AAU delegates show firm resolution at Harvard Model UN

Anglo-American University was the only Czech University to send a delegation to the 57th Harvard Model United Nations Conference in Boston in February.

The group was larger and more successful than the one last year, with AAU students spending two weeks in the United States. Model UN conference aside, four of them met the Andorran ambassador at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

The participation was initiated by Hrishabh Sandilya, associate dean of the School of International Relations & Diplomacy and supported by AAU president Alan Krautstengl from the start.

“The president is very happy to support this initiative and he offered a fund,” says Sandilya. The backing paid for half the airfare for four students, and the accommodation in Boston was paid for with support from Harvard.

Participating students paid the remaining expenses.

Every student at AAU was eligible to be a part of the conference, which they learned about from an email. Students had to put together a one-page motivation letter and a resume and participate in a selection process lead by Rachael Danna, the administration assistant to the dean of Business Administration, and Jennifer Fallon assistant dean of law.

The top ten students were selected: Maria Galperin as head delegate; Zuzana Rezáková (who was also present last year); Michal Fule; Katerina Belesová; Huzan Balay; Gabriela Milská; Julie Kolmanová; Danica Dimitrijevic; Veronika Rakusanová; and Ondrej Pekácek.

The election was based on their knowledge of English, background and relationship to international relations.

“Most of the students were International Relations or Humanities major,” says Fule.  “Veronika and I were the only business major students.”

Fule has previous experience with this kind of event. “I got accepted, hopefully, because of the opportunities I had as a child to grow up in a multilingual diplomatic environment.”

Before the trip, the group met twice a month for five months to prepare for the conference and at the end of last semester participated at a Model UN conference in Olomouc.

“This was a harmonizing type of event,” says Fule. “It really gave us the chance to get to know each other and become team players, something that is considered crucial.” All participants had to write a position paper to present before their committee. “I did have a look at them, and edited some of them,” says Sandilya, who went as a faculty advisor.

There were five committees in total, each simulating a different UN conference. AAU students did a good job at Harvard, even though not all of them got to present their position paper. “Gabriela and I talked about the Taliban for the whole conference,” says Fule. “Unfortunately the topic Gabriela prepared for (cyber-terrorism) wasn’t discussed, because we ran out of time.”

Fule presented his topic before the Disarmament and International Security Committee. 

The delegation also promoted AAU at a Summer Fair at Harvard. Representatives presented our study abroad and graduate programs and those interested learned about life in Prague and programs here.

Prior to their trip to Boston, the delegation spent a week in New York City, where they toured the local sites. However, five girls, Belesová, Balay, Milská, Galperin and Kolmanová, met Andorran Ambassador Narcis Casal de Fonsdeviela.

“They spoke about the position that Andorra has within the UN,” says Fule. “This you won’t find online because Andorra is a small country and no one really knows how it behaves in the UN.”

During the conference, a resolution that Fule cooperated on was adopted and Andorra decided to co-sponsor a resolution written by Galperin and her team.

“We did quite well,” says Sandilya. “I wouldn’t say we were super successful but we did quite well.”

What’s more, he adds, “If there are enough students who will go next year from this year’s batch, there won’t be a need for a faculty advisor. Because they all know what they are doing and they are all quite experienced - they’ve learned the techniques now.”