Model U.N. meets at Pitt

International issues were debated and resolutions were reached on Monday, but it was only… International issues were debated and resolutions were reached on Monday, but it was only practice.

Nov. 4 marked the Sixth Annual University of Pittsburgh Model United Nations Conference. Thirty-three high schools, mostly from the Pittsburgh area and including one from Ohio, came together to compete, discuss important issues in the international community and to socialize with other high school students with the same interests.

The 406 students, representing 50 countries including the United States, Mongolia and the Syrian Arab Republic, were divided into seven bodies including the World Health Organization, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations Security Council.

Within those groups the students used parliamentary procedure and both formal and informal debate skills to come to resolutions, which were then formally written as their courses of action.

The issues discussed are currently affecting the world, such as NATO support of U.S. action against Iraq, the sale of nuclear weapons, and female genital mutilation.

The event, sponsored by several organizations including Pitt’s University Center for International Studies, the Pitt Model U.N. club, the Pittsburgh chapter of the World Federalist Association, and the University Honors College, is a large project that the members of the Pitt Model U.N. have been planning since December, according to Secretary General Felix Yerace.

“We have elections in December, meet throughout the course of the school year, with a few meeting over the summer, and then we’re ready for the conference,” Yerace said.

The World Federalist Association also helped with preparations for the conference by holding workshops for students to work on the skills needed for the competition. The judges are looking for those who stay in the character of their country, provide relevant information and display their preparation for the event through knowledge of their topic.

Many of the participants thought the conference was a success and agreed that the model U.N. is a good organization.

“It really gets high school students acclimated to the United Nations and international relations,” said Jennifer Stephan, one of the moderators of the World Health Organization committee.