Press Conference Remarks
by Secretary-General, Ami Nash & President of Host Team, Jason Hou
Ami: Thanks to everyone for being here; we're extremely excited to be starting World Model United Nations' 19th annual conference here in Taipei in just a couple of days, with the tremendous team of students from NTU as our hosts.Jason: First of all, on behalf of the entire WorldMUN Team, we deliver our thanks to National Taiwan University, WorldMUN's generous sponsors and supporters, and hundreds of staffs and volunteers from the NTU Host Team & Harvard Team, along with the press representatives here with us today.
So how exactly does WorldMUN work? WorldMUN is a simulation or "model" of the United Nations and many international organizations in which college and university students step into the roles of foreign diplomats to debate and form new solutions on the world's most pressing issues. This year we have 22 committees led by Harvard, NTU students, and students from all over Taiwan.
Ami: WorldMUN is often called the "Olympics" of Model United Nations, bringing together the brightest students interested in international affairs from around the globe, in a new international city each year. University students from multiple universities "bid" to host WorldMUN in their city each year in a highly competitive process; NTU has bid 5 times in the past ten years, exhibiting true persistence and dedication to WorldMUN and this past year their work was truly incredible. This year WorldMUN is thrilled to welcome 1800+ delegates from 200+ delegations and 54 countries here in Taipei. WorldMUN prepares future world leaders not with just negotiation skills and public-speaking practice, but with the global network that would truly help them to affect change. WorldMUN's packed schedule: 5 days, 20+ hours of committee session, 10 workshops/activites, 5 social events, and WorldMUN's largest post-conference trip yet. We're keen to not only offer delegates a window into the life of a dimplomat; but also to experience an entirely new international city.
Jason: For this year, we will lead delegates to go through Taipei's landmarks, taste its famous delicacies, and meet the wonderfully hospitable people. We also planned Social Events with differenct themes for each night. Ideas of the events are deep rooted from Taiwanese and Eastern cultures. Delegates can meet and form friendships with students from around the world and also experience Taipei's rich culture.
Ami: Our guiding value in organizing this conference is the "WorldMUN Spirit" - a commitment to collaboration across cultures and opennes to new ideas. The NTU Team has really exemplified this spirit, from their bid - to today. The NTU Host Team's innovations have brought conference to an entirely new level - and will continue to have impact for years to come, and their dedication and enthusiasm are really inspiring to our team. When the Harvard secretariat first arrived at Harvard as first-year studnets, we always heard that we would meet some of the world's smartest students; and Harvard did provide that - by offering me the chance to meet students from NTU through WorldMUN!
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P.S. Thanks to Host Team's Public Relations and Fundraising team for their efforts on the press conference.
