National Model United Nations (NMUN) is the largest and oldest ongoing intercollegiate Model United Nations (MUN) in the world. The organization’s annual spring meeting in New York City (NMUN-NY) was held April 10-14 at the Midtown Hilton Manhattan. As with NMUNDC in November 2021, to ensure a safe conference, NMUN-NY required that delegates be vaccinated and wear masks throughout the entirety of the proceedings. Attendees from various colleges throughout the nation and from nearby and overseas nations, such as Canada, Ecuador, France, and Germany came together to discuss global issues affecting the planet. The hard work that St. Petersburg College‘s Model UN (SPC-MUN) students and faculty put into preparing for NMUN-NY since January 2022 paid off.
Once again, SPC-MUN scored top honors. At NMUN-NY, the team was one of only a few colleges to receive the top honor of Outstanding Delegation. Furthermore, two SPC students won Outstanding Position Paper Award, as well. The latter is a very competitive award. As a reminder, in November 2021 at NMUN-DC, SPC-MUN also received the Outstanding Delegation honor, and two student team members were recognized by members of their committee as Outstanding Delegates in Committee.
The entire SPC-MUN team was elated for these consecutive awards, especially since SPC was one of two community colleges to win Outstanding Delegation at both conferences. Indeed, as one ‘veteran’ student stated, “NMUN-NY was a vastly great experience overall with this team than any other. Everyone took part, equally showed up, and made the best strides in their respective committees, assignments, and roles. Through trial and tribulation, we came together as a team and finished as one.”
SPC-MUN faculty and NMUN-NYC traveling team
SPC-MUN faculty is comprised of six professors: Drs. Douglas Rivero (Lead Faculty and Seminole professor), Roberto Loureiro (Gibbs), Bledar Prifti (Seminole), Bill Fleming (Gibbs), Randy Lightfoot (Tarpon Springs), and myself, Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot (Gibbs). SPC-MUN delegation to NYC was led by myself and Dr. Randy Lightfoot. Student attendees included Alyvia Hallock, Nile Jordan Nickel, Felix Nickel, Angela Li, Alexandria Lanni, Mia Newsom, Duke Panagiotis, Hunter Hise, Therese Leyva, Yadira Rivers, Joshua Brown, Max Kohn, Elsa Al Awar, Jacqueline Bodon, and Alexander Gil. Angela Li and Duke Panagiotis served as head delegates for the team.
SPC-MUN representing Kazakhstan in NYC
This time in NYC, SPC-MUN represented the country of Kazakhstan. Hence, since January, MUN students learned about Kazakhstan and its foreign policy. Under the guidance of the faculty, they simulated their future participation at the conference through various hands-on activities and virtual meetings, including with the University of New Haven’s MUN team. SPC-MUN team represented Kazakhstan in the following UN committees: UNEA (United Nations Environment Assembly); GA 1 (General Assembly First Committee); GA 2 (General Assembly Second Committee); GA 3 (General Assembly Third Committee); IOM (International Organization for Migration); UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); UN Women (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women); and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).
Topics for discussion for conference delegates included: Drastically Reducing Maritime Pollution, including Plastic (UNEA), Reducing Nuclear Danger (GA1), Continued Implementation of the Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018–2027) (GA2), Ensuring Equitable and Inclusive Access to Education (GA3), Migration and Racial Discrimination (IOM), Fostering Digital Civic Engagement by Young People (UNICEF), Women as Drivers of Economic Recovery and Resilience (UN Women), and The Nuclear Situation in Iran: Follow-Up on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (IAEA).
Lastly, while their focus was purely on the MUN conference, team members were also able to visit NYC, including its famous museums, as well as enjoy a guided tour of the United Nations (UN).
Next step: fall recruitment and future conferences
The 2021-2022 SPC-MUN year is over. By all measures, it was a very successful one. Soon, it will be time for faculty to plan the next MUN year (2022-2023). Since NMUN has many conferences already scheduled for the incoming year, SPC-MUN will have plenty to choose from. However, the new recruitment period for fall 2022 will not start until late August. That gives current members time to celebrate their remarkable achievements, especially for all our ‘veterans’ (Alexander Gil, Alexandria Lanni, Nile Jordan Nickel, Alyvia Hallock, and Angela Li). They will be graduating this semester and, unfortunately, have come at the end of their SPC-MUN journey. They will be dearly missed.
Finally, SPC-MUN students and faculty are grateful for the support they have received since the creation of SPC-MUN from the college and Dean Joseph Smiley, as well as the overall campus community. SPC-MUN is looking forward to carrying out the college flag and enhancing SPC’s national and global reputation in future years.