Model United Nations in Aden 23 and 24 August, 2006 [Archives:2006/974/Local News]

SANA'A, Aug. 20 ) For the first time in Aden the popular Model United Nations role-play game is being played.

The game is popular with students all over the world and regularly students gather in commissions of up to 50 participants and model an official diplomat of a country, an international organization or international non-governmental organizations.

The most important roles in Model United Nations are played by the students as they represent the president of commission and his vice-president. The president opens formal sessions, organizing the speakers list, reminding the fellow diplomats to agree on an appropriate speaker's time and reminding them to stick to the diplomatic contacts. Of course all contextual influx needs to come from the students representing the discussing parties. The students are asked to submit speeches on the topic, exchange arguments and transmit their opinions in a comprehensive and complex way, not using more time than allotted by the committee. Formal sessions can be interrupted by an informal session during which students discuss arguments informally and draft common statements. Finally, the participants vote on a common statement submitted by at least five parties. Of course, the spoken and written language will be English as in the real diplomatic life.

On the initiative of the German Development Service (DED) and the Cultural Department of the German Consulate together with the French Cultural Center (CCCL), AMIDEAST, MALI and the American Language Center these Model United Nations will be held in Aden for the long-term development of Yemen with students representing countries like Germany, France, the USA, international organizations like the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council and Yemeni ministries.

The objectives of this event are: The participating students will improve their spoken and written English language and will learn about diplomatic conducts, finding common solutions to difficult stand-points, and reflect on the actual social and economic situation of Yemen and its future development potential.

Forty students will be invited to participate in an introduction seminar Aug 17 at AMIDEAST with guest speakers from the German Development Service and Yemeni ministries. The final Model United Nations will take place on Aug 24 at the American Language Center, Khormaksar.

Model United Nations in Aden is the first common project between all language institutes in Khormaksar. There are still some places available to participants. Interested students are requested to contact Mr. Jochen Moninger in the department of Cultural Affairs in the German Consulate in Khormaksar by Aug 14, as the selection of the participants will be finalized on the Aug 17 for the orientation seminar. This program hopes to grow and occur annually, possibly in cooperation with a real United Nations body like UNHCR or UNDP.
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