MODEL UNITED NATIONS – TESMUN XVII – 2021
Citizens of the world
The UN Models are simulations of the international organisation of the United Nations carried out worldwide in school and university environments. The participants represent the delegates from different countries and take part in discussions and negotiations on topics that correspond to the work programmes of the different bodies and commissions of the organisation.
A model is an educational and cultural event in which the young people that participate, train themselves in international policy issues and in the functioning of the United Nations, acquiring at the same time a global vision of the world in which we live. This exercise drives them to question and to acquire a thirst for knowledge that will eventually lead them to understand the concerns and hopes of people in different regions of the world, in order to show them how work done with effort, dedication, and determination can improve the lives of those most in need. One can learn to acquire the tools and to choose the necessary attitudes to strengthen the cooperation between individuals to achieve a common goal.
Through this activity, students acquire different skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives in any social environment in which they find themselves. The Model United Nations helps students to train in techniques of persuasion, negotiation, writing and speaking, in an atmosphere of tolerance and respect for diversity. It also helps participants to understand that the best way to solve conflicts is through dialogue and negotiation without the need for violence.
In addition, the models are an opportunity for the organisers to also face the challenges and tasks of organising an event of such magnitude and the implications in terms of organisation, logistics, and resources. There is no doubt that these models are a changing experience and that they are the setting in which their participants put into practice the knowledge they have received for years. It is almost impossible to describe the feeling that a Model United Nations produces, but probably the closest thing is the satisfaction and pride that remains as a delegate, that is said, to feel as a citizen of the world.