German Students receive Award representing Pakistan At NMUN

UNITED NATIONS: Students from the University of Tuebingen, Germany, visited the UN and the Pakistani Permanent Mission in New York in order to complete their mission of representing the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in a model United Nations simulation.

From 20th to 24th of March 2007 in New York, about 2 000 students from prestigious colleges and universities from all over the world shared a thrilling experience: simulating for five days the United Nations at the National Model United Nations Conference, which promotes an in depth understanding of the UN through practical experience in international diplomacy and negotiations. This year, 26 students from the University of Tuebingen, a reputable German university, were right in the heart of it. In the university’s 11th year of participation, the Tuebingen delegation had the honour of representing the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and gave their best to achieve international consensus while at the same time, advocating Pakistani positions.

From March 20-24, the students resided in Marriott Marquis Times Square, New York, in order to complete their Pakistani mission. The 26 students from Tuebingen represented Pakistan in 12 committees including the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the Conference for Disarmament and fought to give the Pakistani position a voice. While the delegates in Security Council worked on solving the contentious issue of Iran, the General Assembly discussed the implementaion and structuring of the New Human Rights Council. At the end of the week, those Tuebingen representatives of Pakistan working in ECOSOC were excited to have passed their resolution focussing on how to put information and communication technologies in the service of development of the Pakistani nation.

Outside the simulation, German students got in touch with diplomatic reality by briefings with the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), the UN Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC), and the UN Fund for International Partnership (UNFIP). UNFIP Executive Director Mr. Amir Dossal shared his views as a Pakistani national working for the UN. The students also met with Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Farukh Amil and the Pakistani Permanent Mission’s Press Spokesman Mr. Mansoor Sohail. The simulating diplomats tackled their respective live versions, with final questions about Pakistani position on the agenda’s key topics. The two-hour meeting took place at the Pakistani Permanent Mission to the UN in New York and equally impressed both the students and the Pakistani diplomats. German students left the Pakistani Permanent Mission having adquired some final information to properly defend Pakistani positions during the simulation.

At the closing ceremony on Saturday, which took place in the famous Great Hall of the UN General Assembly, the Pakistani delegation from Tuebingen were awarded for their outstanding position papers. The organizers of the conference were impressed by the authenticity of the Tuebingen delegation in researching on Pakistani positions on the discussed issues. Accompanied by a traditional dinner in a Pakistani restaurant, the students from the University of Tuebingen celebrated their well deserved award as they continued to foster German-Pakistani relations.