NAIMUN LIX at QAIC
On February 18 & 19, QAIC had the pleasure to host a two-day program for students and staff of the 59th North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN) Conference right here at our Headquarters in Washington, DC.
NAIMUN LIX continues to be the largest student-run Model United Nations (MUN) conference in the world and is one of the oldest and most competitive MUN conferences for North American high school students. With more than 3,300 of the best delegates from around the world, NAIMUN has been dubbed the “high school championship” of MUN. Every year the conference typically hosts thousands of students from North America and hundreds of Georgetown University staff. It connects students and advisers from around the world to discuss real-world issues and offer unique perspectives on international affairs.
Like many Model United Nations (MUN) conferences around the world, NAIMUN is an educational simulation that mimics the structure, organization, and dynamics of the UN in which students can learn about diplomacy, international affairs, and development. At NAIMUN, students are expected to be representatives of the country, organization, or person, they are assigned and must solve real-life global issues with other delegates from around the world. In addition to being a fun and engaging tool for learning, it also teaches participants skills such as research, public speaking, debating, writing, leadership, and critical thinking. It is meant to engage students and allow them to develop a deeper understanding of current world issues
The first day was a networking event for students and staffers, providing them with an opportunity to learn more about Qatar, the Arab, and Islamic World. The program included speeches from our Executive Director, Fatima Al Dosari, and student delegates from NAIMUN. Visitors had the chance to intimately tour our space and experience our perfumery museum and various exhibitions that are currently on display. To further elevate their experience and introduction to Qatar and the Middle East, local Calligraphy Artist Maryam Lodin was also invited to take part in the event and create live calligraphy artwork for visitors. Following a long day of meetings and sessions, students and staff of NAIMUN LIX enjoyed a delicious Middle Eastern spread including a wide variety of dishes from Levantine cuisine such as kibbeh, hummus, dolma, and tabbouleh.
In continuation with the program, on Saturday, QAIC’s Executive Director, Fatima Al-Dosari delivered a lecture to students and staffers of NAIMUN. During the program, she addressed concepts such as “soft power”, cultural diplomacy, Qatar’s soft power approach, and overall Qatar-US cultural relations.
You can learn more about the conference at naimun.modelun.org.
