Model UN: NAIMUN XLVII Amanda Cohen issue discussed, the Question of Palestine, is arguably the most complex problem the United Nations faces today.
When I started Model UN this year I didn0t know what to expect. I admit I had little idea what the UN was or how it works and this made me somewhat nervous and apprehensive to participate. But now, looking back, I0m glad I decided to take part in this wonderful program. So with many questions needed to be answered: First, we learned what the United Nations is and what it does. In short, the Model United Nations is an international organization that, through discussions of member countries, attempts to maintain international peace and security, develops friendly relations among nations, promotes social progress, and works for better living standards and human rights. The next step was to pick a country. This might seem like a simple task; however, our large group of 20 people and our opposing wishes made it somewhat of a challenge. The countries that we picked ranged from Venezuela to North Korea. Finally, with the help of our moderators, Dr. Heep and Frau Meuschke, we boiled down our 1wish list2 to ten countries and sent it to the organizers of the Model UN. For me though, the work really started when we received our country assignments, namely Algeria, Benin, and Libya and heard that we would participate in the General Assembly. Within the General Assembly there are many committees whose focus ranged from climate change and piracy to humanitarian intervention. I chose Libya and the Historic UN Special Session, 1980. We had to learn about our country, our topic areas, and our country's position on those topics. I found my committee especially unique because the sessions were modified 1crisis-style2 sessions, and the
150 Fifty Years German School
The climax of our experience was the Model UN Conference XLVII which took place from February 11 3 February 14, 2010 at the Hilton in Washington, D.C. Nearly 3,000 high school students participate in this conference every year! This year, however, there was a major snowstorm along the East Coast, which, unfortunately, prevented some students, who had to travel by bus or airplane, from coming. Despite this, about 2,200 students participated, although many arrived late. We debated our topics for four days and ultimately passed a resolution which could resolve the issues being discussed. My committee0s special session focused on the topics of Palestinian refugees, territory, and security in the region. The conference, however, was not "all work and no play." There where many enjoyable events planned such as, my favorite, 1Hilltop Madness,2 where many diverse dance crews preformed while the spectators enjoyed free ice cream. A 1Delegate Dance2 was also
