Just as our membership in the United Nations requires us to act jointly to maintain international peace and security，we are also required to take joint action to support socio-economic development and to eradicate poverty worldwide.The United Nations agenda for development is，of necessity，a work in progress，for circumstances change，and a variety of external forces impact our work.Natural disasters，diseases andchanges in attitude among more powerful Member States all have an impact.
Work to promote development and eradicate poverty being done within the United Nations system includes that of the Specialized Agencies，which focus their particular competencies in areas such as food，health and education.If I had to describe in a few words this development and poverty eradication work，I would say that we work to elaborate attainable development goals，to create the mechanisms for reaching them together，and to impress upon Member States the importance of keeping their commitments in this area.
Let me cite the Millennium Development Goals （MDGs）as a specific example of goal setting，on which all United Nations Member States agreed as we moved into the Twenty-first Century.These are practical and fairly modest goals，aimed，among other things，at eradicating poverty and hunger，combating HIV/AIDS，Malaria and other diseases，ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.A major commitment has been made，and a tremendous effort is underway to attain these goals，which we have pledged to implement by 2015.Acting together is a prerequisite for success.
Since San Francisco，many innovative and imaginative ways have been found to bring home to the"peoples"of the United Nations for whom the Charter speaks，exactly what the UnitedNations does，and why it is important to the world"s people.Few initiatives to do so havebeen as effective as the rule-playing exercise of the"Model United Nations".Model United Nations take place each year，in many countries，and at different educational levels.It is noteworthy that even in troubling times，when the relevance of the United Nations was being called into question，Model United Nations were being organized and conducted.
Commitment to the Model United Nations concept，I believe，comes from the abiding curiosity that people-especially young people-have about other nations，their circumstances，their goals and aspirations and the challenges they face.In the case of this model United Nations，I do hope that your are also committed because of your own belief that solutions to the world"s problems can indeed be found by working together；by understanding other people"s perspectives；and by acknowledging that the more people that have agreed on，and have "bought into"a decision，the more likely it is that the outcome of such a decision will endure.
This exercise in which，for a short time，you become leaders and diplomatic representatives of countries not your own and largely unfamiliar to you，has important benefits for you.It also benefits the country you represent，as well as the United Nations.In addition to being exhilarating and rewarding-which I am sure it will be-it builds skills that can be very useful to you，not just in the short-term as students，but as future leaders with major responsibilities.
Already you will have done intensive research，both on your new country and on the items on your agenda-which are also items on the global agenda.
By now，you are ready to argue forcefully and convincingly the positions your country would take，from the perspective of thatcountry，a perspective that may be quite different to that of the country of which you are a citizen.I know that you have prepared effectively，and that your considerable effort would be rewarded by a meaningful contribution to this forum.
If I may now take off my Presidential hat and put on my Minister of External Affairs of St Lucia and Caribbean Community （CARICOM）hat，let me say that I hope that the delegations representing the countries of CARICOM have done their homework well，and are ready to represent us with distinction！Now，I return to my Presidential hat.
This Model United Nations also bears centrally on leadership and decision-making skills.Many of you will represent Presidents，Prime Ministers and Ministers.Your priorities will compete with those of other leaders.You will have to show your people that the decisions you have taken have brought them a benefit.At the same time，you will have to demonstrate to other leaders that you are prepared to take，or join in，decisions that will advance international goals and objectives.You should have a fairly good idea after this exercise of what it is like to be under the spotlight of public opinion，and to be accountable，both at home and in the United Nations.
Your negotiating skills should be considerable honed by this exercise.
Never mind what they say about"diplomacy being the art of letting somebody else have your own way"-negotiation is an arduous and often insuperable process.Negotiations are not a matter of victory or defeat，but about mutual advantage. Diplomacy puts a premium on compromise， and oftentimescompromise is the only option you will have-you may have to abandon that"grand design"for a more modest outcome.
Hence ，you ne e d go o d judg ment ，including about the other person"s position-is it flexible？Is it set in stone？Is the person prepared to give up something，and are you？Negotiating-this is the skill that lies at the heart of the work of the UnitedNations.Importantly，it is at the centre of what we do in our lives.
