Andrea Vizcaino/Contributing Writer
The University’s Model United Nations Conference is holding its 27th annual event with a focus on global security and eliminating poverty.
Maylin Hernandez, secretary general, said the conference is to “facilitate the advancement of diplomatic skills and the spirit of cooperation by placing some of the best young minds head on to a few of the most pressing problems we are facing around the world today.”
She said she expects FIU’s team “to take a new understanding of diplomacy and leadership from this experience that will aid them in their future endeavors.”
The conference is from April 25 to 27.
Model UN teams, comprised of undergraduate and high school students from both private and public schools not only from FIU, but from different places through the world such as Chicago and Colombia, come together to discuss possible solutions for the global issues while following the policies of the country, organizations or individual they are representing.
The conference serves the high school students by allowing them to observe the college teams, develop an understanding of debate and global issues and how to come together to solve the major problems going on in today’s world.
There are eight committees and each focus on a specific global issue.
The Disarmament and International Security Committee, for example, focused on disarmament and related global security issues.
This year’s conference has also added three crisis committees: the Ad-Hoc Committee on the UN Charter, OEPDR Emergency and Response Committee 2020 and the Joint-Dispute Resolution Committee.
The Ad-Hoc committee name is Latin for “for this” meaning “that its purpose constantly changes in accordance to what the current UN Secretary General deems as an international issue that must be tackled but which no specific committee exists to oversee its execution. For this conference, the topic is decided by FIMUN staff and the students are not made aware the specifics of what they will be doing until their arrival,” Hernandez said.
“[Students will take away] a feeling of global civic responsibility in addition to life-long friendships with their fellow delegates,” Hernandez said.
Registration for the FIMUN 2014 Conference is open at fimun.fiu.edu.