The World We at the RomeMUN Want 2015

Rome Model United Nations Chronicle- March 9th

The Arab Spring recounted at RomeMUN2013

All RomeMUn2013 delegates share a common interest in multilateral diplomacy and are eager to share their opinions on the most important issues of international importance.

Gaining experience, learning about the other countries' cultures and improving his communication skills and leadership are the reasons that led Ashraf, 21, an Egyptian in Cairo to participate in the RomeMUN. We took the opportunity to ask him some questions about the recent Arab Spring that he has experienced at first hand.

Ashraf declared himself surprised by the revolution because Egypt, he says, ”lacked both popular organisations and a solid civil society”. Only after the ouster of Mubarak, Ashraf, like most Egyptians, learned about the violence and atrocities committed by the old regime, "I was shocked by what I found and how the media had hidden everything."

Ashraf is quite concerned about the future of his country and would like to make a contribution to its revival. "Of course, it will not be a single person to make a difference, but perhaps starting with me I can instill in my peers, and not only, the hope of change." He concludes: "I am proud to be Egyptian and proud to express my point of view on the Revolution at the RomeMUN."

From Kabul to RomeMUN2013, with high hopes for future

Behind the 1200 participants of the Rome Model United Nations fourth edition, all of them young people who share a common interest in multilateral diplomacy and who are eager to make their voices heard on the most important issues of international importance, there are hidden experiences, dreams, ambitions and different life stories.

Among them there is Yalda, 22, from Afghanistan, studying Economics in the third year at the Kardan Institute of Higher Education in Kabul. ” I am well aware I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to get an education. In Afghanistan women are still seen as inferior beings and deprived of many fundamental rights. In the Capital, the ability to study is also extended to girls, but the problem persists in the provinces, where there are no teachers and training centers, and parents prevent their daughters from going to school.” Particularly attentive to the situation of women, Yalda defines burqa ”an example of patriarchal control, a form of subjection that is not in any way present in the spirit of the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.”

This young Afghan girl, immersed in the daily life of a country that has experienced three decades of instability, conflict and war, and who is still searching for its path to democracy, tells us about her life with extreme optimism: "The situation is calm now, sometimes there are explosions, but I'm sure things will be better. I also chose to participate in the project to tell something about my country and to share my views with young people from all over the world. My contribution to make Afghanistan better, despite being small, has a great value to me. If all my brothers and sisters will make their contribution, each drop will build a true river of change. I believe that Afghanistan has a great future ahead and all it takes to be a united and peaceful country."

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

Interview with Daniela Conte- president of Giovani nel Mondo

Daniela Conte at RomeMUN 2011

As most of you know, RomeMUN is powered by the Giovani nel Mondo non-profit association. Even if the last days were extremely busy for the RomeMUN staff, Daniela Conte, president of Giovani nel Mondo, agreed to give us a small interview.



How will this year's edition of RomeMUN be special, in comparison with the past ones? 

This year RomeMUN will gather together 1000 students from all over the world, becoming  the biggest UN Model in Europe and among the biggest ones in the world.

How has the RomeMUN impacted your life? 

Thanks to RomeMUN project I discovered first the immense potentialities that young people from all over the world have, it is impressive to see hundreds of youth who still be inspired by the UN values even if their daily lives is affected from poverty, war and uncertainty of the future. I figure out that beyond those students there is an energy strong enough to reach the solutions for the most important international issues of our time.

What were the most memorable moments for you? 

Each year for me the most memorable moment is the opening ceremony when all delegates are seated together in the same room with all their hopes in their hand, waiting for living one of the most important moments of their lives.

What’s the most important thing do you think the participants gain from this experience? 

The delegates learn a lot: effective public speaking skills, how to negotiate with many people at the same time, intercultural communications and comprehension, insight of the UN mechanisms and procedures, team working and leaderships skills. in some cases RomeMUN totally changes their point of views favoring a more global and complete idea of the world around them.

How do you think Model UN prepares people for their future?

 As I have told before, Model UN gives first an idea of what does it mean to work for an international organizations so it is an unique experience for those students interested in working for UN in the future, but more generally is a way to learn that negotiation is a way of life, not only in international affairs but in many other aspects of our daily lives.

Are there any notable alumni from the program? 

Among our notable alumni there is the prince of Luxembourg (the youngest one) but many participants have already started their career in the UN or similar organizations an we are sure that some of them will become one days the leaders of our future.

What do you hope for the future of RomeMUN? 

We do hope to reach in few years the size of 5000 delegates and also to establish a more fruitful relationships with the most relevant institutions, both public and private so having the possibility to offer an increasing numbers of scholarships for those students who are very willing to participate but have not sufficient means to cover their participation costs,

Meet Super Mario- The RomeMUN mascot

Twitter hashtags to be used by all delegates

Dear delegates, we encourage you to post on Twitter everything you feel related to your participation to RomeMUN2013.

First of all, if you don't have a Twittter account why don't you make one? It's easy peasy and it will open you a world where topics beginning with international relations, public diplomacy and student life and ending with sports and music are at home.

If you are already on Twitter, follow us: @romemun

Twitter updates related to the conference should include the #RomeMUN2013 hashtag.

Twitter updates related to the participation joy, your day to day experience here in Rome, pictures you take at the social events, on the street and in your hotel are more than welcome. Use the #RomeMUNfun hashtag, as there will be special prizes for the delegates' coolest pictures and updates !

 

Happy tweeting, everyone!

 

Meet the Rome MUN 2013 chairpersons

They are all passionate, driven, enthusiastic undergraduate students and will chair the committees in which will be divided the 1,200 participants of the Rome Model United Nations (RomeMUN) fourth edition. 

They come from Italy, Venezuela, Germany, Bulgaria and the United States of America, and almost all of them are RomeMUN veterans.

The seven committees are: the Security Council, the General Assembly, UNESCO, the Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization, the World Bank and UNEP. All these committees must work together to find solutions for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the eight resolutions that the UN is committed to achieve by 2015.

Davide Ianniello

The Security Council chair will be Davide Ianniello, who will also serve as Secretary-General. Davide has studied in Rome at the John Cabot University, works as flight attendant for a major airline and has previously worked for the United States Mission to Italy in Rome.
He is an avid MUNer: from Stockholm to Taipei he must have eventually realised that all roads lead to Rome as he attended all four editions, holding different positions.

César Eduardo Briceño Atencio

The chair of the RomeMUN General Assembly  is César Eduardo Briceño Atencio, a young Venezuelan who is studying Defense of the Human Rights.
Despite his young age, he has already taken part in various MUNs, where he obtained excellent results, and has worked with numerous non-governmental agencies. In his native country, he is involved in various development programs of the United Nations and his goal is to work in the world of international development and cooperation.

Atanas Mihnev

Atanas Mihnev is a young man from Bulgaria with a strong passion for sustainable development and the preservation of cultural heritage during military conflicts. Therefore, he is the chair of the UNESCO committee. Atanas studies Economics and International Relations  at the American University in Sofia, is 21 years old and already took part at five UN simulations (including RomeMUN 2012). He represented his country at the 64th session of the General Assembly of the UN Youth Delegates in New York and part of his work served to the resolution on the International Year of Youth.  With more than 30 participations to international conferences dedicated to young people, in 2012 Atanas part in the races of the Jessup International Law Competition.

Iglika Mancheva

The Human Rights Council chair will be Iglika Mancheva, aged 21, from Bulgaria, who is studying International Affairs in Rome.
In addition to her mother tongue, Iglika is fluent in English, Italian and German.
She took part in several MUN around the world (including the last edition of RomeMUN) and has coordinated the volunteers of the Special Olympics Bulgaria, an event dedicated to children with disabilities.

Mrinalini Anand

The World Health Organization committee chair is  Mrinalini Anand: a young student in the fourth year of medical school and a fantastic example of multiculturalism: she is a German national with Indian roots.
In 2009, she fell in love with Model United Nations after attending her first conference, and began participating in the most prestigious UN simulations,  both as a chair and a Secretary General.
The last year she got to know RomeMUN and now she is happy to come back and chair the WHO committee.

Howon Lee

The World Bank committee will be chaired by Howon Lee, a young Californian from Palo Alto. Howon  is attending a program that allows him to earn a triple degree in economics, pre-law and biochemistry with Sciences Po, Columbia University and the Université Pierre et Marie Curie. He has been involved in Model United Nations since his freshman year of high school so now can be proud with 20 participations ranging from Berkeley and New York to Dublin and Brussels.

Agnese Cigliano

The chair of the UNEP Committee will be our old friend Agnese Cigliano. Agnese has participated as a delegate in the first edition of RomeMUN in 2010, and has since taken part in other eight different simulations around the world. Majoring in Law at the University Federico II of Naples, she has studied for a semester Legal Theory, Comparative Tax, Financial Law and Czech language at the Palacký University in Olomouc, the Czech Republic.
Agnese has completed a master's degree in Euro Project Management and, since last year, is a member of the European Register of Euro-Projects Designers & Managers. Since 2011 she has participated in the Challenge Future, a think tank dedicated to sustainable development. Finally, she is working for UN Online Volunteers with two organizations in Africa: one in Ghana and one in Cameroon.