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Momchil Jelev
Sofia, Bulgaria
International Studies,
Political Science
Entering the conference halls of the Organization of American States in 2005, and the World Trade Organization in 2006, I prepared to negotiate on issues like corruption, illicit drug trafficking and economic development, promoting the interests first of Ecuador and then of Honduras. Elsewhere, friends battled their way through policy and diplomacy in the General Assembly, UNESCO and the Economic and Social Council. College undergrads deciding the future of global affairs? Not quite ... but almost.
We all have the power to make choices. We can choose to be silent and turn away. Or we can step forward and take action. Here at Macalester, you have chosen to make a difference.
-Kofi Annan '61, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, speaking at Macalester. |
Welcome to Model United Nations! A purely educational experience, this simulation of the United Nations is both a great academic event and a fascinating opportunity to meet people from around the world. I joined Model U.N. at Macalester as a first-year after two years of high school experience in Bulgaria. Now I look back at memorable years of learning, hard work and preparation, but also lots of fun. You need to care about global affairs, for Model U.N. employs real documents, addresses real situations and requires real, manageable solutions to global problems.
Prior to participating at conferences, we prepare in all aspects of debate, resolution-writing and formal discourse. At the annual National Model U.N. Conference in New York, more than 3,000 delegates from over 300 United States and overseas schools swarm the hotel corridors. It's intimidating, and yet your first steps into the U.N. building in Manhattan for the opening ceremony put you in an entirely different state of mind; you begin to think globally. When you take your place inside the General Assembly, where the actual delegates have been just minutes ago, everything appears to be spinning. You pinch yourself-this moment is not a dream-and the fun begins.
Animated rooms with delegates writing resolutions, noisy corridors dominated by polite arguments and late-night hotel rooms filled with excited students eager to meet others with the cloak of diplomacy gone, Model U.N. is a unique experience. Moreover, the official briefings by U.N. officials that we have managed to arrange in the past have been a true inspiration. Model U.N. fits perfectly with my interests in political science and international affairs and has enormously enriched my knowledge of economics, human rights, international security, development and other themes that define our times.
Being involved in Macalester's Model U.N. program convinced me that one day I want to work for the United Nations because this is the only organization that has the potential to unite people and foster global agreement on the numerous issues that confront human existence.
Thus, delegates, please come to order and let's change this world!
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