UN simulation attracts hundreds of students to Maastricht
In April over 400 students from all over the world will be participating in the European Model United Nations (EuroMUN) in Maastricht.
Simulation
The conference is a precise simulation of a session of the UN General Assembly, with the same committees meeting and negotiating on typical UN issues such as the situation in Kosovo, climate change and the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the European Union. The conference also has an impact on the real UN. The EuroMUN will feature exchanges with officials at the UN Headquarters in New York via a live video chat link.
In addition, there is a parallel programme for UN Youth Delegates, who attend sessions of the General Assembly as official members of their country’s delegation, speaking on behalf of their governments and taking part in negotiations on youth-related themes. The number of registrations has already exceeded all expectations and the participants represent over 40 nationalities.
Setup
The programme mainly consists of meetings of the different UN committees in various buildings belonging to Maastricht University, preceded by an opening ceremony in the town hall/Spaans Gouvernement Museum/Theater aan het Vrijthof. New Zealand’s ambassador Rachel Fry will speak at the ceremony, as will a senior representative of the Slovenian Permanent Mission and a senior official of the European Parliament.
To bring the conference even closer to reality, there is also a parallel programme for students of journalism. Like the participants, they come from all over the world and will take on the role of the media, publishing a daily newspaper and interviewing delegates at press conferences. And last but not least, there is a lively social programme, the highlights being the EuroMUN Global Village and Global Party on 17 and 19 April.
Goal
The organiser of EuroMUN 2008 is UNSA (University Maastricht United Nations Student Association), an interfaculty, non-profit organisation whose aims are to improve knowledge of the United Nations and international diplomacy, and raise awareness of important global issues. To this end it organises training courses and MUNs, and advises and supports students wishing to attend conferences in other parts of the world. The conference is supported by the Executive Board of Maastricht University. Other major partners include UNRIC (United Nations Regional Information Centre) in Brussels and UN DPI (United Nations Department of Public Information).
Source: NUFFIC, 25 March 2008
More information: EuroMun
