THE “2ND NDU MUN” CONFERENCE

The “2nd NDU MUN” conference was held between April 21 and 22, 2018, at the Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) Zouk campus, attracting more than 250 students who registered from 22 schools across Lebanon.  This year’s theme, “Technology and the Future of Sustainable Development,” was the culmination of many months of hard work by the NDU MUN Executive Committee and NDU MUN members, under the supervision of the Office of Student Affairs (SAO) at NDU.

Dr. Elie Badr, Vice-President for Academic Affairs at NDU, delivered the welcome note and highlighted the importance and benefits of participating in the conference. Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, Secretary General of the UN Envoy on Youth, appeared via a short prerecorded video message that was screened to participants where she encouraged them to become more involved in UN youth contributions around the world. Guest of Honor Ms. Pernille Dahler Kardel, Under-Secretary-General and UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, discussed “The Member State and Staff Perspectives on the United Nations.” Finally, Ms. Maryam Nsaif, NDU MUN Secretary-General,  explained how the NDU MUN experience benefits participants.

Students were divided into seven committees: GA-1 DISEC, FHRC, FOA, ECOSOC, UNW, HSC, and SC where they contributed to the fruitful debates in their respective committees. Each of the committees tackled unique topics, which opened the floor to delegates to demonstrate their diplomatic prowess and public speaking skills, and conceive inspiring resolutions for the issues at hand.

After a day of exploring the different aspects of the UN and the way it functions, the delegates enjoyed a cultural bash organized by the NDU MUN team, which saw Ms. Maribelle Maalouf, vocalist, and Mr. Nader Bou Nader, guitarist, performing upbeat songs. Ms. Perla Sawma, accompanied by Mr. Franco Saadeh on the guitar, then took the stage and sang popular melodies from different eras. DJ NIC and then DJ HALF INCH entertained the delegates with modern tunes and mixes.

The second day witnessed two more sessions to conclude the debates and finalize the resolutions. The competitive spirit among delegates ran high throughout the day.

To end the day, an informal and light-hearted celebration was held in Issam Fares Hall where a video summarizing the conference was screened. Finally, Ms. Maria Rajha, Under Secretary General of Operations;  Mr. Steven El Hoyek, Under Secretary General of Academic Affairs;  and Ms. Maryam Nsaif, Secretary General,  delivered their closing speeches in the presence of the Dean of Students at NDU Mrs. Joyce Menassa. A token of appreciation was then presented to Mrs. Menassa and to Mr. Melhem Rechdan, NDU MUN Advisor and Assistant Dean of Students at NDU, for their continuous support. Mr. Rechdan thanked the NDU MUN members and executive committee for their hard work. The committee members were composed of the following students at NDU:

The team of professional NDU MUN chairs awarded prizes to the delegates who gave outstanding performances. The seven delegates that won the “Best Delegate Award” received a 50 percent discount upon enrollment for their first year at NDU, and the 14 delegates who won the “Diplomacy Award” were granted a 25 percent discount upon enrollment for their first year at NDU. Below is the list of winners and honorable mentions:

Winning Schools