Georgetown Kicks off the Seventh Model United Nations Conference
From Feb. 1-4, students from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q) will host their 7th annual Model United Nations conference. The schedule of events includes activities designed to give high-school students a first-hand immersive experience in the area of global politics. Over three hundred and fifty delegates are scheduled to arrive in Doha from countries around the world, including the US, UK, Jordan, Zambia and as far away as Taiwan. The program includes carefully planned committee sessions on a variety of topics in International Relations, followed by debriefing meetings conducted by SFS-Q Faculty and subject area experts.
The theme of this year’s MUN conference is the Arab Awakening, and sessions feature contentious issues such as the role of nuclear energy in the region and the question of Palestinian statehood, among others. High-school students will be assigned roles as representatives of various countries, and this year, Al Jazi Al-Thani, Loukas Kyprianou, Jihad Hassan and Bilal Shakir will make up the MUN Security Council (UNSC). Similar international regulatory bodies, including The United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR), the Arab League (AL) and the African Union (AU), will also be represented during the political simulations.
Each topic slated to be addressed by the high-school students has been fully researched beforehand, and participants will be provided with comprehensive briefs, penned by current SFS-Q students, detailing the issues under discussion. To assist in developing the skills of the attendees in International Relations, current ambassadors from Cyprus, Senegal, Romania, Poland, Japan, and other U.N. member states have been invited to attend a meet-and-greet hour in order to provide the students with instant feedback and their assessments.
Sara Berhie, a conference organizer, said, “I’m most looking forward to watching the high school students within their committee sessions. It’s an extra-curricular activity for all of them, so it’s great to see that amount of dedication. It’s especially gratifying for SFS-Q students, who spent a lot of time and effort towards this mentorship initiative.” The content, logistics and committees are all student-run, allowing for a high level of engagement and mentorship by SFS-Q conference organizers. The high-school delegates will also have the opportunity to visit SFS-Q on one of their scheduled trips in Doha.
One of the aims of this conference is to allow high-school students to participate and learn from an advanced level of discussion on International Relations, facilitated and guided by experienced members of the diplomatic and academic communities in Qatar. High-school students attending sample lectures delivered by SFS-Q faculty members also acquire the insight needed to assess whether a career in International Relations is something they would like to pursue through a degree in Foreign Service.
The week will be rounded off with a recurring highlight of the conference, the Cultural Night, in which each international school contributes cultural foods, music and gifts to share with guests. Many of the participants dress in their country’s attire and present a cultural tradition.