On 3 November 2019, the UN General Assembly discussed Issues of biodiversity conservation during its regular session. The UN Human Rights Council debated problems in the implementation of international treaties on the employment of vulnerable populations. In parallel, an open meeting of the UN Security Council on international security took place.

All these meetings were held in Bishkek within the walls of the Kyrgyz State Law University as part of the annual UN Model Conference. The participants are students who assume the role of official representatives of the UN member countries and international organizations and protect their interests on several agendas.

According to Alibek Omurbekov, a student at KSLU, acting as the UN Secretary-General, “This format of events allows students and schoolchildren to more fully understand and reflect on issues that are not always discussed in lessons. The peculiarity of this event is that it is a kind of role-playing game where each participant is given a specific country, an agenda is given in a certain committee and they study this topic based on the interests of the country that they represent.”

This conference is being held for the 6th time and the choice of questions to consider depends on their relevance. Based on this, this year the General Assembly chose the environmental issues, including conservation of biodiversity. The working languages ​​of the event are English and Russian.

The ultimate goal of each committee is the adoption of resolutions on relevant issues. The UNDP/GEF project on biodiversity conservation in the Western Tian Shan and the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry (SAEPF) supported the organizers of this conference to draw the attention of the youth to biodiversity conservation problems and to involve them in decision-making on environmental issues. At the UN Model conference, participants discuss current global issues, develop creative thinking and learn more about the topics of the event.

UNDP is currently implementing the project “Conservation of globally important biodiversity and associated land and forest resources of Western Tian Shan mountain ecosystems to support sustainable livelihoods”, which is aimed at preserving unique natural complexes and biodiversity, to promote the protection of rare and endangered species of fauna and flora. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and is being implemented in partnership with the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.