Novice United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Committee Profile

The United Nations Development Program is the cornerstone of future educational systems, and we will be examining the most neglected group to educate, child refugees, along with the most important upcoming digital skill sets. Across the two topics everyone can find something they find valuable and interesting to discuss. We will dive into the language and gender barriers children face and ways to overcome them. As well as the general educational infrastructure and teaching staff support. You can pull from your own experiences in the US education system as a starting point to create a method of teaching that works for the students and teachers. We all know the rising importance of a digital skill set, whether in learning how to properly use AI to your advantage or marketing yourself on social media. The digital world is the future and teaching people how to navigate it is vital to a well-educated and productive workforce. But proper education can not happen unless we bridge the divide in internet and technology access between those in high- and low-income countries as well as in urban vs rural locations. Thus, we must tackle how to increase equity and find ways to collaborate across the digital world. We must also increase digital skill sets more specifically for those working within the agriculture and healthcare sectors as they are in the front of technological development and often under-educated. Overall, we will be discussing how to create a world where education is accessible and innovative to keep up with ever changing and expanding technology.

Chair Letter

Hello Delegates!

My name is Dana Roelofs (she/her). I am a second-year majoring in Global Studies at UCLA, and planning on a double major in Economics. Outside of Model United Nations at UCLA, I am a member of the UCLA sailing team and Activism Through Policy. In the little free time I have I love exploring the LA area with my friends, thrifting for cute sustainable fits, cooking whack dishes in whichever kitchen I can find, and going on hikes up in the mountains. I'm from Los Alamos, New Mexico (yes, the home of the Manhattan Project and also in the middle of nowhere). Once graduated, I am planning on pursuing graduate studies, either a PhD or law school. Ultimately, the goal is to work in diplomacy or for ngos but not sure beyond that.

In highschool I was a Speech and Debate kid and sadly didn’t join MUN until my senior year. UNESCO was the first committee I was a part of in which I represented Tunisia, and immediately fell in love with the dual delegate General Assembly format. Since then I have been actively competing in GA on the college circuit representing anything from Singapore in SOCHUM to Patrick Hillery in the Irish Congress. I really enjoy discussing political events that affect people's day-to-day lives from all over the world, specifically regions that are less talked about in mainstream media. I hope that discussing these issues allows for delegates to empathize with and understand the lives of those most affected by today's crises.

As a part of MUN at UCLA, I staffed both BruinMUN and LAMUN (our college conference) as a dias and crisis staffer. I am very excited to be the Director of Marketing this year, hopefully everyone loves the merch designs! I look forward to continue traveling with the team and I’m so thankful for the community I have found at MUN. But most importantly, I am beyond excited for BruinMUN 2023 and meeting you all! I can’t wait to hear all of your wonderful ideas on this year's Novice United Nations Development Programme.

Warmly,

Dana Roelofs | Chair | BruinMUN 31

undp@bruinmun.org