The Taichung City Government Secretariat and Tunghai University jointly organized the "2023 Taichung City Youth Model United Nations". Yesterday (12th) at the Humanities Building of Tunghai University was the closing ceremony of the two-day grand event participated by 300 students from 38 high schools across Taiwan, with 8 international students from Tunghai University as observers. During the meeting, Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen presented commendation certificates, and shared the rich international experience she accumulated when she participated in the youth delegation in college and served as the chairperson of the Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which made her what she is today. She also encouraged the participating students to keep an eye on what is happening around the world, and improve their negotiation and cooperation skills.

Mayor Lu said that she actively participated in the study of international affairs as she grew up and she has learned a lot from it. With herself as an example, she explained that she was very interested in national social development and international affairs when she was a student. She once worked very hard and won the opportunity to study abroad with the Youth Friendship Delegation of the China Youth Corps, which opened up her international horizons; later, she majored in international affairs and strategy in graduate school, and continued to pay attention to international issues during her 11 years as a journalist; she also served as chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee during her six-term legislative tenure. The wealth of experience accumulated over the years has played a pivotal role in shaping her into the leader she is today.

Mayor Lu emphasized that education and youth development have always been among her most important priorities. She has learned from her experience as she grew up the importance of international education in this era of globalization. That’s why she decided to open the Taichung City Youth Model United Nations as soon as she took the office, as the international discussion training camp provides high school students a platform for international knowledge. Thanks to the budgets from the city hall, the camp is free of charge, as it is built to cultivate young talents for the country and provide young students with more opportunities to participate in and be exposed to international affairs.

Mayor Lu pointed out that this year marks the third edition of the training camp, with 300 students participating this time. She emphasized the camp's increased visibility to the public. She showed her appreciation for the enthusiastic participation of teachers and students from high schools in Taichung and around Taiwan. Thanks to the camp, many young people had the opportunity to find out what they want for their lives and it is believed that everyone’s participation and contribution will definitely improve skills in international affairs. Mayor Lu also said that everyone here is the hope and future of the country, and she is very happy that the Taichung City Government provides such an opportunity for learning and interactions as they grow up. Hopefully, this one small step will become a giant step for the students moving forward.

Dr. Kuo-En Chang, President of Tunghai University, said that Tunghai University is deeply honored to help the city government with this Model United Nations event for the first time. The university has international students from more than 50 countries and has created a multicultural learning atmosphere. Tunghai College of Social Science and the Department of Political Science have a faculty of many international relations experts. As an academic center in Central Taiwan, Tunghai can provide students with professional academic consulting and knowledge. It is anticipated that the university's resources will offer students access to diverse learning methodologies at various levels.

Director Hsieh Chia-Chen of the Taichung City Government Secretariat explained that Mayor Lu takes international and bilingual education very seriously. In addition to raising municipal funds for more foreign teachers, the number of foreign teachers continues to be the highest in the country, as a hope to provide students with a greater variety of learning channels. Therefore, the Mayor charged the International Affairs Section of the Secretariat for the city government's international interaction business and to organize the Model United Nations activities, bring in experts and scholars, and integrate the city government's practical experience in participating in international organizations and city diplomacy into the course design. Students who actively participated in the entire process were honored with certificates, enhancing the value of their future learning endeavors.

The Secretariat highlighted that it was the first time the Office of Public Affairs and Alumni Service of Tunghai University was invited to plan an array of exciting and diverse courses. These included a resolution draft competition, international lectures, evening parties and social dance teaching. The ensemble of instructors and lecturers included Dr. Wu Liwei, Vice Dean of Tunghai University College of Management; Dr. Lin Dzuli, professor of Department of Political Science at Tunghai University, and Chou Yingtsu, academic director of San Francis High School, and all of these elite instructors carefully provided guidance to the students in drafting the resolution. A total of 300 students from 38 high schools across Taiwan participated in this event, and 8 international students from Tunghai University from several countries served as observers. The event agenda was diverse and compact, and the competition for draft resolutions was quite fierce. The participating students were excited about what they have learned and wished there were more.