On Tuesday, 9 April, the Aula of the University of Economics in Bratislava came alive with the 17th annual Model Conference of the students of the Faculty of International Relations in the presence of over 400 participants. This year's conference was held under the theme "Polarization of society as a determinant of global risks" and featured two panel discussions. The panel discussions, as well as the conference as a whole, were held in English.
At the beginning, the students were addressed by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, and the guest of honour, Martin Nesirky, Director of the UN Information Service in Vienna, via video.
Martin Nesirky
Antonio Guterres
The political panel was chaired by the Chair of the Political Section, Ján Orda Oravec. His guests Iveta Radičová, Oľga Gyarfášová and Vladimír Šucha brought the students information from behind the scenes of Slovak politics, explained the reasons for the current polarisation of society, pointed out its possible causes and urged the students "to take the action and be the change", thus highlighting the importance of involving young people in the public sphere.
Vladimír Šucha focused on the importance and power of digitalisation in global politics, as well as highlighting the importance of young people's mental health and the risks posed by social networks.
Olga Gyárfášová pointed out the importance of cooperation in finding solutions to conflicts, the need for compromise and mutual understanding to reduce the effects of polarization in society.
Mrs. Radičová encouraged young students to be active citizens, to change our society for the better, pointed out the connections between the mistakes of the past and the opportunities for change in the future, and ended her speech with the words "Don't worry, be happy", thus inspiring in all of us the ambition and desire to engage in the domestic and foreign political arena to make society more "happy".
The economic panel was chaired by Ivan Sokolovský, chairman of the economic section. His guests Ivan Mikloš, Barbora Stanová and Pavol Griger focused on the importance of the economy and its impact on society. They discussed the possible economic reasons for polarization but also its effects. Ivan Mikloš focused on the advantages and disadvantages of the Eurozone, explained to the students the market mechanism, what inflation is, how the Economic and Monetary Union works and the overall importance of economic micro and macro indicators in society and how their development can contribute to or mitigate the level of polarization in society. Barbora Stanova and Pavel Griger focused more on the "business" side. They brought practical information from the corporate world, economic trends and business perspective.
The conference was rounded off with a dance performance by the Momentum Dance Team, followed by a shared lunch, free discussion and networking.
The conference was held under the auspices of the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia, which we thank as well as the other partners.
Photogallery: https://euba.sk/aktivity-a-media/aktuality/2831-modelova-konferencia-zaplnila-aulu-ekonomickej-univerzity-v-bratislave