The following article is written by Khai Nguyen, a Best Delegate Media Associate and BDMUNC 2019 Logistics Officer. All quotations are taken from excerpts in an interview with Ibrahim El-Kazaz, the Best Delegate Conference Manager.
From March 14-17, 2019, Best Delegate hosted their inaugural Model United Nations Conference, BDMUNC 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda in the Washington D.C. area. Although in the past, Best Delegate has assisted in hosting among the most prestigious conferences in the world, this iteration of BDMUNC, focused on elevating the conference quality for attending delegates and sponsors by highlighting MUN education above all else.
BDMUNC 2019 Senior Secretariat
From left to right: Logan Smith, Samuel Taglia, Angela Hou, & Madeleine Northfield
“Built from adviser feedback,” this iteration of BDMUNC was led by Secretary-General Angela Hou, Under-Secretary-General of Committees Samuel Taglia, Under-Secretary-General of Logistics Madeleine Northfield, and Under-Secretary-General of Registration Logan Smith, who were each integral to the success of BDMUNC 2019 in their own respective ways. The Senior Secretariat however was accompanied by Best Delegate’s Core Team, in particular Ibrahim El-Kazaz and Erik Leiden, to ensure that BDMUNC 2019 provided the educational experience that Best Delegate had envisioned. Despite the competitive nature of Model UN, Best Delegate believes that “delegates should be looking for the conference that will make them better delegates” which was why BDMUNC 2019 was focused on “empowering individuals” and provided “opportunities for delegates to improve, and know how to improve.” Furthermore, as an organization that frequently travels around the world to provide educational experiences, Best Delegate recognizes the wide variety of economic backgrounds of delegates and designed a conference to ensure that all attending delegates will “have the sufficient knowledge and ability to know what they are doing, how they supposed to do it, and how to take it to the next level, because that is what matters the most.”
Evan Wesley from Thirst Project
Alongside the Senior Secretariat and Best Delegate Core Team guidance, BDMUNC was made possible by its conference partners. In addition to providing the conference with topics, each organization additionally prepared delegate research materials ensuring informed debate throughout committee sessions based on real issues that UN organs and international NGOs currently faces. Furthermore, each of the organizations offered an expert briefing on each of the topics for an onsite specialist to address any questions or concerns that arose, while also providing their first-hand experience in regards to how their respective organization addresses the current issues. The speaker on behalf of UNICEF-USA, debriefed attending delegates on the role of UNICEF around the world, and how the organization saves and protects the vulnerable children of the world, working to ensure child rights. Erik Leiden from Best Delegate spoke about the work of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to address the illegal international trade in firearms. In addition to speaking for an expert briefing, Evan Wesley, from the Thirst Project spoke once more at BDMUNC 2019 Closing Ceremonies, highlighting the nonprofit organization that travels across the United States speaking at schools to educate students about the global water crisis, challenging them to fundraise for well construction and other water collection and purification means. Differing from the other expert briefings, the Council of Foreign Relations, with an emphasis on the situation in Yemen, was led by Yemeni Nabeel Al-Nowairah, who shared a personal narrative on their first hand experiences with the current conflict introducing a personalized viewpoint on the conflict as opposed to the neutral and filtered content found online. In “partnering with these international organizations,” these expert briefings, occurring prior to committee session were part of the BDMUNC 2019 vision of providing a “truly educational experience” for delegates both novice and experienced, because “that is what makes BDMUNC different, what makes BDMUNC special.”
Alongside the expert briefings, BDMUNC recognized its extensive population of delegates being ESL Students at BDMUNC 2019 and novice delegates, and capitalized in providing the premier MUN education experience for its attendees. Keeping in mind the Best Delegate motto, to bring out the best in every delegate, the organization implemented a variety of different elements to build the “world class experience” that take “advisers and students to the next level.” Given the prestige that is associated with Best Delegate, BDMUNC was able to magnet the strongest delegates on the global MUN circuit, to staff the conference, and assist in the “training sessions provided at the conference.” Not only were professional training sessions provided the conference, BDMUNC was able to establish an environment “where each delegate was given the opportunity to speak during the conference,” and received “personalized feedback” to improve their abilities as a delegate, and as an individual. In addition to providing delegates with educational opportunities, BDMUNC provided further educational content for attending faculty advisers and materials for their respective delegations. Prior to the conference, all registered delegations were given an optional training curriculum that was to be used to “set delegates up for success.” Furthermore, BDMUNC provided an enhanced adviser experience in providing an adviser training institute, “a professional development opportunity” that took place during the conference committee sessions. In providing such educational opportunities for both delegates and faculty advisers, BDMUNC was able to successfully bring out the best in every delegate through the experiences that Model UN celebrates.
Delegates participating during BDMUNC 2019 training sessions
After months of preparation, the BDMUNC Secretariat would like to thank all guest speakers and topic specialists, attending delegates and faculty advisers, and especially the Best Delegate Core Team, who have all made the BDMUNC dream a reality.
