Chemnitz delegation got the highest award in New York
At the world biggest UN simulation the team from TU Chemnitz got four awards, including the highest award for delegations and is one of the most successful participants of the conference
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Faculty Advisor Dr. Antje Nötzold (M.) presents proudly with the Head Delegates Robert Baumgart and Anastasia Bass the Outstanding Delegation Award, the highest award. All photos: private -
The NMUN-2014-delegation of the TU Chemnitz near the temporary building of the General Assembly. -
Robert Baumgart (left) and Benedict Wendler received an award for their position paper at the 3rd Committee of the General Assembly. -
Anastasia Bass was honored with an award for her position paper of the Human Rights Council. -
And an award for his position paper in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons went to Jonas Heid.
The student`s delegation of Technische Universität Chemnitz is one of the most successful teams, that participated from 30th March to 3rd April 2014 in the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference. For the world biggest UN simulation about 5,000 students from 300 universities come each year to New York. This year 15 students from Chemnitz got four coveted awards. For their outstanding preparation they received the `Outstanding Position Paper Award´ in three committees - the Human Rights Council, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the General Assembly Third Committee. The position papers had to show the relevant positions and objectives of the country and cover three possible simulation topics.
Besides the awards for the preparation, the delegations were evaluated concerning their active cooperation as well as the realistic representation of their assigned country. Thereby the Chemnitz delegation was awarded for their excellent participation and representation of Libya with the highest possible award, the `Outstanding Delegation Award´. TU Chemnitz is the second best delegation from Germany that participated at the NMUN Conference 2014. TU Chemnitz is the only university in Saxony that participated in the NMUN conference in New York - already for the eleventh time. This year the Chemnitz students represented in their role as diplomats the interest of the young State of Libya.
During their stay in the United States of America the students not only participated in the simulation in New York, where they gave speeches, represented interests and negotiated compromises as well as prepared and adopted resolutions - exactly as real UN diplomats. To be ready for their task, the students have prepared in weekly meetings since October 2013. Besides the preparation for the countries position, the `Rules of Procedure´ and special procedural rules of UN sessions were trained. After training simulations in Hamburg and Chemnitz the trip to the USA was the highlight of the NMUN project. Before the simulation the students gained in Washington D.C. and New York an insight of global politics and Libyan positions - among others at the German Embassy, the Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN, the Middle East Institute, the US-Libya Business Association as well as special highlight at the Libyan Mission to the UN by the Libyan ambassador his Excellency Ibrahim Dabbashi.
Team leader Dr. Antje Nötzold is very pleased about the excellent results of the Chemnitz students. "The awards honor the intensive and very good preparation of our delegation. That’s why students as diplomats could impress at the UN simulation with their knowledge about the UN procedure and realistic presentation of the Libyan interests. I am very proud of `my delegation´," the staff of the Professorship for International Relations, where the project is hosted, says. Also Prof. Dr. Beate Neuss, Chair of the Professorship for International Relations, is impressed by the high level of the `Uni goes UNO´ project as well as by the yearly awards of the Chemnitz NMUN teams: "The students of TU Chemnitz were in 2014 as well as in the years before more successful than delegations of many other famous universities around the world. This deservers my respect!”
Students of all courses of studies could participate in the project `Uni goes UNO´, which will be continued for the next NMUN conference in 2015. "We are looking forward to have in 2015 again a motivated team that not only will be successful in New York, but also learn during the intensive preparation much about procedures in global politics, debating in the working language English, the exchange with international simulation participants and of course working in a team,” adds Prof. Neuss.
Keyword: UN simulation (National Model United Nations)
In 35 countries around the world thousands of students yearly simulate sessions and negotiations of the United Nations at so called `Model United Nations (MUN)´. The NMUN - the biggest and most popular simulation - takes place every year at the United Nations headquarters in New York. In 2014 around 5,000 students represented their countries positions, trained their negotiation skills and discussed and voted on resolutions for several days at the conference. Besides the intercultural exchange the main objectives of NMUN are to elate students for the complex work of the United Nations and international relations. Since 2004 student delegations of TU Chemnitz have participated in the NMUN conference. So far they have represented Macedonia, Georgia, Estonia, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Namibia, Ukraine, Turkey, Kazakhstan and this year Libya.
Information about the project and the Chemnitz NMUN delegation: http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/nmun
Travel diary of the 2014 Chemnitz NMUN delegation: http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/tu/presse/aktuell/2/5673
For further information, please contact Dr. Antje Nötzold, Professorship for International Relations, phone +49 371 531 355 70, email antje.noetzold@phil.tu-chemnitz.de.
(Author: Dr. Antje Nötzold, Translation: Jakob Landwehr)
Katharina Thehos
07.04.2014
