12th UN Research Colloquium “Back to the Future: Revisiting the Past to Enable our Future”

Event organisers: AG Junge UN-Forschung in der Deutschen Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen (DGVN) in cooperation with the Model United Nations Association Munich (MUNAM) e.V.

Keynote: tba

Deadline for abstracts: 1.8.2023 Deadline for papers: 15.10.2023

Deadline for registration without paper: 15.10.2023

Please hand in abstracts via mail at [email protected]!

Registration: [email protected]

The colloquium welcomes young scholars and students from all disciplines. It offers the opportunity to present and discuss research and student projects related to the United Nations. Lectures and discussions can be held in German as well as in English. The colloquium is open to all interested parties, even without their own contribution.

Topic:

The United Nations stand as a testimony and symbol of a global quest for peace and cooperation. The ever more complex challenges of our time, however, require us to look back into the past again and again and to reflect critically on whether we have done these goals justice and whether we will continue to do so in the future. Under the theme “Back to the future: Revisiting the past to enable our future,” we will look at key achievements and challenges of the past from different perspectives in order to understand to what extent they are still relevant in light of current global challenges.

In doing so, we will focus on three main areas:

1. Half-time: Status-quo of the SDGs

In 2015, the United Nations agreed on the 2030 Agenda and proclaimed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030. These goals are broad and span thematic areas such as peace, sustainability, education and equality. Eight years later, we are now reaching the halfway point of this major global project and ask ourselves: what progress has been made so far? What obstacles and setbacks have there been? What goals are still to be accomplished and how can we achieve them? Submissions can address individual SDGs or the SDGs as a whole.

2. UN 4.0 – The future is digital

In recent years, there have been unprecedented technological advances that have changed the way we live and interact with each other. The rise of social media, Big Data, and artificial intelligence has raised concerns about privacy, the ethical use of technology, and the impact on societal well-being. In this age of digitization, it is also essential to examine the role of the United Nations in shaping the digital future. How can the UN harness the opportunities of digitization to address global issues? What role can the Digital Compact play in this regard? What are the implications of new technologies for international relations, security, human rights, and development? What political, legal and ethical frameworks should be created?

3. Charter Reloaded

The UN Charter is the foundation of the United Nations. In this thematic area, we invite participants to reflect on the need for a Charter revision. What aspects of the Charter need to be adapted to the present day? How can the Summit of the Future process be used for a Charter revision? How can we ensure that the UN can respond effectively to current challenges? What changes should be made to peacekeeping, conflict prevention, and human rights?

The topics and impulses listed are not exhaustive and serve only as food for thought for discussions and debates. We encourage all participants to contribute their own perspectives and present innovative approaches to shaping our future world order.

As we are committed to an inclusive and open society for all, we especially welcome applications from women*, members of the LGBTQI+ community, BIPoC, people with disabilities, people with migration backgrounds, and people from other groups that are still underrepresented in academia.

Organizational Framework:

The 12th UN Research Colloquium is organized by the members of the Young UN Research Working Group of the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN), whose members come from the fields of international law, political science, and sociology, among others. Cooperation partner of this year’s UN Research Colloquium is the Model United Nations Association Munich (MUNAM e.V.).

Authors please register by 1.8.2023 with an abstract (approx. 200 words) on one of the focus topics. Applications will be reviewed by 9.8.2023. The deadline for the submission of the finished papers (max. 5,000 words) is 15.10.2023. This serves the purpose of preparing everyone for the colloquium. Other interested participants can register bindingly via registration form until 15.10.2023. When registering, authors and participants please indicate whether they would like to take on the role of a discussant.

The submitted papers will be presented by discussants, after which the respective contribution will be discussed intensively, which has proven to be particularly stimulating. Through the interdisciplinary view, common definitions will be questioned and problems will be looked at in a new way. There is no participation fee. Participants with their own paper as well as DGVN members can apply for a travel subsidy (please indicate when registering).

For questions and registration please contact us at [email protected].

Details

Organisation: AG Junge UN-Forschung in der Deutschen Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen (DGVN) in cooperation with the Model United Nations Association Munich (MUNAM) e.V.

[email protected]

Deadline: 01/08/2023

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Quick Navigation