LAU students take Model Arab League in Paris by storm
The five-member delegation trained by OCE came back with the prestigious Best Delegation Award and three Honorable Mention Awards.
![[photo]](model-arab-league-conference2011-01-big.jpg)
Floriant Dautil (secretary-general of the Paris International Model Arab League, 3rd from left) with LAU's student delegation at the MAL conference in France. From left: Michelle Estephan, Khaled Hamadeh, Fatima Sobh, Cherine Obeid, and Fouad Haddad.
The LAU student delegation returned with one of two prestigious Best Delegation Awards and three Honorable Mention Awards from the Model Arab League conference held in Paris, April 28-30.
This was LAU’s first participation in the conference, which is hosted annually by the Paris Institute of Political Studies (or Sciences Po). The LAU team consisted of five students from the Byblos and Beirut campuses.
This year, the event gathered around 35 students from seven countries who role-played the Arab League member states’ representatives in issues pertaining to the Middle East, particularly Palestine.
“Our participation in MAL exposed us to world affairs, international politics — particularly, the history of the Arab world — and the arts of diplomacy and public speech,” explains Fatima Sobh, one of the LAU students.
The students represented Palestine in discussions covering various issues related to the Arab states.
“Being the representatives of Palestine, we were under the spotlight in most topics, and we proved to be one of the strongest teams, competing with universities from all over the world,” says head delegate Khaled Hamadeh.
The LAU students were divided into four committees, and won three Honorable Mention Awards: in the Political Affairs Committee represented by Hamadeh, the Council on Palestinian Affairs represented by Michelle Estephan, and the Social Affairs Committee represented by Cherine Obeid. The other members of the delegation were Sobh and Fouad Haddad. The LAU delegation also won one of the Best Delegation Awards, given only to two universities.
Developing the leadership potential of LAU students, exposing them to international opportunities, and providing them with the best training possible have become a tradition at the Outreach and Civic Engagement unit. From the Global Classrooms-LAU Model UN program and the Global MUN conference, to the Model Arab League, students have represented LAU with pride, making their personal achievements a chapter in LAU’s success stories.
The students underwent extensive training and carried out thorough research that allowed them to compete at an international level.
“The preparation for the conference was not only technical in terms of helping us be well prepared, knowledgeable, well trained, and effective citizens but it also assisted us in becoming civic and public affairs leaders,” says Sobh.
“We were able to prove ourselves there, impress all those who participated, and above all represent LAU in the best way possible,” says Hamadeh. “It was a priceless lifetime journey.”
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