The opening ceremony of the largest international Model United Nations (MUN) conference in Uzbekistan, devoted to the issues of crime prevention and criminal justice, was held at the Palace of Youth in Tashkent. The event brought together about 500 young enthusiasts from around the world. The conference was organized by Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT), the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia, with the support of the Youth Union of Uzbekistan and the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the development of tourism.

The project’s initiators are activists of WIUT International MUN Society and the Students’ Union of the University. It is worth noting that MUN conferences have been held at WIUT since 2012, and during that period of time the number of participants has increased from 35 to 500 delegates. Moreover, the TIMUN project was recognized as the best youth project in Uzbekistan to promote culture and the rule of law among young people.

TIMUN is expected to serve not only as a popular way of exploring the United Nations and empowering young people in international diplomacy, global politics, public speaking, leadership, and effective negotiation, but also as a platform for integrating crime prevention and criminal justice issues within the simulations.

“International MUN conferences are held annually at our university. It is a platform that brings together the United Nations and young delegates to develop a deeper understanding of issues related to the rule of law, open dialogue on a number of complex issues, and offer their own initiatives to solve global problems. This year, TIMUN, which is held in honor of the Doha Declaration in support of the Education for Justice Initiative (E4J), is a new format for the annual WIUT MUN Conference,” – said Mr. Komiljon Karimov, Rector of WIUT, welcoming delegates at the opening ceremony.

“UNODC is the world leader in the fight against illegal drugs, international crime and terrorism. In this regard, the UNODC Regional Office in Central Asia is committed to ensuring the rule of law and criminal justice. The current conference will provide participants with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to contribute to building peace, justice and strong institutions in their society,” – said Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative in Central Asia.

Various UN bodies, such as the General Assembly, the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Crisis Committee, the Security Council, United Nations Economic and Social Council, UNESCO, the Commission on the Status of Women and humanitarian and cultural issues (Third Committee) were modeled at the conference on March 30-31 at Westminster International University in Tashkent.

The event was attended by 150 foreign students from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, Ukraine, the USA and the countries of Central Asia, as well as 250 students from more than 15 universities and colleges in Uzbekistan. Representatives of renowned universities such as the University of Cambridge and the University of Westminster (London) also took part in the conference.

The conference guidelines for crime prevention, criminal justice, and other aspects of the rule of law were based on the Education for Justice (E4J) training tool as part of the Doha Declaration Global Program component. The E4J initiative is aimed at preventing crime and corruption, promoting a culture that supports the rule of law through educational activities designed for primary, secondary and higher education. These activities are designed to help educators teach the next generation to better understand and solve problems that could undermine the rule of law, and also encourage students to actively participate in their communities and future professions.

The preparation and implementation of TIMUN 2019 laid a solid foundation for the relationship between UNODC Regional Office in Central Asia and Westminster International University in Tashkent in the field of improving the legal culture and maintaining the rule of law at the higher education level.