August 2017- Model UN exercise preparation

A training session on Model UN Conference was organized in Tehran by the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in cooperation with the International Studies Journal (ISJ). The Model UN Conference will simulate the session of the Security Council on “Non-proliferation/Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)”, AVA Diplomatic reports.

The full day session was held at the UN Office in Iran on 3 August 2017 with the participation of some 40 graduate students, participants of the Model UN (MUN) Conference.

After UNIC Officer-in-Charge Mr. Mohammad Moghadam welcoming remarks, University Professor and the editor-in-chief of the ISJ Dr. Mehdi Zakerian, spoke about the new educational methods in law and international relations focusing on the Security Council simulation for the participants of the MUN.

Then, Ambassador Bagher Asadi, former diplomat and a member of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s “Panel of Eminent Persons on Civil Society and UN Relationships,” spoke about art of diplomatic negotiations. He also briefed the participants about a successful simulation. He encouraged them to hold the simulation in English.

“Crisis analysis in DPRK and the future scenarios” was the title of speech of the next speaker Dr. Mohammad Reza Dehshiri professor of Ministry of Foreign Affairs School of International Relations (SIR)

Dr. Seyed Hossein Sadat Meidani another SIR professor discussed with the audience the art of compromise and how to draft a Security Council resolution.

Finally Ms. Nazanin Ghaemmaghami, UNIC Reference Assistant, briefed the group on some links to the UN Charter, Basic Facts about the UN and UN at a Glance. She also helped the participants to learn how to navigate through the Security Council website with the emphasis on its provisional rules of procedure, working methods handbook and different SC documents. Persian copies of the  UN Charter were distributed among the participants.

One of the participants of the MUN preparation session

“I am confident that I will learn a lot about the UN while representing Egypt as the president of the Council in this Model UN Conference.

I hope I can organize similar conference at the NGO named  Organization for Defending Victims of Violence (ODVV) where I work,” said Ms. Farzaneh Mostofii.

During this training session, the members of the 15 teams/delegations had the opportunity to exchange views with each other and with the UNIC staff towards preparing for the “Security Council simulation” which will be held on 24 August 2017.