The United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), through its Academic Impact program, and the Brookings Institution in Washington DC are launching a global writing contest in which university students will imagine drafting a speech to be made by the Secretary-General at the opening of the next session of the General Assembly.

University students from around the world are invited to submit their imagined speeches, in English and up to 1500 words in length, addressing what responsibilities to be taken on towards people who happen not to be our compatriots, and what rights to be claimed with regard to solving global problems together in a shared culture of intellectual social responsibility.

The competition is open to all students currently enrolled in a university. Submissions should be sent simultaneously to academicimpact@un.org / haltinay@brookings.edu by June 15, 2012. Senders need to put SPEECH COMPETITION in the subject line.

Authors of what are judged to be the top three submissions will be invited to New York and Washington DC to meet with the United Nations Secretary General and the leadership of the Brookings Institution, respectively.