Around 400 university students from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and some other countries attended the inaugural session of the five-day first Model United Nations (MUN) conference  in the capital's army golf garden hall yesterday.
International Association of Business Communication (IABC) of Brac University has organised the international event. The other sessions were held on the university's Savar campus yesterday, while the rest will take place there till January 21.
The MUN is a model of the UN committees where students participate as delegates of their respective countries and engage in constructive negotiation on various issues.
The participants are expected to gain incredible experiences of associating with people from different universities of the world. During the event, they will also share knowledge on developing communication, negotiation and diplomatic skills, said organisers.
Brac Founder and Chairperson Sir Fazle Hasan Abed inaugurated the event as chief guest, while Brac University Vice Chancellor Prof Ainun Nishat was special guest.
“Students partaking in the conference are enthusiasts who engage in discussion for the development of their respective countries and people. The youth's involvement in such a global gathering builds stronger bonds among nations,” he said.
The Brac founder advised the participants to share with each other their understandings on development issues which are beneficial for all.
The foreign delegates will be introduced to the history and beauty of Bangladesh through post-conference trips to the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, and the world's longest unbroken sea beach in Cox's Bazar.  
The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, Channel i, Radio Foorti, South Asian Youth Society, Youth Opportunities, Ennovision, BEATNIK, United Nations Information Centre Knorr Soup, and Youth TV are the organising partners of the event.