Monday 19th of March

Monday March 19th marks the beginning of a beautiful fairytale called UN Theme Week 2018: Still Human! What better way to start such a fairytale than to have several of our partners for this week have their own stalls at Georg Sverdrups hus on Blindern Campus? Here you will find the organizations ready to answer your burning questions, whether it is about UN Theme Week, the organizations’ own goals and visions, or other topics. Do you want to be a volunteer, are you looking for a summer job, are you curious about internships, or do you want to find out if this is your future workplace? Whatever the reason, come and talk with us!

Things take a more formal turn in the evening as we have the utmost pleasure to invite you to our welcoming ceremony. We have the honour of arranging the opening of the UN Theme Week at our Nobel Peace Center. They present the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize and their work, as well as the story of founder Alfred Nobel. The center additionally functions as an arena for public debate. Through changing exhibits, guided tours, events, educational and family activities, they hope to stimulate reflection on and engagement with themes such as war, peace and conflict resolution. The Nobel Peace Center has been internationally recognised for its commitment to documentary photography and interactive technology.

Tuesday 20th of March

An unsafe abortion entails interrupting a pregnancy without qualified health care and/or in unsafe and unhygienic surroundings. In the fight for equality and with an increased focus on women’s health globally, access to safe abortions has become a topic that has received increasing attention. What are the biggest challenges of abortions in countries where they are socially stigmatised and punishable by law? What can be done to improve women’s health globally? We welcome you to discuss the issue alongside nurse and midwife Dina Hovland from MSF, Programme Advisor Sissel Thorsdalen from FOKUS Kvinner and Political Advisor Patricia Kaatee from Amnesty International Norway. The discussion will be moderated by Head of Marketing in Norges Fredslag Anneli Setalo.

The afternoon marks the start of the Chewing Gum Sustainable Workshop! Here you will get all the necessary information including a more thorough description of the topic. This year we will focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, but the four issues that the groups will be working on will not be revealed until this day! Look forward to it! Join Co-founder av Thunderwave Marcus Winnfors Ravik og Head of Innovation in YSI Didrik Aleksander Strøhm. Remember to register for the workshop via Google Forms here.

Europe is facing the largest flood of refugees since World War II. In the wake of the Arabian Spring and the unrest tied to the fall of regimes, refugees from North Africa and the Middle East have traveled from their homelands to Europe over the Mediterranean Sea. Here rests a collective responsibility both within the EU-integration and in external countries that are affected by the crisis itself. The journey is dangerous, and according to numbers from the International Organization of Migration, more than 3563 people lost their lives only in 2015. The disagreements have, amongst other things, created tension in the relationship between the EU and Turkey. To speak on the esteemed topic, we welcome

Senior Advisor Jack Herheim from MSF, Senior Adviosor Pål Nesse from NRC, Political Advisor Solveig Marie Igesund from Norsk Folkehjelp, IOM (VARP og Liaison Coordinator Emil Andre Andersen from IOM and a representative from Dråpen i Havet - as moderated by Political Scientist Stein A. Grødahl.

After the seminar, we are going to have a social gathering, in which you get to unwind and relax with people who have the same interests as you. Come and enjoy great music with upbeat people in a casual atmosphere!

Wednesday 21st of March

Through our Breakfast Seminar, we will challenge the UN Sustainable Development Goals and debate how these can become even more sustainable. The panel will consist of Sarah Lister, who is the Director UNDP Oslo Governance Center, Einar Steensnæs from Oslo Centre and Rode M. Hegstad who is styreleder LNU. Welcome to Skippergata from 08:30 till 10:00.

More so, we welcome you to the workshop arranged by the Norwegian Refugee Council. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people who are forced to flee. We are a strong promoter of youth education, training and empowerment. Join us in listening to displaced youth and their stories. Help us break down stereotypes and build bridges among the youth to create positive changes for today’s young generation!

Missing Maps is a project in which volunteers help map buildings in areas that are “missing” from all currently available maps. In Norway, this project is first and foremost done in collaboration with Doctors Without Borders, and the goal is for the doctors to know exactly where the people with the greatest need for medical help are located. This is a simple yet good illustration of how technology and aid can go hand in hand.

First, there is going to be a lecture on Missing Maps by Jan Olav Larssen, who is responsible for the project and works for Engineers Without Borders, followed by panel members who are going to try and answer the question: What intentions do Norwegian businesses have in supporting humanitarian organisations? Join Head of Missing Maps Jan Olav Larssen from IUG, Business Coordinator Jessica Lyche from MSF, Head of Department Tore Myhre from NHO, Director for Sustainability Bernhard Stormyr from YARA International, Head of Communications in Norwegian, Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen and Head of Communication at UN Association Norway Rune Arctander. The debate will be moderated by Associate Professor in Sociology at UiO Jemima Garcia-Godos.

Thursday 22nd of March

Have you ever thought about the role the United Nations plays in the global society? This day will be dedicated to discussing UN and its role in tackling heated issues. What are the exact measures being done by the UN to solve climate challenges? What are the greatest climate challenges the UN faces today? What can be improved, and what has worked so far? To discuss this, we will be joined by Senior Energy and Climate Advisor Georg Børsting from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Senior Researcher Håkon Sælen from CICERO and Political Advisor Halvard Raavand from Greenpeace Norway.

The debate will be moderated by researcher at CICERO and ARENA Center for European Studies, Solveig Aamodt.

The workshops will proceed inthe afternoon.

How does the UN handle international conflicts? What are the UN’s biggest challenges? How does the UN reach an agreement to establish peacekeeping operations? How successful and/or problematic have the peacekeeping operations been so far? The conversation will be led by Specialist Director of Peace Operations Anne Kjersti Frøholm from the Ministry of Foregn Affairs and Senior Research Fellows at the Department of Peace and Conflict John Karlsrud and Cedric H. De Coning from NUPI. Marketing Manager at Norges Fredslag / Norwegian Peace Association Anneli Setalo will moderate.

OsloMUN would like to invite everyone attending the peacekeeping debate to participate in a simulation of the UN Security Council. This will give you an opportunity to put your newfound knowledge to the test! The topic for the discussion will be the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. 19 years after the Kosovo War ended, the UN peacekeeping mission is still ongoing. For some countries, UN involvement is still considered necessary for the future prosperity of Kosovo. You will be given a country to represent, as well as a short paper on what your country’s position is on the topic. Then it will be up to you to make alliances and further your agenda to the best of your abilities.

“The dance is a part of us,” say Samuel Nana Frempong and Prince Omane, the guys who learned how to dance from a very young age and make up the fresh new duo called Samuel X Prince. Join them and shake it off in the evening to conclude an otherwise excellent day.

Friday 23rd of March

What are the rules of international law, and what happens when a country breaks them? How does war stand in the way of children’s education? And how can their access to education be strengthened? What are the greatest challenges for organisations that work with children’s rights? To answer these questions, we invite Advisor in International Law and Humanitarian Values Øyvin Rannem Lund from Røde Kors, UNICEF (fagansvarlig for Academic Coordinator for Foreign Affairs and Sustainability Kim Gabrielli from UNICEF and Advisor for the Department of Education and Global Health Erling Hess Johansen from Norad. The debate will be moderated by Political Scientist from UiB Stein A. Grødahl.

Workshops - last day before the winner is announced! Go hard or go home!

Who are the “October Children”? During the 2015 refugee crisis in Europe, many refugees found their way to Europe. Norway received more than 5000 underage asylum seekers. These were children who had no known identity or date of birth, consequently it was decided that their date of birth should be calculated after the day they registered as asylum seekers. The heated issue will be discussed by Special Advisor for Child Refugees Camilla Scharffscher Engeset from Reddbarna, Coordinator for the programme “frivillig assistert retur” Erik Andersson from IOM and Political Advisor Mona Reigstad Dabour from NOAS. The debate will be regulated by Marketing Manager at Norges Fredslag Anneli Setalo.

End the evening with us at Skippergata 22, where we will be joined by Jonas Jupiter, who is one of the kreative minds behind Luskoteket. Join us and enjoy the music to Skippergata’s own DJ!

Saturday 24th of March

You will finally get to present your solutions to the issues in the final workshop. We will simulate a live game show with a lot of laughter and excitement, in which the audience will vote for one winning group. It’s all or nothing in the name of glory!

After months of hard work with skilled and dedicated volunteers, the UN Students Oslo want to celebrate our very first UN Theme Week! We invite everyone to come and join our celebration that will be filled with music and dance! We have an amazing and talented group of artists that will perform everything from jazz, indie-rock and electronica to reggae and Hip-Hop. With this wide range of music genres you are bound to find something you will like!

We are honoured to conclude the week with our artist line-up that consists of Anna Jæger, Andreas Doif, Nico D, Conz and Natanel Natty Niguse.