The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs' salute to the RomeMUN2013 delegates

The World We at the RomeMUN Want 2015

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RomeMUN NEWS - 10th of March

A UN legend at RomeMUN- Staffan de Mistura

Many presentations at the Rome Model United Nations 2013 opening ceremony have charmed the audience, but Staffan de Mistura brought history to the floor.

42 years under the UN flag working in peace-building could mean a lot- work, diplomatic relations in their most delicate aspect but also anecdotes.

He recalled the beginning of his career, when  as an intern for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in the Cyprus of the early 1970s, he witnessed the death of a child, shot by a sniper. The child had wandered over the 'green line' dividing Cyprus and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He found this incident profoundly shocking and since then he grew a desire to study humanitarian emergency relief and dedicate his life to working for the peaceful resolution of conflict.

Staffan de Mistura
foto credits: ©FAO/Giulio Napolitano



De Mistura helped solving the Embassy crisis in Tirana (Albania) when 3,200 people occupied four foreign Embassies to escape from the communist regime, washed himself with beer during the three months siege of Dubrovnik, when 4,570 people were evacuated and organized and implemented operation “San Bernardo” with a massive airdrop operation using both NATO and Warsaw Pact air assets to reach 870,000 starving Ethiopians. Practically, in the Cold War when nobody would have conceived cooperation between the two military blocks, the desire to help people in need made this possible, under the name that recalls nothing but neutrality, since the Saint Bernard (San Bernardo) dogs are the symbol of Switzerland.

A great speech followed by a short FAQ section, suggestions to the RomeMUN2013 delegates and a reminder-  every country has a say in the General Assembly of the UN, giving the powerful opportunity to the delegates- to say their opinion.

Caput mundi of Diplomacy

Prof. Federico Argentieri

Rome is the "caput mundi" once again, this time of diplomacy. 

This is what has been said by the participants of the "Rome International" panel. 

Giorgio Bartolomucci, president of the annual Festival of Diplomacy, has chosen Rome as the host city for this event since its beginning because of its multicultural environment and the possibility to get in touch with ambassadors. 

Professor of Contemporary History and International Politics Federigo Argentieri also confirmed that, given the fact that Rome is the only capital in the world where every international institution has a representation. 

To keep this situation ahead, he also highlighted the importance of young people's role. In particular, he said that learning from the past is the key to improve current international diplomacy.

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY THE ROMEMUN JOURNALISTS'S TEAM

RomeMUN 2013- 1200 young people to act as world leaders

Rome (March 7, 2013)-- 1,200 young people from all over the world will assume the role of the UN member states representatives to discuss issues of international importance at the fourth edition of Rome Model United Nations (RomeMUN), opening today in the Plenary Hall of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The participants, coming from 108 different countries, will debate topics like the fight against hunger and poverty, women's rights, issues related to sustainable development and the right to basic education for all and will have the opportunity to meet leading experts of the national and international panorama: Corrado Clini, Environment Minister in the Monti cabinet, Eve Crowley, FAO Deputy Director General for Gender, Equity and Rural Employment, Stefano Vella, Director of Department of Medicine Institute of Health, Luis Jimenez-McInnis, Special Adviser to IFAD President, and Staffan de Mistura, Under-Secretary of State in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The event is sponsored by the UN agencies in the agro-food pole in Rome: FAO, IFAD and the World Food Programme, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Representation of the European Commission in Italy, some Italian regions, and was made possible thanks to the invaluable contribution of many private entities.

The Giovani nel Mondo Association, together with other sponsors like Education First, Bonduelle, Giorgio Tesi Vivai and Hotel Villa Mercede, put at stake 100 scholarships to facilitate the participation of young people with great resumes, who otherwise would not have been able to attend the event.

This year's edition is going to evolve around the Millennium  Development Goals, the eight international development targets aimed at encouraging development by improving social and economic conditions in the world's poorest countries.

About half of the participants are from abroad (from Afghanistan to Egypt, Ghana, Brazil, Uzbekistan and Nicaragua) and are united in their desire to be the leading actors of RomeMUN, experience the simulation to the full, reach agreements and solutions to problems that the big actors of the international diplomacy struggle to solve, learn each other, make friends, share experiences and dreams.

The delegates' activity, the workshops and the debates will be described and documented by other young students who will assume the role of journalists and reproduce the work of some major international networks as CNN, BBC, RaiNews, Al Jazeera, France 24, Russia Today.

Summary of the program and conference venues:

7 March - from 9.00 to 17.30 FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla

8 March - from 9.30 to 19.00 Luiss, Center of American Studies, Hall of the Parliamentary Groups

9 March - from 9.30 to 19.00 Luiss Guido Carli, Viale Romania 32

10 March - from 9.30 to 19.00 Luiss Guido Carli, Viale Romania 32

11 March - from 9.00 to 13.30 Eataly, Piazzale XII ottobre 1492

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