More than 500 student delegates from across India and abroad took part in the opening session of the Patna Model United Nations Conference held at DY Patil Pushpalata Patil International School on Friday.

School director C.B. Singh inaugurated the conference. Around six student committees held discussions and debates on international current issues at the event that will conclude on Sunday.

The eager delegates discussed xenophobia, Islamophobia, laying emphasis on the condition of minorities around the world, the impact of Brexit on the European Union and its economy, review of India's Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, impact assessment of the South China Sea issue on international peace and security. Representatives from around 102 countries presented their views and came up with new ideas to solve the global problems.

Tanzilur Rahman, a student from Ireland representing Malta under the European Union Committee, said: "In this era of globalisation, being globally aware is more important than ever. The Model United Nations Conference was very professional. The crowd was good. We learned a lot from the sessions at the committee. I would love to attend it again."

Navidul Haque, a student from Chicago who was representing Russia under the EU Committee, stressed the negative impact of Brexit on the business sector. "It will have an extremely negative effect on our economy, on our exchange rate and on investors in Russia," said Haque though he highlighted the positive side of Brexit on Russia's stand at EU meetings.

The Indian participants included students from Bangalore's Christ University, Calcutta's Jadavpur University, Sharda University in Noida, Patna Women's College, Loyola High School, Delhi Public School, Notre Dame Academy, St Michael's High School and other institutions.

Entrepreneurs Amir Khan and Shabbir Ali, who run an event management firm, had founded the Patna Model UN. Harsh Pratap Yadav from DAV BSEB and Anshuman Singh from Vidyapati Public School were the co-founders.

Piyush Ranjan, a Class XII student of Loyola High School Patna, delivered the power-packed speech of the day. Representing Iraq under the UN Human Rights Council, the teenager spoke about Islamophobia and stressed that humanity was above all religions: "If one learns to keep people above everything, then there will be no fight in this world. There will be no space for terrorism. All religion teach us to become good human beings. We should respect our religion and safeguard our country and citizens."

Another delegate who received roaring applause was Aditya Pratap Verma, who represented All India Political Parties Meet. He talked about the sedition law and wanted to make changes in it. "People have the right to express their feelings and thoughts without any restriction. But it should not jeopardise the security of the nation," he said.

Neil Madhav, a Class XII student of Gyan Niketan Boys' School, said the first day went off really well. "I was not confident at first but after listening to so many good orators, I gained the confidence. Such kind of programmes help develop leadership skills, equip us with the tools to research and work in teams as well as practical skills what students will need throughout their careers."