A delegation of 29 student ambassadors and nine chaperones set off for New York this morning to represent Bermuda at the United Nations International School Conference.

CedarBridge Academy, Saltus, Berkeley Institute, Bermuda Institute, Warwick Academy and Bermuda High School students are attending the conference on “Sustainability: Balancing People, Planet, and Profit” to gather information on how the topic relates to Bermuda.

“This is a working conference for the students,” said Andrew Phillips, the chief executive officer of Global Arts Entertainment. “They have to go up and bring back specific components of the conference that can be applied in Bermuda.”

The conference, which aims to educate students on issues of global importance, will examine sustainability in terms of the development of society, the growth of economies and the impact on the environment. Topics include climate justice, gender equality and resilient cities.

The conference is being held in the General Assembly Hall of the UN from today to Saturday.

Mr Phillips said that the Bermuda students, united under the team slogan “Power to the Peace”, will then use the information they have gathered to devise solutions that can be implemented in the community.

These will be presented at an official United Nations International School (Unis) follow-up conference that will be held in Bermuda this year and will be led by the students who attended the conference in New York.

Mr Phillips explained that the aim of the Bermuda conference is to bring action to the topics raised at the Unis conference.

The follow-up event will also host Unis students and their principals, and will be judged by a group of local sponsors, including representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Community, Culture and Sport, Partner Re, XL, Tokio Millennium and Colonial.

“It is a pleasure to once again facilitate the positive development of our young minds,” Mr Phillips added. “We hope to continue this for years to come.”