Across the globe, Model UN simulations are popular ways for students to learn more about the UN. However, they tend to focus solely on the intergovernmental process. That is why the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) launched “The Real United Nations: An Interactive Briefing Series for Model UNs”. The goal is to allow UN staff and diplomats to share their stories with Model UN participants and explain what they actually do to achieve UN mandates.
In 2020, for the first time, the series branched out from Model UN clubs and started visiting actual Model UN conferences as well.
On 18 January, a panel briefed 122 participants at the Columbia Model United Nations Conference and Exposition (CMUNCE) at Columbia University. Panelists included Lonjezo Hamisi and Brenden Varma of the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) and Simone Eymann-Pasquini of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN. Some of the questions were about the panelists’ career paths and personal experiences at the UN. One female attendee wanted to know from Simone whether it was difficult being a woman at the UN. Another participant asked how the UN was responding to the global rise of fascist movements and threats to multilateralism. The room was so packed that some students had to sit on the floor, but the discussion remained animated and lively.
On 20 February, Charlotte Larbuisson of the UN Department of Peace Operations, María Solís of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and Brenden Varma of DGC, visited The City College of New York (CCNY). The nearly 60 participants included members of the City College Model United Nations Student Club and students enrolled in the City College International Studies Program’s “Model United Nations” course. Since all the panelists had served both at UN Headquarters in New York and in various field locations in Africa, students asked them about the differences between Headquarters and field life, as well as the difficulties of working far from one’s country and family. Panelists were also asked how the UN Secretariat encourages countries to take certain actions without interfering with their national sovereignty.
On 5 March, “The Real United Nations” interacted with its largest gathering ever – nearly 2,300 participants at the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) Conference. Although sessions normally take place outside of United Nations Headquarters, this event happened in the United Nations General Assembly Hall. Given the size of the audience, two separate panels were held. Joining Brenden Varma on the first panel were Nichola Sabelo from the Permanent Mission of South Africa to the UN and Maymuchka Lauriston from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Explaining how the UN had impacted her life personally, Nichola said that, without the pressure put by the UN on South Africa to end apartheid, she, as a black South African, might never have ended up working as a diplomat at the UN.
The second panel consisted of Tunga Ganbold of DPPA, Diani Jimesha Arianne Prince of the Permanent Mission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the UN, and Brenden Varma. Model UN participants who were playing the role of diplomats from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines asked Diani what it was like to actually represent the smallest country to ever sit on the UN Security Council. Another student asked the panel, “Model UN focuses on diplomacy and compromise. At the real UN, how do you apply this ideal and reach consensus?”
According to a survey conducted after the NHSMUN sessions, 91 per cent of participants said the experience had increased their understanding of what it was like to work at the UN, and 77 per cent said they would apply what they had learned to a study or Model UN activity.
Following the March sessions, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became impossible to visit schools. “The Real United Nations” therefore started exploring other ways to interact with Model UN participants. Technology provided an opportunity in the form of virtual gatherings.
On 17 June, “The Real United Nations” was happy to hold its first online session in collaboration with MUN Impact, an organization dedicated to inspiring Model UN students to take real action in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The panelists were Roshelle Henry of the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the UN; Cianna O’Connell of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS); and Brenden Varma of DGC. The briefing was attended by 129 participants from 31 countries across the globe. Questions tackled such topics as how peacekeeping operations and refugee assistance efforts were being affected by COVID-19; the use of the veto power in the Security Council; the role of civil society at the UN; and the human rights of people of African descent.
In a survey following the session, 95 per cent of respondents said the experience had increased their understanding of what it was like to work at the UN, and 86 per cent said they would apply what they had learned to a study or Model UN activity.
On 12 August, “The Real United Nations” collaborated with MUN Impact on a second virtual session. The audience, which was made up of 101 students from 24 countries, included a sizeable contingent from the Model UN club at the Gems Modern Academy in Dubai. Joining DGC’s Brenden Varma on the panel were Margo Deiye, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Nauru to the UN, and Patricia Da Silva of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). Since the three panelists represented three major parts of the UN family – including Member States, the Secretariat and agencies – they were able to offer a truly holistic view of the Organization. And Margo showed her dedication by participating directly from her island country in the South Pacific, where it was 2:00 a.m. The questions focused on such topics as how UN resolutions are implemented, what the UN could do about human rights violations across the globe, and whether it would be possible to meet the SDGs by 2030.
Showcasing the diversity of the people who work at the UN, the 2020 “Real United Nations” panels have thus far featured nationals of the following countries: Angola; Belgium; Canada; Ireland; Jamaica; Malawi; Mexico; Mongolia; Nauru; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; South Africa; Switzerland; and the United States.