth empowerment and the SDG’s. Currently MUN Impact has grown to over 500 student leaders from all over the world striving to make a collective impact. MUN Impact is home to various unique programs and continues to strive for further success and growth. Join us and learn how you can start to make a positive impact not only in your community but across the globe.

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Lois Lemmon: Hi everyone! I’m Lois Lemmon, a 15 year old rising sophomore from the North-East of England, but currently residing in Gibraltar. I’m the Co-DSG of MUNI Global Europe Team, but I’m also the DSG of Middle School Cohorts MUN@Home, Co-DSG of Community Building E3 Summit, DSG of Internal Operations SDG Hubs, and a few jobs in 100K Deeds! In my free time, I enjoy streaming on twitch, writing, and playing sports – I’m a field hockey player and a runner!

Shennon Sequeira: Shennon Sequeira is a second year Law and Criminology student at the University of Leicester. She currently works as the Head of the Program Coordinator Team, Program Coordinator for OMUN and MUN@Home as well as the youth representative on the MUNI Board of Directors. She also works as the Communications Manager at the National Division Student Network in the UK and hopes to bring better representation and active voice in all areas of society.
Shennon has been an active member of the MUN community for the last 6 years and hopes to echo the importance and the message of MUN Impact to new heights. She has always been a strong advocate of youth voice, empowerment and international rights.

The pandemic is not only exacerbated by the deprivation and vulnerabilities of those left behind by rising inequality but its fallout is pushing inequality higher. With communities be it local suppliers or youth members increasingly left behind by the pandemic, Peace and Strong Institutions (SDG 16) are integral for them to regain the confidence to reduce inequalities (SDG 10). Especially as corruption directly affects a nation’s medical and financial capacities, these institutions are more than necessary to provide checks and balances but also to uplift marginalized communities.

Learn how you, as an individual or a collective, can strive to uphold SDG 16 and enhance SDG 10 simultaneously.

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Chandrasnata Mohanty

My name is Snata and I’m 16 years. I reside in Visakhapatnam, India and study in 12th grade. I’ve been involved in MUNs for a year now and I was a participant in MUN Impact’s Global Summit 1.0 after which I went on to become a MUN@Home mentor in October and now have multiple roles across MUNI’s numerous programs. I’m also a part of the various student-run organizations and newspapers where we focus on activism and addressing global issues. Apart from this, I’m passionate about Music, Literature, History, and Astronomy.

Justin Cheng

I’m an upcoming junior at Diocesan Boys’ School, Hong Kong, and I’ve been involved in MUN for several years now! I’ve directed conferences such as ISMUNHK, Hong Kong’s largest independent conference with ties with UNESCO HK as Deputy-Secretary General. Furthermore, I co-founded the VIVA Forum Initiative, a global affairs organization of ~50 which has been featured on RTHK and hosted a range of activities, aiming to target SDG 16, and personally, I really like shibas.

Lockdown was hard. During the last year and a half, we saw ourselves forced to find new ways to spend our time in the confines of our home. For many of us, that meant reconnecting to our love of reading. In this presentation, the MUN Impact Global Europe Highschool team connects their love of reading to their passion for the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn how your next trip to the library can not only fuel your imagination but also spark action for the SDGs. We promise that you’ll leave this workshop with a newfound appreciation for storytelling, a new outlook on reading, and a giant reading list! See you there!

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Lois Lemmon

Hi everyone! I’m Lois Lemmon, a 15-year-old rising sophomore from the North-East of England, but currently residing in Gibraltar. I’m the Co-DSG of MUNI Global Europe Team, but I’m also the DSG of Middle School Cohorts MUN@Home, Co-DSG of Community Building E3 Summit, DSG of Internal Operations SDG Hubs, and a few jobs in 100K Deeds! In my free time, I enjoy streaming on twitch, writing, and playing sports – I’m a field hockey player and a runner!

Rita Araújo

Rita Araújo is a 17-year-old languages and humanities student from Portugal. She first participated in Model Parliament in 2017 and has most recently started participating in Model United Nations. Along the way, she has found a passion for human rights, the SDGs and making the world a better place. She joined MUN Impact in the 2021/2022 school year as the Assistant DSG for the Europe Region, she is also a member of the E3 summit secretariat, as well as being a part of a few other teams inside of MUNI. Her other hobbies include reading, learning languages and ballet and her favourite SDGs are reduced inequalities, gender equality and peace, justice and strong institutions

Alice Tran

I’m a 17 years old student from the UK. I was born in London and I live in Surrey. I’m in year 13 (in the UK) and I’m applying for university this year. I’ve been in MUNI since March and I’ve learnt alot from my experience of being a diplomat for the European region at MUN Impact Global and participated in several MUN debates including OMUN debates and WASHPAP. Law is a subject I hope to one day study at university. I aspire to pursue law because it gives me power to make an impact and bring justice to people’s lives. Being part of MUN IMPACT is a great starting point for me! My hobbies include doing art, doing karate, listening to music, journaling, running and most of all reading. My favourite book is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson as it’s a powerful testament in the fight for justice. I’m a determined, resilient and passionate person and I believe we should “aspire to inspire before we expire.” I’m excited to be a part of this project and I can’t wait to work with you all!

The term “open forum” refers to the open exchange of ideas and information, usually to better the common good. During the open forum on the theme of Equity, we will be discussing How the Covid-19 Pandemic has Exacerbated the Gender Inequality Issue.

Bring ideas, stories, ideas for a way to address the issue of Gender Inequality and the many ways this issue is being addressed in our own communities. Take the floor, share your thoughts and network with like-minded youth.

In order to ensure the best possible conversations, panellists will be joining us. The panellists have experience in the field of discussion and will allow for a high calibre debate. 

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Madhu Krishna: Madhu Krishna leads the foundation’s India initiative on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and manages a large portfolio at both national ministries and five focus states, with over 40 implementing partners. She also oversees the work of the foundation working with various community structures – self help groups, farmer producer organizations, etc. that cover close to 40 million women and more than a million farmers. She brings with her a diversity of experience in a wide range of fields including private, public and nonprofit sector work. She has been a development professional for over 25 years, with a special focus on program design, evaluation, policy and advocacy across various initiatives, including sanitation, public health (vaccines, maternal and child health, communicable diseases), agriculture / poverty and livelihood; and women’s empowerment. She also brings her expertise in strengthening development organizations in project management, strategy development and creating / utilizing networks to align and work towards common goals. She is deeply interested in gender and social and economic equity. She has a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Delhi.

Vicki Saunders: Vicki Saunders is an entrepreneur, award-winning mentor, advisor to the next generation of change makers and leading advocate for entrepreneurship as a way of creating positive transformation in the world.
Vicki is Founder of SheEO and #radical generosity a global initiative to radically transform how we support finance and celebrate female entrepreneurs. Vicki has co-founded and run ventures in Europe, Toronto and Silicon Valley and taken a company public on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Vicki was recently named as 1 of 30 “World-Changing Women in Conscious Business” by Conscious Company Magazine and one of the 100 most influential leaders of 2015 from “EBW – Empowering A Billion Women”, In 2001, Vicki was selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum.

Ivana Ramírez: I am a gap-year rising freshman at Yale University with the intention of pursuing a BA in Global Affairs and Ethics, Politics, & Economics. I am particularly interested in journalism and data as they relate to policy in both international and domestic spheres. As a journalist, I have covered the roles that race, class, and gender play in the disparities of climate, housing, and criminal justice policy. Beyond domestic issues, I have a growing interest in the role that United States aid plays in the stabilization of countries in Latin America and the Middle East as well as US-China relations. I have received awards and international recognition for my journalism from Samantha Power, the (now former) Spokesperson of the General Assembly Brendan Varma, and the Emma Bowen Foundation. I use she/her/hers pronouns.

Nuclear non-proliferation, cyber-warfare, resolving armed conflict and more are topics that have brought fiery debate to the podiums of MUN conferences. While fascinating to discuss, many are not action-driven: there is little a student can do to resolve international conflicts. MUN@Home strives to bridge the gap between MUN and student initiative through an SDG-based approach. While taking from the traditional debate spirit of MUN, we want to empower students to not only discuss these issues but take action within their communities and beyond. Come join us in our workshop, where we will talk more about the motivations, functioning during the pandemic, and the inner workings of MUN@Home.

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Chandrasnata Mohanty

My name is Snata and I’m 16 years. I reside in Visakhapatnam, India and study in 12th grade. I’ve been involved in MUNs for a year now and I was a participant in MUN Impact’s Global Summit 1.0 after which I went on to become a MUN@Home mentor in October and now serve as the Strategic Mentorship Specialist. I’m a part of the 100k Deeds Challenge where we encourage students to take direct action in support of the SDGs. I’m also a part of the various student-run organizations and newspapers where we focus on activism and addressing global issues. Apart from this, I’m passionate about Music, Literature, History, and Astronomy.

Heidy Cho

My name is Heidy Cho. I am 17 years old and I attend the British International School Hanoi in Vietnam. I have been doing MUN for almost 4 years now and currently, I am a lead mentor for MUN@Home. At school, I was a member of the Global Goals Leadership Team and my CAS project was also dedicated to teaching young students about the SDGs.

Anastasia Liakhnovich

Anastasia is the DSG of Strategic Mentorship at MUN@Home.

Do we need a gender-specific approach in natural resources management and sustainable development? In 2016, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) identified gender inequality as one of the main challenges to advance the environmental dimensions of sustainable development. As a result of gender inequalities, environmental challenges have different impacts on men, women, girls and boys. As a larger majority of impoverished persons are women, their economic insecurity is part of a cycle of disadvantages, often caused by discrimination in land employment and ownership along with limited resource access. Globalisation and rapid urbanisation catalyse climate change and environmental disasters which exacerbate these inequalities and make the inequality gap even wider. Empowering women and promoting gender equality is pivotal in accelerating sustainable development, bridging inequality gaps and preventing climate change.

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Aanya Khan

Aanya Khan is a high school senior whose passions lie between gender equality, art, and sustainable development as well as a multitude of other social issues. She hopes to pursue a career in urban planning, development or architecture in the future. Having lived in six countries, across three continents has opened up Aanya’s eyes to social change as a global citizen. She is a UN Women Founder and the Co-President for Pakistan’s first Girl Up Campaign Chapter, Girl Up Pakistan. Having attended the UN Generation Equality Forum this summer and the Asia & Asia-Pacific Youth Activism Accelerator in Bangkok this year, Aanya is an avid supporter of the UN SDGs and is thrilled to be working with MUN Impact.

Fajr Khan

Fajr Khan is a rising senior (DP2 IB student) studying in Pakistan, after living the first 16 years of her life in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She is passionate about advocating for quality healthcare for all and is interested in the intersection between gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and health. As the co-founder and co-president of Girl Up Pakistan, she works towards SDG 5 (gender equality) on a national scale in Pakistan. She is also an ambassador for the Dutch Public Health department, through which she works with public health professionals on campaigns to combat health inequities. With the vision for a more equitable world, she is a strong advocate for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and is excited to collaborate with MUN Impact to further work towards global change

Our third and final plenary session will be centered around the Economy. Hence, we have many Economy-focused activities planned as well as our guest speaker: Kehkashan Basu! Finally, we’ll wrap things up with the Dolphin Pool, where participants would present their ideas from the SDG Sandbox in front of a panel of judges, who will be providing constructive feedback with which the participants can improve their ideas. This session is sure to be a blast!

Keynote Speaker:  Adriana Valenzuela Jiménez

I am a dynamic and committed professional with excellent knowledge of inter-governmental processes on climate change, youth and education. I am looking back at 25 years dealing with youth movements at the local, national and international level. 21 years of which I worked with NGOs, national and local governments and the UN system, mainly on issues related to youth empowerment and sustainability. The past seven years I have been working with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat on Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE). The ACE agenda comprises youth engagement within the UNFCCC process as well as climate education, training, public awareness, public access to information, public participation and international cooperation on these matters.

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Dolphin Pool Judges

Heeta Lakhani: Heeta Lakhani is a climate educator from Mumbai, India. She has a Masters degree in Environmental Studies & Resource Management from TERI University, New Delhi. She has been active at the local as well as International level since the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in 2015. Heeta aims to create change-makers who will take knowledge-based action in order to combat the climate crisis. She is a firm believer in the participation and power of youth in grassroots as well as international processes and policies and is also an advocate for sustainable food systems. Heeta wears multiple hats including RFS Youth Ambassador and the current UN Global Focal Point for YOUNGO, the official youth constituency of the UNFCCC.

StartUp Sherpa: Our original co-founders, entrepreneurs Dan and Hugo realised they had a common mission in life: to help kids learn a brilliant bunch of skills – the skills to innovate, create and engage. A super-simple step-by-step daily task approach sounded like an ideal way to learn and build, and the Step-by-Step Methodology was born. A method to lead you through all of the steps needed to validate and launch your very own business. Our ultimate aims are simple: to educate, to help young people achieve a basic income so they can focus on what they really care about, and to help create rapid change and growth in a sustainable way both for the students and for the world. Along the way, Gaby joined as a new co-founder, with a focus on coaching and support. While testing the programmes, we quickly discovered that not only are the learned skills brilliantly transferable to almost every area of a teenager’s life, the process also helps build confidence, creativity and resilience.
Our team believes in fairness, honesty, simplicity and kindness. We want Startup Sherpa to be sustainable and carefully run, and hope that our enthusiasm and passion pass on to all of our teenaged innovators.

Vruksh Ecosystem Foundation: Vruksh Ecosystem Foundation is an Innovation, Incubation, Mentoring, Maker & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem. We are a think tank that facilitates economies and institutions to implement an innovation ecosystem and support global goals for a sustainable future. We enable a cohesive environment with stakeholders from local geography to work together and build startup companies of the future. As a networked entity, Vruksh facilitates entrepreneurship development through conducting focussed programs vetted by global leaders and led by seasoned entrepreneurs. We support startup building through a curated network of maker spaces for prototyping, mentoring by industry experts & entrepreneurs, grants, co-working space and a LaunchPad!

Matthew Oh: My passion for student leadership and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was first kindled through participation in Model UN. Since then, I have sought out and obtained numerous opportunities to advance my interests, especially through MUN Impact. As the current Co-Secretary-General of MUN Impact, I have been afforded an enriching experience in leadership for grassroots and student action.

Jaideep Singh: Jaideep Singh is currently the Head of the Online Model United Nations (OMUN) program at MUN Impact. Prior to this, he served as the first Secretary-General of MUN@Home, a novel program which grew exponentially in the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic as one of the largest SDG Education initiatives across the globe. He has been involved in the MUN circuit for over 5 years, with its roots in Doha, Qatar where he served as a chair several times, as well as the Deputy Secretary-General of THIMUN Qatar 2019, the largest MUN Conference in the Middle East with over 2000 participants. In October 2020, he was nominated by MUN Impact to be the Youth Moderator for the International Day of Peace Observance (IDP) organized by the UN Department of Global Partnerships, in the presence of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. Jaideep is a strong believer in the Sustainable Development Goals as a tool to catalyse ground level action driven by community involvement. He is especially enthusiastic about education, sustainable cities and energy, and believes that scientific studies and engineering should be governed by SDG driven policies to achieve real change in society.

Outside of the Model UN world, Jaideep is a Chemical Engineering student at NTU Singapore, and is involved in research around computational catalytic development. He is an aspiring academic, an avid reader, and involved hands-on with the daily functioning of MUN Impact and its programs.

Defne Yaman: Defne Yaman is a 17 year-old Turkish girl. Her role in the 3E summit is DSG of Admin, which means she, alongside two Assistant DSGs, will be responsible for the admin team. She has been doing MUN for the past five years and has been a member of MUN Impact’s team for more than a year. During the forum, she will be present as the program head of MUN Chez Vous, a free French program of MUN Impact, aiming to teach MUN and debating skills to high school students. She will talk about how her experiences were impactful towards the SDGs.

Mohammed Mostafa: Mostafa is the Director of University Online Model UN (uniO-MUN) and Co-Deputy Secretary-General of the Europe region for University MUN Impact (uni-MUNI). He has seven years of excellent Model UN experience as a delegate, moderator, chair, trainer, club and conference advisor. He has completed “Directors Training Institute Certification Level 2: Advancing Student Leadership” to become a certified Model UN Director in 2019.

The workshop will talk about the theme of equity and its relationship to the Sustainable Development Goals. The main topics to be discussed are: what the SDGs are, the differences between equity and equality, what the United Nations is doing to achieve equity, actions that can be taken in order to ensure equity, and a description of an action campaign organised by MUN Impact, the 100K Deeds Challenge. The aim of the workshop is to discuss different viewpoints on the topic and highlight the idea that all actions count to achieve the 2030 Agenda. At the end of the session, participants will be able to ask questions and express their opinions.

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Maria Teresa Egea Diaz

My name is María Teresa Egea and I’m a 17-year-old student from Spain. I have been participating in MUN conferences for around two years and a half, and it has been an eye-opening experience for me! Aside from that, I’ve also been a member of MUN Impact for just under a year.

Meera Ranjan

I am Meera Ranjan, a 16-year-old, Grade-12 Student from Chennai, India. I am the Head of India for the 100k Deeds Challenge. I have attended over 10 MUNs and many online MUNs and love debating. I am deeply passionate about achieving the SDGs and committed to creating a positive change in society. I joined MUN Impact as I found the principle behind the organization very interesting- an organization that conducts MUNs, but also inspires change in the world!

How Arist and text message-based learning is bridging gaps in tech access in places and communities that need it most. Many of our clients are using Arist to support populations around the world, via WhatsApp, by delivering training courses directly to people’s phones.

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Ryan Laverty

Ryan Laverty is the Co-Founder and President of Arist. Named a must-have by CLO magazine, Artist’s innovative text message learning platform is used by dozens of F500 companies and global nonprofits to teach and train employees all over SMS and WhatsApp. 

Prior to Arist, Ryan ran a public speaking coaching company where he found a love of all things learning design and employee training, authoring the original white paper on text message learning while in his senior year of college. Ryan spends most of his week speaking with talent development leaders and global nonprofits about how they can shift the way their organizations learn.

Did you ever think it was possible for teenagers to write language for a real UN resolution? Join the #WASHPAP2030 session to learn about how students here at MUN Impact joined forces with One Shared World, the India Sanitation Coalition, German and Spanish Foreign Ministries, and other international organizations to draft a resolution guaranteeing clean water, sanitation, hygiene, and pandemic protection for all by 2030 that will be introduced to both the UN GA and G20 this year! Student leaders, world-renowned experts, and diplomats will come together in this session to walk you through the #WASHPAP2030 Campaign and explain the process of turning an MUN Resolution into a real UN Resolution, as well as provide you with advocacy tools to join this global movement to ensure that the world’s most vulnerable people have access to water, sanitation, hygiene, and pandemic protection. The Pandemic taught us that our world is interconnected and none of us are safe until all of us are – learn about how young people can turn this valuable lesson into global systemic change!

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Annie Pforzheimer: A recently retired career diplomat with the personal rank of minister counselor, Annie was the acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Afghanistan until March 2019, and from 2017-2018, she was the deputy chief of mission in Kabul. With a focus on security, rule of law, and human rights during a 30-year career in the Foreign Service, Annie directed the implementation of the 2014 U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America at the National Security Council. She was the director for the Office of Andean Affairs in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs during Colombia’s peace process and the emerging Venezuela crisis (2015-2017); the Bureau of International Organization Affairs’ Office of Peace Support Operations, Sanctions, and Counterterrorism; and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs’ Office for Civilian Police and Rule of Law. She also directed the Mérida Initiative in Mexico City and was the political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan and El Salvador. She is a graduate of Harvard University and holds an M.A. in security studies from the National War College and speaks Spanish and some Dari.

Sandi Gendi: Sandi is a OneShared.World Director of Global Leadership and acts as a lead coordinator for our WASHPAP team. Sandi Gendi is a student of law at Queens University, Faculty of Law in Canada. She also has a Joint Honours degree in Law with Business and Management from the University of Sussex, U.K. Sandi has been an active member of community legal clinic, StreetLaw, in advocating for members of the homeless community and ethnic minorities suffering with homelessness, against a piece of legislation that targeted these communities. In addition, Sandi has been an active member of the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, as an ambassador to multiple Youth Assembly conferences and an intern working with the United Nations-affiliated NGO. Recently, in 2021, she founded Nunah, a platform for women of colour, created by women of colour to find support, mentorship and community.

Peter Ullrich: Peter is a clinical research coordinator at Northwestern University focusing on wound recovery and scarring. He is also pursuing his Master of Science in Global Health degree from Northwestern, which has given him a valuable perspective on the complex variables that shape cross-cultural healthcare endeavors. Peter has contributed to projects at the telehealth startup Rocket Doctor and non-profit organization Bridge to Health USA where he helps to gain funding for sustainable healthcare projects in low resource settings. He hopes to utilize his understanding in both research and global health to promote One Shared World’s mission of interdependence through governmental and cultural shifts.
Peter recently graduated with his Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a proud Badger. He spent a large chunk of his undergraduate years as a caretaker for a boy with cerebral palsy which was a primary influence on his decision to commit his career to the field of healthcare.

Shagun Sethi: Shagun Sethi, is the Programs and Operations Manager at Pontoka, a global Environment Social Governance Advisory, based in Denmark and India. She has a master’s degree in Global Affairs from Columbia University, where she studied on a merit fellowship. Prior to that, she studied Political Science and Sociology at The University of Delhi. Shagun serves as a Director For Global Leadership for One Shared World, and is on the Advisory Board of the Center for Career Development. For her work on global leadership and development, she has been recognized on India’s A list. Shagun is a passionate feminist, and has brought her expertise in research to Urban Design, and serves as a Research Fellow at Leading Cities, Boston USA, where she has published ‘Walk With Women: Gendered Perceptions of Safety in Urban Spaces’.
In 2018, Shagun started a non-profit initiative in India entitled ‘Be A Man’, which aims to provide original curricula on gender stereotypes and empower women with information. Recently, in 2021, she founded Nunah, a platform for women of colour, created by women of colour to find support, mentorship and community.

Zoey Fisher: Zoey Fisher is a freshman at Brown University hoping to study Health and Human Biology. She joined MUN Impact almost three years ago. shortly after it was founded as one of the original Diplomats. Last year she served as the organization’s first Global Secretary General and helped the leadership team grow from under 20 student leaders to well over 500. She has also helped pioneer and grow other MUN Impact programs including MUN@Home, the Global Summits, SDGHubs, Global Week of Action and more! Zoey now serves as the first co-Secretary General for the University team. In March of 2021 she brokered the partnership between MUN Impact and OneShared.World that led to the collaborative #WASHPAP2030 initiative. Outside of MUN Impact, Zoey is passionate about interfaith relations, creative writing, fighting Antisemitism and other forms of injustice, and her three cats!

Reem Al Marei: Hi everyone! My name is Reem and I’m 15 years older from Kuwait. I’m a co-dsg for the MENA region here at MUN Impact. I’m passionate about making an impact in our community, my hobbies include baking, figure skating ,and playing squash.

Rita Araújo: Rita Araújo is a 17 year old languages and humanities student from Portugal. She first participated in Model Parliament in 2017 and has most recently started participating in Model United Nations. Along the way she has found a passion for human rights, the SDGs and making the world a better place. She participated in the WASHPAP debates in March and was invited afterwards to be a part of the WASHPAP resolution vetting team. She joined MUN Impact in the 2021/2022 school year as the Assistant DSG for the Europe Region, she is also a member of the E3 summit secretariat, as well as being a part of a few other teams inside of MUNI. Her other hobbies include reading, learning languages and ballet and her favourite SDGs are reduced inequalities, gender equality and peace, justice and strong institutions.

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The MUN Impact global Summit Social Hour is back by popular demand. Meet students from around the world, chat, listen to music and play a few online games.

Plan to attend the MUN Impact Social Hour. We strongly recommend you RSVP to save yourself a spot!