Reminder: Application DL for MDIMUN 2011 is June 10th

Dear friends,

We are reminding you that the application deadline for the MDIMUN 2011 Conference is June 10, 5 pm.There are currently a few country spaces available, so we encourage you to apply now!

We are looking forward to receive your application. Hurry up and apply to be part of a unique exprience of simulating the United Nations. Application is available on the official website: http://mdimun.svetu.com/?page_id=345

More details about the Conference: www.mdimun.org

Best wishes,

The MDIMUN 2011 Organizing Committee

Get ready for MDIMUN 2011

Dear all MUN interested visitors,

We are glad to announce that the Moldova International Model United Nations 2011 will take place on 27-30 June 2011 in Chisinau.

It will be a 4-day, premiere international MUN Conference in Moldova, engaging youth in an authentic simulation of 4 United Nations organs (Security Council, Human Rights Council, ECOSOC and General Assembly Disarmament and International Security Committee), by learning about multilateral diplomacy through the lens of current global issues and problems.

The Conference will be preceded by a module of trainings to prepare local delegates with little MUN experience. It promises to be an unforgettable experience, so mark your calendar now and follow back here for more details.

You can also follow our facebook page for updates:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moldova-International-Model-United-Nations/170104736375866?sk=info

Applications and more details will soon be available!

Model UN 2010 Overview

Model United Nations Moldova 2010 Conference

Model United Nations Moldova 2010 Conference, organized during 16-17 April at Summit Events, concluded the simulation phase of the project. The 15 Security Council Member-States, each represented by 2 delegates, have debated the position of their country on the 2 agenda topics: Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and the security situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, drafting resolutions for the problems caucused and negotiating to reach a compromise.

The Conference started with the Opening Ceremony and welcoming remarks from Iurii Datii, IREX Moldova Director, Ryan Aiken, Assistant Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy in Moldova, Claude Cahn, Human Rights Adviser, United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator in Moldova, Eugen Revenco, Director, International Law Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova, Ana Chiriţa, former President of the Student Alliance in Moldova. The special guests stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation and the role of the United Nations, and underlined the opportunities that such a simulation experience may offer.

After the Opening Ceremony, the Security Council entered into formal session and continued with roll-call and agenda setting. The Member States agreed to follow the Committee’s provisional agenda and thus discussed Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation first. The Chair opened the Speakers’ list thus offering each delegation the possibility to reveal their position to the other delegations, making possible the identification of allies for the solutions proposed. Most speakers accepted points of inquiry, making use of the time set for each speaker (oscillated from 3 to 4 minutes). Even though some procedural errors were made, the participants were encouraged by the Chair to correctly make use of motions, in order to design an efficient flow of debate, both through formal and informal sessions. In this context, a majority of Member-States gave preference to either moderated or unmoderated caucus, for negotiations and debate. Delegates accorded diplomatic courtesy to their fellow Representatives and Secretariat, both in formal and informal session, though there was not a constant compliance with the use of English language at all times. 

Bloc formation led to the formulation of 2 working papers. However, after each draft resolution was brought to the floor for formal debate, Member-States concluded that consensus is needed and decided to rather pass one encompassing resolution than 2 resolutions that would be similar in content. As a result, only one resolution on „Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation” was adopted, after both friendly and unfriendly amendments were introduced, the second draft resolution not obtaining the required majority to pass. A similar situation characterized the the considerationf of the 2nd Agenda topic: „Security situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan”, when the 2nd draft resolution was vetoed by permanent Security Council Member-States, thus only one Resolution being adopted by the Committee.

The Judges: Andrei Ilasciuc, lecturer, State University of Moldova, Lilia Surdu, Communications Associate, United Nations in Moldova, Andrei Iovu, participant at Model United Nations and Model NATO in the U.S., observed the performance of delegations throughout working sessions and their compliance with the Evaluation Criteria. As a result, 3 delegations of the 15 present delegations, which best met the criteria specified, were designated with Outstanding Delegation Awards:

1. Gabon – represented by Nicolae Vascautan and Rodica Mirza;
2. Lebanon – represented by Ecaterina Vilcu and Natalia Pinzaru;
3. Turkey – represented by Natalia Cataranciuc

 The Conference was co-chaired by Olga Bogdan and Mihai Popsoi, with chair assistance from Tatiana Juravscaia and Alexandru Popa. It was the final phase of the Model United Nations Moldova 2010 project, which aimed to provide participants with a real forum that would enhance their understanding of the way United Nations operates, by applying the knowledge gained during the preparatory phase of the project.

Model United Nations Moldova 2010 was organized with the support of the United Nations in Moldova, IREX Moldova, and the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center.

Realized by Olga Bogdan, Model United Nations Moldova 2010 Project Coordinator

IMPRESSIONS OF PARTICIPANTS:

Dana Muntean, delegate of the United States of America: This project represents a great opportunity to understand the different aspects of global diplomacy, to be informed on the theoretical and practical aspects of the international relations, and see the solution of a problem from a different perspective than your own, taking into consideration team work.  The best part of the project was the Conference, where I could apply what I learnt earlier during the project.

Olesea Bolocan, delegate of the Russian Federation: Model United Nations projects are very necessary, as they offer young people the opportunity to understand the inner working of an international organization, to be in the role of an ambassador, to see the importance of debating and solving world problems. It is interesting how during the Conference, delegates really started thinking and acting as the country they represented, going beyond role-playing. We usually accuse other countries of pursuing a wrong foreign policy. However, after getting involved in Model United Nations, I understood that each country follows its national interest, which has to comply of course with the principles of peace and international cooperation. As a result of the project, I have assimilated new information, have developed my research, analytical, communication and negotiation skills, as well as resolution and position paper writing.

Natalia Cataranciuc, delegate of Turkey : Model United Nations was the best experience I had so far, as all my expectations for the project were far reached. I was interested to find out more about the United Nations and experience the decision-making process within the Security Council, goals accomplished at the Conference. I have now understood that each initiative during formal session has to strictly comply with specific rules of procedure. One of the main challenges at the Conference was to reach a compromise between the very different interests of Member-States. That’s where we applied the diplomacy and tolerance skills formed during the preparatory phase in order to adopt common resolutions.

Ecaterina Vilcu, delegate of Lebanon: Model United Nations helps develop negotiation, public speaking and competitive skills. I would like to participate at similar projects on a regional and international level, as well.     Natalia Pinzaru, delegate of Lebanon: The project was indisputably a huge success and its organization was at the highest level. I applied for it in order to understand the rules and procedures at the United Nations and to actually perform them. I think the most useful aspect of the Conference was related to the rules of procedure and the opportunity to debate certain issues in informal session, thus performing real negotiations and achieving a consensus at the end, mainly regarding the topic of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.  Participation in such a project gives the opportunity to combine productive work with socialization and fun.  Certainly, in the future, I would like to apply to MUN projects and, moreover, I would like to get involved in the organization of a regional project.

Elena Bulubas, delegate of the United Kingdom: I found out about the project during a presentation at my university and found this idea innovative. I think this experience should be continued in the future, too, as it offers both new knowledge, through trainings and seminars, and the opportunity to apply it during the Conference. I’ve learnt new negotiation strategies, which will definitely help me in the future. One lesson learnt during the project is that countries need to give up some ambitions in order to reach a common point, which is very necessary.

Rodica Mirza, delegate of Gabon: Now I understand the concept of the Model United Nations, having experienced its flow and procedures. I associate this project with activism, interest, knowledge, but also stress. I think that researching the issues on the agenda (which is one of the skills I developed during the project) brings curiosity and raises awareness, and as a result, I am now more interested in all the details related to the problems discussed.

Maria Vizdoaga, delegate of Japan: The Model UN Conference was a success, both from the prespective of its organization, as well as taking into consideration the level of preparation of delegates. I plan for the future an internship with the United Nations and maybe even to work within the UN system, and the participation at the Conference helped me understand important details regarding the Security Council sessions and the way problems need to be addressed. I want to stress the high level of organization of the Conference and thank once again the organizers.

Overview on the Training Phase of the project

Model United Nations Moldova 2010 has completed the training phase of the project, providing participants with 7 sessions in a format of seminars/workshops/ trainings on different United Nations-related topics. (See the Agenda of each session at „Sessions”) .

What did the participants learn? Here is a short overview of all the sessions:

 Mr. Octavian Ţâcu, Director of the Institute of History and Political Science, Free International University of Moldova, elaborated on the history and origins of the United Nations, including the forerunner of the U.N.- the League of Nations. The speaker also underlined the structure and competencies of each U.N. body; as well as their functions, areas of activity and voting procedures.

The participants got a better understanding of the issues on the United Nations agenda and the way the United States of America addresses them from the presentation of Ms. Daria Fane, Political and Economic Section Chief, U.S. Embassy in Moldova. The speaker remarked that “globalization is a reality, which means that events taking place far away are accessible to you right now. The agenda at the U.N. is very complex, but all issues have something in common: they are transnational issues, which know no boundaries”. She also stated that Model U.N. is a good learning experience and underlined the “vision that you can change the world and make it a better place, a hope that’s deeply rooted within the American experience”. Ms. Fane reiterated the priorities of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations for 2010 and answered the participants’ questions, as well.

Mr. Alexei Tulbure, former Permanent Representative of Republic of Moldova to the United Nations, shared his experience as a diplomat at the United Nations, making a comparison between the way decisions are adopted at the Council of Europe and United Nations and the complexities of formal and informal sessions of the U.N. The speaker referred to the efforts in promoting the country’s profile and image, addressing Moldova’s priorities and results at the United Nations at that time, including lobbying to set on the agenda the frozen conflicts from the GUAM region, cooperation with the Law Bar Association in New York, the chairmanship of the 46^th Session of the Social Development Commission of ECOSOC, as well as other initiatives. Mr. Tulbure also stated that unfortunately „the United Nations was never a priority for the Moldovan diplomacy, because we have to concentrate on the European issues, and that is the case now as well. The subestimation of the importance of this global organization had its negative repercurssions on the image of the country on the international arena”.

„Diplomatic strategies and tactics at the United Nations are directly related to bloc politics, which has long-standing historical roots”, stated Mr. Andrei Ilaşciuc, Lecturer at the State University of Moldova, International Relations, Political and Administrative Science Faculty. He elaborated on the evolution of blocks’ formation inside the United Nations, referring to the capitalist and socialist blocks during the Cold War, the bloc of decolonised states, North-South axis, developed and „developing states which have a strong lobby at the organization”, as well as the 5 actual geopolitical groupings at the United Nations: African Group, Asian Group, Eastern European Group, Latin American and Caribbean Group, and Western European and Others Group. The speaker also outlined the factors which contribute to the use of bloc politics, the importance of negotiating blocs both at an expert and diplomatic level in drafting resolutions that will be subsequently voted in plenary sessions, as well as the tactics and strategies applied at the United Nations.

The participants had the chance to find out more about the cooperation with the United Nations from the perspective of Moldova’s foreign policy in the presentation of Mr. Sergiu Mihov, Chief of the United Nations and  Specialized Agencies Section of the Department of Multilateral Cooperation of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, who elaborated on the evolution of Moldova-United Nations cooperation, results and achievements of Moldova’s delegation at the United Nations, as well as national priorities for 2010 year. Among the main goals for 2010, the guest speaker mentioned the creation of a favorable image of Moldova in a multilateral format and the promotion of Moldova’s strategic objectives (including European Union integration, territorial reintegration) at the United Nations. According to Mr. Mihov, Moldova supports the Security Council reform and desires the allocation of one additional non-permanent seat for the Eastern European Group at the Security Council. “The real decisions are adopted at a regional level, thus the United Nations institutions should be more representative, for being stronger”, mentioned the guest speaker.

Furthemore, the project provided a learning forum on global issues and their security implications.

Having held a presentation on human rights and their link to security, Mr. Claude Cahn, Human Rights Adviser, United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator in Moldova, explained the ways and the context which brings human rights abuses to the International Criminal Court (ICC), including through an authorization made by the United Nations Security Council. The speaker addressed specifically the case of the Mugabe Government in Zimbabwe and Operation Murambatsvina, which is “a clear violation of international law”, according to the Report of the U.N. Special Envoy on Human Settlements Issues in Zimbabwe. Subsequently, the speaker asked the 30 Model U.N. participants to deduct each 2007 Security Council member’s position on an eventual Mugabe’s indictment by ICC. As a result, the participants, with the speaker’s help, identified countries that were either supporting or neglecting the cause. As a conclusion, the speaker mentioned that “human rights is often lost in geopolitical chess”.

Mrs. Nadja Vetters, UNDP Moldova Environment Portfolio Manager, tackled the problem of climate change and its negative impact on ecosystems, agriculture, human lives, transport infrastructure, sea level, temperatures etc. The speaker compared the vulnerability of different countries to this global issue and stated that “in 2007 all, but one, emergency appeals for humanitarian aid were climate-related”. In the same year United Nations Security Council held the first ever debate on climate change and its implications for peace and security, while the General Assembly adopted a Resolution in 2009 that reiterated the link between climate change and security. At the end, Ms. Vetters concluded that “climate change is a threat multiplier”, thus having direct implications with international security.

The delegates also found out more about the United Nations specialized agencies and activities in Moldova, with a focus on UNAIDS. Ms. Gabriela Ionaşcu, UNAIDS Country Coordinator, tackled the institutional and legal framework of UNAIDS, the Agency’s partners and objectives in Moldova, addressing specifically the Declaration of Commitment on Fighting HIV/AIDS, signed by Moldova in 2001. She underlined that HIV/AIDS was the first ever disease to be discussed at the U.N. Security Council, stating that “it is a threat to all nations, including the Republic of Moldova”.

Besides the seminars provided by professional guest speakers and experts, the participants were offered with a more practical approach of learning, while attending trainings on “Negotiations and Debate”, conducted by Corneliu Cirimpei, former Coach of the National Country’s Team for World Debate Championships and Officer of the National Debate League and “Public Speaking”, conducted by Andrei Panici, public speaking trainer for civic and political youth groups. This training module emphasized the elements, ethical principles, categories, formats and structure of debate (including formal and informal, policy and value debates).  The trainers also referred to the audience-speaker relation, topic and structure of a speech, ways and elements of formulating and delivering speeches. The delegates afterwards applied what they learnt while presenting speeches for their country’s policy on the agenda topics of the Model U.N. Conference, to be organized in April. (Topics and Countries were assigned on March 13^th, for more details see: “The Conference”).

The participants learnt about the actual format of Model U.N. Conference, through workshops provided by young leaders with experience in the area. Mihai Popsoi, Model U.N. Moldova 2010 Conference Responsible and participant at Model E.U. Conferences in Ankara and Cluj-Napoca, shared his experience on the lifecycle of decisions at the Model U.N. and the flow of debate, which starts with roll-call, setting the agenda, formal and informal debate, and voting procedures as a result. Andrei Iovu, participant at Model U.N. and Model NATO in the U.S.A., focused on research and preparation, as essential tool for a successful participation at the Conference. While using the 7-step strategy for a Model U.N. research of the Stanford University, he presented participants useful tips for researching the issues on the agenda and the country background. Olga Bogdan, Model U.N. Moldova 2010 Project Coordinator and participant at Model U.N. Conferences in St.Louis, Chicago and New York, shared her own experience with Model U.N. and delivered presentations on  position paper and resolution writing, including their structure, format, phrasing and amendments; as well as voting patterns and rules at the Model U.N. Tatiana Juravscaia, Model U.N. Human Resources Responsible, underlined the importance of diplomatic conduct and courtesy during the Conference, the specific formulations and proper language and attire that are to be taken into consideration at Model U.N.   Tatiana Sanina, Participant at American Model United Nations 2009 in Chicago, trained participants on Model U.N. rules of procedure, referring specifically to points of information, order and inquiry and such motions as suspension of the meeting, adjournment of debate, consultative session, etc.

The participants of the project had the opportunity to interact with leaderes of the Youth Association of International Conferences at National Chengchi University, Taipei, who organized the World Model U.N. Conference 2010. During the 1-hour video conference, the delegates learnt about the main challenges and benefits that Model U.N. offers, the exact path that a conference takes and the results it should achieve. Audrey Yu-Hua Chang, President of the above-mentioned Association stated that “if in the future a national or international Model U.N. in Moldova starts, we would be pleased to attend”.

Realized by Olga Bogdan,

Model U.N. Moldova 2010 Project Coordinator

Project organized with an award from the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Department of State, through a program implemented by IREX, with the support of the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center and the United Nations in Moldova.