Diplomat for a day
LAU MUN graduates celebrate months of hard work with a two-day final conference that included UN simulations and a Global Village fair.
More than 1,200 student delegates from 123 schools across Lebanon gathered on March 31-April 1 at LAU Byblos for the 2012 Model United Nations High School Final Conference.
The two-day event crowned a seventh year of intense training sessions held across the country, during which LAU student leaders teach high school and middle school students about diplomacy by emphasizing effective communication, negotiation skills, conflict resolution, world affairs, UN principles and governmental representation.
The program puts students in the shoes of UN member states’ ambassadors, who debate international issues, prepare draft resolutions, negotiate with supporters and adversaries, and resolve conflicts through the UN rules of procedure.
“Throughout these seven years, LAU student leaders gave more than 350,000 hours of diplomacy and leadership training to more than 7,000 students across Lebanon,” said Elie Samia, executive director of the Outreach and Civic Engagement unit and LAU MUN program director.
During the event, Vice President for Student Development and Enrollment Management Dr. Elise Salem announced that the university had decided to grant the LAU MUN scholarship to 30 student winners of the Make Your Voice Heard competition and the Secretary General Awards.
MUN is an international program present in almost every country around the world. LAU acts as the official hub of MUN activity in the Arab region, with the objective of helping students become better world citizens by highlighting the need to build global partnerships for development.
Lively delegates’ sessions were hosted on the LAU Byblos campus on the first day of the conference. They tackled a wide range of topics, including empowerment of women; the 1999 Kosovo crisis; protection of nuclear materials; human trafficking; education; and partnerships to address the world drug problem.
A person strolling by the student-run stands could go on an exceptional journey, travelling the world in eight minutes.
Students performed during the MUN Global Village fair, designed to symbolize globalization.
Another picture of the Global Village performance.
Awards and certificates were distributed to participants. The five schools that got the Best Delegation Award were: Saint Joseph School - Cornet Chehwan; College Maristes Champville; Antonine Sisters School – Ghazir; Jesus and Mary School; and Lycée Franco-Libanais - Nahr Ibrahim.
The closing ceremony took place at the UNESCO Palace, in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs Adnan Mansour, UNIFIL Deputy Director of Political and Civil Affairs Francesco Manca, and other officials.