To start off CLEIMUN 2020, Joint President of the General Assembly Jack Bernacki welcomes the secretariate. The first speaker is Mr. Perrins, the Director of CLEIMUN 2020 and Director of International Projects at St. Edward High School. Mr. Perrins explains to us the importance of the United Nations and the importance of Model UN to foster educated, poised, and talented leaders. He also notes that CLEIMUN 2020 is the largest CLEIMUN to date, a huge success for the program.
The second speaker is the Deputy Leader of the Conference, Ms. Daniella Milan, Deputy Director of CCWA (Cleveland Council on World Affairs), another Model UN program in the Northeastern Ohio area. She challenged the delegates to dive into their role and expand their horizons.
After reviewing “CLEIMUN 2019: The Movie” we heard from the President of St. Edward High School, Mr. Jim Kubacki. Mr. Kubacki expressed the same gratitude that we all feel: thank you’s to the teachers, leaders, chairs, and delegates for their active participation in CLEIMUN 2020. Following Mr. Kubacki, we hear from Andreas Payne, the Head of the Approval Panel and 5-year attendee of CLEIMUN. Payne gives us the rundown of the Approvals Panel, a common practice in European MUN conferences but not as popular in America. The panel reviews resolutions to be approved for debate.
Our final speakers are Secretary Generals Coleman Isner and Natalie Surdy. Coleman reminds us of the complexity of tensions and alliances among nations and the importance of open discussion while reminding us of the growing challenges of democracy. The theme for CLEIMUN 2020 this year is, “Diplomacy in a Challenging Global Environment”. Surdy continues Isner’s point to encourage delegates to be clear with their communication, as this is the most important factor in creating strong discussion and stronger resolutions.
To close, Joint President of the General Assembly Alivia O’Donnell officially opens CLEIMUN 2020! Best of luck to the chairs and delegates!
