Georgetown University: School of Foreign Service in Qatar

More than 325 high school students from around the world came together in Doha to participate in the third annual Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar Model United Nations Conference.

The keynote speech of the conference featured career diplomat Andrew Natsios who played a key role in U.S. efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in Darfur. In his speech, Natsios shared his experiences as an international diplomat and discussed the importance of international systems, such as the UN, in providing support to impoverished people around the world.

The students discussed a variety of topics, including: Iran’s place on the international stage, US policy on torture, the Israeli/Palestine Peace Process, governmental responses to global warming, and NATO's mission in Afghanistan. The delegates from 22 nations had the chance to experience life as an international diplomat, and to meet and mingle with the diplomatic community in Doha.

In the three-day international UN simulation, the high school students were divided into 8 committees representing international governing bodies such as the UN Security Council, the African Union, NATO and the Arab League. Each student assumed the role of a member country delegate on the governing body of his or her committee. SFS-Qatar students served as Chairs and Co-chairs of the committees.

Brendan Hill, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at SFS-Qatar, considers the experience as a valuable lesson on how diversity can be a force of unity rather than separation. "Our students did a wonderful job chairing the committees. I think that the participating high school students gained so much from the expertise of our students," Hill said.

Tara Makarem, a freshman from SFS-Qatar sees a strong connection between what she is learning in the classroom and the MUN experience. "A lot of what we discuss is actually based on understanding history and current global issues. History is very important in drafting resolutions because it tells us what has previous worked and what did not," said Makarem.

Throughout the conference, the students participated in sessions where they discussed a variety of pressing international issues. After concluding its final session, each committee held a final debrief where subject experts discussed the simulation. In these debrief sessions, the expert observer provided critique and evaluation of the discussion processes and the resulting resolutions.

The weekend concluded with a diplomatic lunch at the Marriott. The students had the chance to meet ambassadors from their country, as well as delegations from the countries they represented. The lunch was crowned by an awards ceremony which honored outstanding delegates as nominated by the chairs and co-chairs of their respective committees.

The Model United Nations conference is organized annually by the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) to offer high school students the opportunity to build practical experience in international diplomacy. According to Mehran Kamrava, the Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies, “This lunch is a climax of three successful days where aspiring young diplomats put their skills to test and practice the art and science of diplomacy. The expertise they take with them is invaluable in introducing them to the value of compromise, dialogue and understanding."