Written by Risha Rohera, Under-Secretary-General of Crisis Committees of UPMUNC 50 & Remi Cordelle, Business Director of UPMUNC 50
UPMUNC Upper Secretariat (Left to Right: Michael Mintskovsky (Chief Operating Officer), Alisha Chowdhury (Chief of Staff), Madeline Su (Director-General), Kent Hutchison (Secretary-General))
Cocktail Night (Friday Night Special Event)
Last November, nearly a thousand delegates traveled to Philadelphia, PA to attend the fiftieth iteration of the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC). Delegates from around the world participated in four days’ worth of riveting committee sessions and thrilling social events in the historical city of Philadelphia. UPMUNC’s classic social events – Pub Night, Cocktail Night and DelFest – returned this year and remained highly successful. The weekend began on Thursday night with Opening Ceremonies, where President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Caryl Stern, shared her impactful experience as a UN worker in Africa. With her powerful speech in mind, delegates were ready to begin the weekend!
UPMUNC 50 USGs (Left to Right: Noah Levine (Crisis), Santiago Pereira (Crisis), Hannah Kanter (ECOSOC), Fjora Arapi (GA), Risha Rohera (Crisis))
UPMUNC 50 proudly offered 21 diverse committees — five General Assembly committees, four ECOSOC committees, and 12 fast-paced crisis committees. Article V: Convention of the States, in which delegates acted as partisan representatives from the 50 states, proved to be a favorite amongst ECOSOC committees this year. Action-packed crisis committees ranging from the Bonaparte Family Dinner to Designated Survivor to Macbeth all proved to keep delegates busy and focused, with groundbreaking crises occurring during each session. At one point in the weekend, the South African Anti-Apartheid Summit even went to a mini “night club” in which delegates negotiated with warlords to move forward with committee. UPMUNC 50 successfully offered a dynamic and exciting collection of committees once again.
After days filled with fierce negotiations and vigorous debates, delegates looked to our renowned special events at night to let loose. On Thursday, delegates made stops at three iconic Philadelphia bars and explored the city during Pub Night. Back at the Sheraton Hotel the next day, delegates showed off their dance moves at Cocktail Night, with special lighting and beats by a live DJ. The final night of conference saw the return of every conference participant’s favorite social event: DelFest. With a guest DJ, a light and laser show, and a crowded dance floor, there was no doubt that DelFest lived up to delegates’ high expectations.
Delegates gathered Sunday morning for one last committee session before Closing Ceremonies. UPMUNC is proud to recognize the following schools for their performance during conference:
Outstanding Small Delegation: Boston University
Best Small Delegation: Florida International University
UPMUNC 50 USGs (Left to Right: Noah Levine (Crisis), Santiago Pereira (Crisis), Hannah Kanter (ECOSOC), Fjora Arapi (GA), Risha Rohera (Crisis))
Outstanding Large Delegation: University of Chicago
Best Large Delegation: Georgetown University
On behalf of the entire UPMUNC Secretariat, we would like to thank and congratulate all delegates for a memorable and exciting weekend. Rest assured that the Secretariat is already hard at work to make UPMUNC 51 the best conference yet. Stay tuned for the release of early registration details in early 2017!
