Muscat: The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth has introduced the third edition of the Youth Ambassadors program for 2025, in conjunction with the Foreign Ministry and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
The program will be held in Muscat in October, with the goal of increasing young people's involvement and improving their abilities and capacities in accordance with the Tenth Five-Year Plan's youth goals.
The project will proceed into its third version after the success and involvement achieved in its second edition in 2024.
The program has accomplished its goals of training 100 young men and women in leadership and diplomacy, increasing their presence in regional and international forums, and familiarizing them with the basic principles of the United Nations, its affiliated councils, and their operating mechanisms. This helps to connect youngsters to the global community as well as international and regional groups.
Hilal Saif Al Siyabi, the Ministry's Director General of Youth, said: The Youth Ambassadors project is one of the initiatives that the Ministry wants to implement on a yearly basis, given its success in the 2023 and 2024 editions, as well as the positive participation we noticed among participating youngsters. This has enhanced its effect and emphasized its unique value, particularly given the rising demand for engagement each year. The first edition attracted 75 people, while the second edition had 100 participants.
He said that this year's version aims for 120 people, with 21 seats reserved for Gulf and Arab nations, the majority of which have given tentative authorization to participate in the initiative.
The project includes a number of important themes, including meetings between participating youngsters and diplomatic officials, as well as training seminars in partnership with UNITAR. It also includes a Model United Nations (MUN) simulation session, as well as possibilities for young people to participate in regional and international activities.
The Model United Nations for Youth is a simulated session that replicates UN deliberations and includes 100 young men and women, as well as representatives from government and private organizations, international organizations, professors, and young entrepreneurs.
Participants mimic the operations of the United Nations and its primary organs—such as the General Assembly, Security Council, and Economic and Social Council—by acting as diplomats and official spokespersons for various nations and organizations. They engage in discussions and negotiations on important youth-related themes before creating resolutions outlining the agenda items discussed.
Participants serve as ambassadors for chosen countries (as delegation members), making speeches that accurately represent their respective country's position. They then negotiate with friends and rivals on difficult concerns, seeking to reach agreements that benefit the international community. Sessions and deliberations are conducted in accordance with UN procedural rules. Participants research the issues that the relevant council or committee will address, gaining knowledge into how the international community responds to key global challenges such as peace and security, human rights, the environment, food and hunger, economic development, and globalization.
The Ministry has established registration criteria for the initiative, requiring applicants to be Omani youngsters (male or female) between the ages of 18 and 29, with a genuine interest and dedication to participate completely in the programme and meet all associated requirements.
Participants must also be in good health, free of chronic diseases, and willing to work with program organizers by following session timelines strictly. Initial selection and acceptance into the program will be done electronically, with preference given to people who have not previously participated in the first edition of the Youth Ambassadors program.
Distribution will be proportional throughout governorates (based on statistics from the National Centre for Statistics and Information) and balanced in terms of gender within each governorate.
Applicants must additionally fill out the registration form, answering all necessary questions.
