In 2024, the United Nations Model UN Programme, managed by the Department of Global Communications, continued its initiative entitled: ¡°The Real United Nations: An Interactive Briefing Series for Model UNs.¡± The idea is for diverse panels of UN staff and diplomats to speak to Model UN clubs and conferences, share their stories with participants and explain what they actually do to achieve UN mandates.
On 14 March, a ¡°Real United Nations¡± panel visited a conference organized by the National High School Model UN (NHSMUN) at the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan. NHSMUN has been described as the world¡¯s largest Model UN, and this particular conference included students from more than 70 countries, between the ages of 13 and 18.
The panel consisted of: Brenden Varma, Manager of the United Nations Model UN Programme, which falls under the United Nations Department of Global Communications; Yanique DaCosta, Counsellor (Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs) at the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations; and Vitorino Mello Oliveira, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations. It addressed 450 participants.
Students asked: what delegates did when their countries¡¯ positions differed from their own opinions; how diplomats handled negotiation processes when people were unwilling to compromise; how staff and diplomats avoided burnout; how young people were being involved in preparations for the Summit of the Future; and how the panelists had managed their career paths.
According to a post-event survey, 96 per cent of respondents agreed that the session had increased their understanding of what it was like to work at the UN, and 71 per cent said they would apply what they learned at the session to a study or Model UN activity.
After the briefing, Yanique wrote: ¡°20+ years ago, my childhood mentors inspired my dreams of working at the UN by sharing their most personal experiences with me. Participating in ¡®The Real United Nations¡¯ series was an incredible opportunity to pay it forward by engaging almost 500 high school students on the human side of the job - on what it really takes to operate in this dynamic space.¡± She was the second Jamaican diplomat to participate in the series since its inception in 2017.
Meanwhile, Vitorino wrote that Model UN (MUN) offered ¡°an unparalleled platform for young minds to engage with complex global issues, develop critical thinking skills, and foster a deep sense of global citizenship.¡± He added: ¡°MUN is not just an extracurricular activity: it's a comprehensive educational experience that prepares participants for the challenges and opportunities of our global world. Model UN helps develop diplomatic negotiation skills, international awareness, critical thinking and problem solving, public speaking and communication, collaboration and networking, empathy and global citizenship.¡± His participation marked the first time a Portuguese national participated on a ¡°Real United Nations¡± panel.