The American University in Cairo’s International Model United Nations (CIMUN) team received its second Outstanding Delegation Award at the National Model United Nations in New York (NMUN.) Eighteen AUC students representing the Egyptian delegation competed against nearly 200 other international universities throughout nine councils over matters of foreign policy. AUC is the only Arab delegation to win the Outstanding Delegation Award. “Winning this award makes me feel proud of the dedication and hard work the AUC delegation has put into NMUN this year,” said Omar El Nayal, CIMUN 2010 graduate adviser.
The NMUN is held every spring in New York, hosting 4,000 delegates from more than 200 universities from around the world. Other reputable universities were also given the award such as the University of Illinois at Springfield, Georgia State University, California State University and Universite du Quebec de Montreal
According to Maye Kassem, associate professor of political science and faculty adviser for CIMUN, the award recognizes how well students have researched global policy issues, and their pragmatic approaches to policy proposals and debate.
Kassem added that 90 percent of the universities participating in NMUN are from North America. “To win first prize, this puts our students in the spotlight and it puts AUC on the map,” added Kassem.
Every council at the NMUN had a unique topic scope such as development, the environment, the global economic architecture, nuclear security, food security, natural resources, Middle Eastern and African affairs, and migration. As Egyptian diplomats, the AUC students were required to debate for four days on topics that pertained to their respective councils. Their objective was to produce written documents at the end of the conference that would win enough support to pass through voting.
“We had to act in character for four days, have extensive knowledge of Egypt’s foreign policy, engage in intensive negotiations with the other delegations, lobby for bloc support and deliver persuasive speeches,” explained El Nayal.
In past years, AUC represented delegations such as South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Japan. “This is the second time we have won the top award; the first time being in 2006 when AUC represented South Africa,” said El Nayal. He describes this year as particularly special because students represented their own country, Egypt. “This proved to be a real challenge; people were committed to their roles and would not compromise on anything short of outstanding. The award represents a culmination of months of work and research,” he added. In addition to the Outstanding Delegation Award, AUC won a council award for being one of the top three performers in the General Assembly Second Committee Council, defeating 191 other delegations.
The American University in Cairo (AUC) was founded 90 years ago and is major contributor to the social, political and cultural life of the Arab Region. It is a vital bridge between East and West, linking Egypt and the region to the world through scholarly research, partnerships with academic and research institutions, and study abroad programs. An independent, nonprofit, apolitical, non-sectarian and equal opportunity institution, AUC is fully accredited in Egypt and the United States.
