主要研究 今天

Twenty 主要研究 students had the opportunity to rub elbows with international ambassadors and gain hands-on practice in political 外交 during a trip to New York City for the National Model UN Conference this spring.

联合国大学代表团于3月24日至28日长途跋涉到纽约, 近5人参与,来自世界各地的1000名学生. 主要研究 represented the Russian Federation in the conference’s political simulation, 解决冲突和粮食安全等当代问题, the role of science and technology in international security and the promotion of sustainable tourism.

Two 主要研究 students – Dylan Collins and Patrick Marcoux – took home “Outstanding Delegate” awards for their contributions during the conference, and the entire team – which features representatives from several 主要研究 colleges – was selected as a “Distinguished Delegation.”

这次会议使学生们有机会公开演讲, 技术写作, 外交, conflict resolution and engagement with students from close to 100 other countries and cultures.  

“This was more than just a competition and more than just awareness about the UN or awareness about Russia. 学生们学到了很多东西——他们学会了专业写作, 他们必须努力建立共识, 专业, how to push your position in a way that is convincing and also accommodating of other perspectives,阿琳娜·里昂说, 政治学教授，联合国大学模拟联合国小组的指导老师. “我很高兴他们能体验到这种活动, 高度参与式学习, in terms of substance but also because of the skill sets they learn that are available to them for the rest of their lives.”

联合国大学的学生参加模拟联合国大会已经有20年了. Each year the group receives an assigned country and uses the time leading up to the conference to prepare for the simulation, which focuses on the same committees and topics that the actual UN is working on.

今年联合国将俄罗斯作为指定国家, 哪项任务特别有趣和具有挑战性, 里昂说. 学生做广泛的研究, poring over government documents and examining the geostrategic “lay of the land,，然后在会议前写一份立场文件.

“These are real-world situations; they aren’t made up. 真实的表现是至关重要的，”里昂说. “It was a real privilege and honor to represent a country with so much gravitas and that plays the pivotal role Russia plays right now. 这是对联合国卫生组织小组所赢得的信誉的真正承认.”

The assignment provided students with a rare and memorable opportunity to interact with international diplomats. They got to spend part of a day with a delegation from the Russian embassy – a day that provided an up-close look at the sensitive and timely nature of the job, as the appointment was bumped back at the last minute due to the Russian delegation needing time to work on an issue related to the conflict in Gaza.

会议一开始, 虽然, the 主要研究 students spent extensive time with the delegation and got to ask questions related to their work at the Model UN conference, 询问这个俄罗斯组织在网络战方面的立场, 例如.

会议结束后, 学生们花时间在分配给他们的委员会里工作, 写下决心，并努力让他们通过. “They work really hard on diplomatic solutions to these real global conflicts,里昂说.

在闭幕式上, 主要研究团队在俄罗斯联邦的座位上观看比赛, 聆听各国外交官的演讲.

The New York visit capped a busy year for the Model UN group that included a trip for a smaller group of eight students to Germany last November as part of the organization’s annual international conference. There the 主要研究 team represented South Africa and had the opportunity to visit a concentration camp and eat breakfast on a daily basis with a Holocaust survivor who was staying in the same hotel as the team members.

对里昂, the conferences provide a “transformative” educational opportunity for the students, 学习关键技能的人, develop important professional traits and get to explore places – and cultures – they may not have yet been exposed to.

她说，持久的影响是显著的.

“这是一种无法估量的东西, 我认为, is that there is a lot of hope and optimism and agency that comes from sitting down with 300 people from around the world and working on critical issues facing society,里昂说. “学生 really feel empowered but in a productive and institutional format.”