The United Nations Department of Public Information has selected student reporters from more than 30 countries to cover the 60th Annual United Nations Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization Conference.

This year’s conference, entitled “Climate Change: How It Impacts Us All,” involved worldwide representatives to discuss issues on global warming and its consequences.

Student reporters under the Student Journalism Programme gathered on Tuesday afternoon for a tour of the UN headquarters. Gary Fowlie, chief of the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit at the UN, led the orientation tour.

Like many other student journalists in the programme, this is the first time Azliana Aziz, a representative from the University of Malaya, Malaysia, has visited the UN headquarters.

“It’s really exciting to be here in the headquarters because not many people will have this chance to come here,” Azliana said. “I feel that it is very encouraging to see so many like-minded young people congregating to discuss such an important subject.”

Student journalists worked alongside professional journalists from more than 1,000 major media outlets from all over the world to report on the issues raised at the conference.

Vilashini Somiah, another representative from the University of Malaya, Malaysia, said she joined the programme to help create awareness for this global crisis.

“As an ambassador (for) my country and a fellow journalist, I (can) help to create awareness on this massively important issue.” Somiah said. “Climate change will get the better of us if we don’t do something about it now.”

Christine Nguyen, a representative from the University of Queensland, Australia, said she has always been interested in environmental issues and has joined the conference to make a difference.  

“Climate change is an issue that has not been covered enough by the media, yet it is the problem that will affect a majority of the population of the future,” Nguyen said. “I feel that I should contribute, and I have a lot to gain from collaborating with student journalists from around the world, because it is an issue that necessitates global perspective.”

The 60th United Nations NGO/DPI conference was held from Sept. 5 to 7. UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, and General Assembly President, H.E Ms. Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, attended the conference’s opening ceremony.  More than 2,000 delegates, government officials and representatives from religious groups, civil society and financial institutions were also involved in the roundtable and workshop discussions.

Lam Li Ting Evelyn, a student journalist with the Campus Observer, represented the National University of Singapore at the conference.