4th Macau Model United Nations Conference
It aims to provide an international platform for secondary school students from Macau and the region to develop their strengths, explore and analyse current affairs and international issues, broaden their international perspectives, develop their critical thinking skills, and enhance their leadership skills. It is also hoped that this event will enhance the academic and community involvement of the Model United Nations in Macao.
Committee Introduction
Committee: Model United Nations UNESCO
Topic: Enhancing the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Academic Advisor: Dr Dennis Tam, Chief Supervisor of Geography and Education Research Association of Macau
Seating: 40 seats; Single delegation
Working Language: Traditional Chinese (Cantonese)
‘Culture looks beyond machinery, culture hates hatred; culture has but one great passion, the passion for sweetness and light.’
—Matthew Arnold
Ancient civilisations have left behind vast relics: temples, pagodas, palaces, and altars... These have all left a profound mark on the hearts of posterity. Yet on the very soil trodden by these imperial giants, the flowers beside them continue to flourish, their enchanting fragrance wafting on the breeze. They were the very lifeblood of the people's lives at the time and are now known as “Intangible Cultural Heritage”.
We once forgot their existence, focusing solely on the great structures built by our forebears—pyramids, cathedrals and palaces—and, driven by monumentism, the 1972 Convention on World Cultural and Natural Heritage was born. Then, one year, a pop song called “El Condor Pasa” was traded on the market. Because its melody was claimed to be derived from a Bolivian folk song, it sparked a dispute among several countries over the song's ownership. In the end, who won the argument was not important, but it did make us begin to turn our gaze towards them. — Where did they come from? And where are they going?
Yes, these folk songs and other ballads that circulated among the people were not as grand as Homer's epic, The Odyssey, which was written to glorify the blood, sweat, and tears of the Greeks. They merely recorded the daily experiences and life wisdom of ordinary people, forming a stark contrast to the gods who dwelt on Mount Olympus. Yet, when we sing them again after all these years, they still roll off the tongue, their melodies carrying across the streets and the hills. Their very existence reminds us of our roots; their legacy, time and again, has demonstrated the value it carries, blossoming as brilliantly as fireworks.
But the very forces that safeguard these communal memories are waning. Are we inadvertently discarding many folk customs as a consequence of the spatial and temporal compression brought about by globalisation, or is it a peril born of our own neglect? These are all questions we must investigate, but more crucially, we must understand how to strengthen the protection of our intangible cultural heritage when faced with a crisis that threatens to sweep us away. We must preserve the cultural soil that is on the verge of erosion, so that the flowers can continue to take root and their fragrance can be carried further.
Committee: Model International Labour Conference (ILC)
Topic: Fostering Inclusive Recovery: Addressing Youth Employment Challenges in a Post-Pandemic Labor Market
Academic Advisor: Director of Social, Economic and Public Policy Research Centre, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University Dr. Yifen Yin
Seats: 50 positions: single delegation
Working Language: British Englis
"We cannot go back to the 'normal' that failed so many young workers. This is our moment to reimagine work itself—to build systems that value humanity over productivity, that reward contribution over extraction, and that leave no young person on the margins of opportunity."
— António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
In the shadows of a global pandemic that has fundamentally altered the nature of work, a generation stands at the crossroads of hope and despair. Young workers, once poised to inherit the promise of economic prosperity, now navigate a labour landscape fragmented by lockdowns, accelerated automation, and profound structural transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic did not solely disrupt economies—it unmasked and exacerbated pre-existing inequalities that have left young people particularly vulnerable to exclusion from decent work opportunities.
The statistics tell a sobering tale: youth unemployment rates have soared to unprecedented levels across continents, with young women, refugees, and those in informal economies bearing the heaviest burden. Digital divides have widened as remote work becomes normalised, leaving those without access to technology or reliable internet connections further marginalised. Meanwhile, essential workers—many of them young—have faced heightened exposure to health risks with insufficient protection or compensation, challenging our collective understanding of the social contract that underpins dignified employment.
Yet, within this crisis lies opportunity. The disruption of traditional work paradigms has created space for reimagining labour markets that are not merely resilient to future shocks, but fundamentally more inclusive and equitable. The question before the global community is not simply how to restore pre-pandemic employment levels, but how to forge a new path that addresses long-standing injustices while embracing the transformative potential of technological innovation, green transitions, and renewed social dialogue.
The International Labour Organization stands at this critical juncture with its unique tripartite structure—bringing together governments, employers, and workers—to craft solutions that balance economic recovery with social justice. Founded in the aftermath of another global catastrophe, the First World War, the ILO has consistently affirmed that lasting peace depends upon social justice, and that social justice cannot exist without decent work opportunities for all.
As delegates to this International Labour Conference, you inherit a profound responsibility. Your task is to negotiate frameworks, policies, and programmes that will shape the working lives of millions of young people around the world. Your decisions will determine whether the post-pandemic recovery reinforces existing inequalities or catalyses a more inclusive global economy where no young person is left behind. The path forward requires both courage and compassion, bold innovation and careful deliberation, global solidarity and local action.
In this pivotal moment, the power to forge a more just future for youth employment rests in your hands. May your deliberations be guided by wisdom, your negotiations by empathy, and your resolutions by an unwavering commitment to dignity for all workers.
Committee: Model United Nations Security Council
Topic: The Situation in the Middle East in 2024
Academic Adviser: Mr Cheng Xi; has served on the academic team for numerous large-scale Model United Nations conferences in mainland China and Macao since 2013
Seats: 18 seats, 33 delegates in total; mixed representation system
Working Language: Traditional Chinese (Mandarin)
Since the outbreak of the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution in 2010, the Arab Spring has swept across the entire Middle East with lightning speed. In Egypt, the Mubarak regime and its successor, Morsi, were successively overthrown, with power falling into the hands of the military; in Yemen, Saleh and Hadi not only lost their grip on power but also surrendered the capital, Sana’a, to the Houthi rebels; Following the death of Libya’s Gaddafi in 2011, the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, which he had single-handedly established, subsequently fell into disarray. The Government of National Unity and the Government of National Stability each occupied the western and eastern parts of Libya respectively, engaging in relentless conflict until late 2020, when the situation settled into a prolonged stalemate. Amidst the chaotic and tragic situation in the Middle East, the Syrian civil war has clearly been the most violent, bloodiest and most closely watched chapter.
On 15 March 2011, the Syrian civil war erupted in full force, with the Syrian Ba’ath Party forces led by Bashar al-Assad striving to maintain control over the country’s major and medium-sized cities, whilst the Syrian Interim Government formed by nationalists, the Syrian Salvation Government led by the Organisation for the Liberation of Sham, and the Kurdish-led Rojava held out in northern Syria, controlling vast swathes of territory and resisting the Ba’ath Party’s repression. This protracted stalemate has lasted for more than a decade, resulting in between 500,000 and 610,000 deaths and the displacement of 6.6 million people. The Syrian Civil War has become the deadliest conflict of this century after the ‘African World War’. At the height of the civil war, extremist organisations such as the Islamic State and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra seized the opportunity to rise to prominence, wreaking havoc in the region and introducing new sources of instability to the Middle East.
In November 2024, the dire situation in Syria took a dramatic turn when the Organisation for the Liberation of the Levant suddenly captured Aleppo, the largest city in northern Syria. On 5 December, they went on to capture Hama, Syria’s fourth-largest city in the centre of the country; merely three days later, Syrian opposition forces had entered the capital, Damascus. Bashar al-Assad fled in disarray with his family to Russia, and the Ba’ath Party regime collapsed. Subsequently, Ahmad Shara, leader of the Sham Liberation Organisation, joined forces with various opposition groups to establish the first Syrian Transitional Government, in an attempt to unify the various warlords and establish a new national defence force. It seemed that a glimmer of hope was emerging on the Syrian political horizon, yet the international community’s stance towards the new Syrian government remains ambiguous. The Syrian Military Committee for Liberation, a remnant of the Ba’ath Party, still holds sway in the coastal regions, stirring up trouble and provoking conflict. Faced with internal and external challenges, will Syria emerge from the trauma of the past and move towards a new hope, or will it fall back into the depths of civil war, with turmoil reigniting? The outcome is far from certain.