Photo above: The UNL delegation at the Model United Nations Conference in New York City. Photo provided by UNL Model United Nations.
Model United Nations is a student-run simulation of the United Nations. Students represent UN member countries and work to draft and pass resolutions on issues ranging from nuclear nonproliferation to women’s rights. In preparation for these simulations, students research their countries policies, laws, and practices. Their goal is to accurately represent the interests of the countries they speak for.
Each year students from the University of Nebraska travel to the National Model United Nations competition in New York City. This competition brings together over 5,000 college and university students and faculty from around the world to address current global issues. Students work together to learn more about the UN, diplomacy, negotiation, critical thinking, compromise, public speaking, writing, and research.
This year, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln team represented Afghanistan at the National Model UN competition. At the competition, UNL students formed blocs with other Arab and North African states and negotiated a wide range of issues from the perspective of the Afghani government.
Drew Miller, one of the UNL delegates, described the delegation’s goal to write a resolution that “focused on the creation of regional strategic training facilities that would vet peacekeepers prior to throwing them into a post-conflict situation.”
Anie Bista described the process of formal and informal negotiations within a committee of the Model UN, aligning with five other countries to draft and pass a resolution. Anie said that it was “a surreal feeling in that we had worked so hard on our paper, and the rest of the delegation believed that it was a proficient plan when solving the issue of education within rural areas.” Another member of the UNL delegation, Randy Thomas, learned about the importance of both negotiation and diplomacy: “I came to find out that by really digging into the way that others feel about a topic, one can find a way to work together.”
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln team received an honorable mention for the delegation and outstanding delegate for General Assembly 4.
“This only expanded the large group of individuals I was able to work closely with, thus making my conference a well-rounded and meaningful experience,” Drew Miller remarked.
“There really is nothing quite like this experience and it did change my life. It taught me how the real United Nations functioned, and I learned about people from all over the world,” commented Anie Bista.
Congratulations to these students for a job well done and an excellent representation of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. You can learn more about Model UN at UNL here.
