McGill students to host Canada's premier model UN

The McGill Model United Nations, the largest conference of its kind in Canada, will bring together over 1,400 future diplomats, politicians and activists from Canada, the United States and abroad for three days, January 25-28, 2007, at Le Centre Sheraton in downtown Montreal.

Keynote speaker Gillian Sorenson, a Senior Advisor at the United Nations Foundation with an impressive history of UN-related work, will address delegates at the opening ceremonies on Thursday night. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Sorenson served as UN Assistant Secretary General for External Relations from 1997 to 2003. She has also served as Special Advisor for Public Policy and as New York City Commissioner for the United Nations and Consular Corps. She is a vehement defender of the international body, emphasizing the good work that goes unreported while openly recognizing the necessity for reform.

Delegates will have the opportunity to test their debating skills in 26 simulated committees. Negotiations slated to unfold in the General Assembly include a simulation of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, where issues of global climate change and environmental policy will be on the agenda. In the Economic and Social Councils, delegates will simulate a meeting of the UN Peacebuilding Commission. Other committees will include a simulation of accession talks between Turkey and the European Union, and a committee on the Balkans crisis of the late 1990s.

In the 17 years since its establishment, the McGill Model UN has proven to be a spirited forum for debate and the exchange of ideas, where young people hoping to one day change the world first cut their teeth, simulating some of the most important global discussions of our time. Recently, McMUN has welcomed delegations from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The event is organized by the International Relations Students' Association of McGill.