Biodiversity conservation and counteracting illegal trade in wildlife became central topics of the annual Model UN Youth Conference, which took place within the walls of the Kyrgyz State Law University.

Model UN is a business role-playing game in which students of schools and universities imitate the work of UN bodies. The participants are students who assume the role of official representatives of the UN member countries and international organizations and protect their interests on a number of agendas. The ultimate goal of each committee is the adoption of resolutions on relevant issues. The working languages of the conference are English and Russian. The conference was attended by about 200 students from all over the country.

According to Khilola Ishmukhamedova, a student at KSLU, acting as the UN Secretary-General, “Since our conference was primarily focused on biodiversity issues, we decided to make the UNEP committee in English this year. This greatly increased the level of preparedness and motivation of the delegates. Since this was the only committee in English, the demand for it was special, so the delegates carefully prepared their reports. Also at the conference, UNDP organized a photo exhibition of Kyrgyzstan's biodiversity. We conducted a quiz on biodiversity conservation, thereby involving other conference participants.”

This conference is being held for the 8th time and the choice of questions to consider depends on their relevance. The participants in the event imitate the work of such UN bodies as the General Assembly, the Security Council, and UNEP. During the conference, the youth discussed the problems facing the world community now. These include biodiversity conservation, legal regulation of privacy in the digital age, women's rights, and the strengthening of peace.

The UNDP/GEF project on biodiversity conservation in the Western Tian Shan and the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry (SAEPF) supported the organizers of this conference in order to draw attention of the youth to biodiversity conservation problems and to involve them in decision-making on environmental issues. At the Model UN conference, participants discuss current global issues, develop creative thinking and learn more about the topics of the event.

UNDP is currently implementing the project “Conservation of globally important biodiversity and associated land and forest resources of Western Tian Shan mountain ecosystems to support sustainable livelihoods”, which is aimed at preserving unique natural complexes and biodiversity, to promote the protection of rare and endangered species of fauna and flora. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and is being implemented in partnership with the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.