Georgetown University: School of Foreign Service in Qatar

Doha, Qatar — On 11 January 2007, more than 400 secondary school students from around the world gathered in Doha, Qatar, for the second annual Georgetown University Model United Nations Conference.  For the next 4 days, students from countries including Afghanistan, Algeria, Greece, India, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Thailand will engage in dialogue and debate over the most pressing international issues of the day, including Iran’s nuclear program, democracy in the Middle East, the current situation in Darfur and Somalia, as well as the financing of terrorist organizations.  

“Model United Nations is a necessary part of what we do.  This event is more than just teaching students about the substance of international politics,” James Reardon-Anderson, Dean of the School of Foreign Service in Qatar, said.  “As an institution committed to global engagement and intercultural understanding, we believe that a conference such as this is a wonderful way to teach the future leaders of the world how to communicate and compromise, and show these students how similar we actually are.”

The opening ceremonies featured a keynote speech by Tim Sebastian, host of the Doha Debates, a TV program that is broadcast on BBC World.  Remarks were also offered by H.E. Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saud Al-Thani, Chief of the Amiri Diwan and former Qatari Ambassador to the United States.  “I can think of no better way of creating a shared understanding of global challenges or creating the next generation of leaders and thinkers who will be able to tackle those problems and challenges than the Model United Nations.”  

During the simulation, students will take on the roles of representatives of various countries on international committees where they will debate current international issues, negotiate and propose resolutions on that topic, and vote on the proposals.  The last committee meeting will be followed by an expert debriefing where students will have an expert on international relations discuss the results of the exercises.  

During their visit to Doha, students will meet members of the local diplomatic corps at a special Diplomatic Lunch.  They will also have a chance to discuss college admissions with representatives of Georgetown University, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Weill Cornell Medical College; the 5 university campuses located in Education City.