(Communicated by the MFA Spokesman)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in conjunction with the Jerusalem Board of Education and the Jerusalem Foundation, will convene a Model UN next week, with the participation of high school students from 11th and 12th grades. The students will represent UN member states and simulate debates of the General Assembly and committee meetings.
The event will be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, 17 January 2010, in the presence of Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.
The Model UN, which is being held in Jerusalem for the fourth year running, is the culmination of an educational process in which high school students learn over the course of a year about the work of the UN, its structure, operations and agenda. Twelve high schools in Jerusalem are participating in the project this year, ranging from boys’ and girls’ religious schools to technology academies to regular comprehensive high schools. Every delegation represents several states. During the months of preparation before the event, the students meet with experts from the Foreign Ministry and from academia. At the end of the UN Model General Assembly, a ceremony will be held in which all of the students will receive certificates of participation, and certificates of excellence will be awarded to members of the outstanding delegations.
The Model UN is an international project that exists in dozens of states throughout the world. It is run according to guidelines set by the United States, a leader in this field.