The Delegate’s Diaries
Day 1 at the United Nations
No amount of advance reading about the organization of the UN’s work can sufficiently prepare you for what you experience as a youth delegate in the Mecca of diplomatic exchange and political negotiations at the UN headquarters in New York! I arrived in the ”land of milk and honey” as Bulgaria’s youth delegate to the UN for 2009, fuelled by relentless enthusiasm and unflagging motivation to work towards the advancement of youth’s welfare only to realize I was joining a community of inspiring and motivated young people from all over the world, who were fighting the same cause! Seeing the sparkle of vision and ambition in the eyes of my colleagues from as far as the Domican Republic, Rwanda, Australia and Peru to my European counterparts from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Russia (among others) convinced me I was in the right place and made me feel hopeful about what we could achieve in concerted efforts! … and that was just the beginning!
Sitting behind the placard “Bulgaria” in the awe-inspiring conference room # 1, listening to national statements at the first plenary session of the Third Committee of the General Assembly and expecting the informal discussions on the youth resolution in the afternoon, I frequently caught myself thinking “Is this really happening to me?” The best part was that the answer was in the positive!
In the coming weeks Margaret Mead’s quote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” will guide us in our work! Though we, the youth delegates, do not aim at changing the world, we will try out utmost to shape an environment concerned with addressing the challenges young people face and open to their contributions as catalysts of social and economic progress!
Kristina Popova
Bulgarian Youth Delegate to the United Nations for 2009
