Fighting poverty, overcoming terrorism, and preventing global warming were the real-world issues tackled by more than 80 students from five countries at the first Houston International Model United Nations (HOUMUN) earlier this month at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD).
Similar to the United Nations in New York City, HOUMUN committee delegates discussed topics faced by current world leaders. University and high school students acted as ambassadors from 25 member nations. They debated for long hours at the three-day conference to bring about resolutions and gain understanding of UN dynamics. The exercise polishes students’ skills in debate and global politics.
UHD English major Sara Hood said she enjoyed the challenge.
“Delegates have to think on their feet,” said Hood, a senior who will graduate in May. “Representing Russia, a country with a drastically different value system than the U.S., forced me to look at global issues from a fresh perspective. I learned that all countries and cultures have something to offer on any given issue, and if all of these possibilities are maximized and actualized, the world would be a much nicer place.”
Model United Nations is a simulation of the United Nations General Assembly and its components such as the Security Council, the Disarmament Council and the Organization of American States. UHD supports opportunities for international travel and exchange that expose UHD students to the global environment.
University students from the Colombia, Mexico, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Venezuela traveled to Houston to take part in the proceedings. High school students from Spring Woods in Spring Branch, and Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas also participated.
On Friday, Houston consul representatives Renee Mason Cohen, consulate general of Israel , Haibo Zhou, consulate general of the People’s Republic of China, and Albert Pimpinelli, consulate general of France visited UHD at a luncheon attended by UHD President Max Castillo, and Susan Ahern, dean of UHD’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
To close, organizers challenged delegates with an extemporaneous crisis: kidnappers abducted a head of state and his family. The entire delegation worked together to develop a plan that would end the crisis with the least political and human loss.
UHD College of Business junior Eduardo Landaeta served as executive director of the UHD Model United Nations group and student executive director for HOUMUN. “This is a great opportunity for students,” Landaeta said. They gain hands-on international experience working with delegates from other countries on world issues and learn how to work together toward common solutions to the world’s problems.”
Committee leaders selected the top three committee delegates and recognized them at the closing session:
Best delegates: Sara Hood, Perla Laborico (UHD), Aya Kantorivich (Arkansas) and Gerardo Pacheco (Venezuela)
Outstanding delegates were Erica Paz, Nancy Adossi, Jennifer Keefover, Alberto Gutierrez, Veronica Fernandez (UHD); Juan Magadan (Spring Branch); and Sai Desikad (Arkansas).
The UHD College of Humanities and Social Sciences sponsored the conference. Merrilee Cunningham, associate professor of English, and Peter Li, associate professor of political science, are the faculty advisers who work with UHD’s Model UN group.
UHD is a diverse, four-year state university that offers a wide variety of undergraduate programs and graduate programs in criminal justice, professional writing, security management and teaching. It is one of four separate universities in the University of Houston System.
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UHD HOSTS INTERNATIONAL DIGNITARIES -- Consulate general representatives were special guests at the 2009 Houston International Model United Nations (HOUMUN), April 2-4. From left to right, Eduardo Landaeta, UHD student and HOUMUN executive director; Renee Mason Cohen, Consulate General of Israel ; UHD President Max Castillo; Brenda Rios, UHD student and HOUMUN Secretary General; Haibo Zhou, Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, and Albert Pimpinelli, Consulate General of France.
