The first-ever edition of Dominican Republic East Model United Nations (DREMUN) at UNIBE

The first-ever edition of Dominican Republic East Model United Nations (DREMUN) took place from November 13th through 14th at UNIBE – Recinto Cap Cana. This, the first ever Model United Nations (MUN) organized by Simulations for Learning (SIM) and sponsored by UNIBE, is a distinct opportunity to boost the educational environment of the increasingly relevant Eastern Region of the country.

DREMUN was organized by a team of educators and highly experienced students in the realms of Model United Nations, who conceived this idea as a means to provide an unparalleled and substantive learning experience that served as a unique platform for students from 3 renowned institutions (Colegio Buenavista and St. Johns School from La Romana and Cap Cana Heritage School at Cap Cana) to complement their learning in class by honing in on skills such as, but not limited to: preforming adequate research, public speaking, debating, consensus building, portraying diplomatic and professional etiquette, reaching compromise, and elaborating comprehensive solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues.

UNIBE Cap Cana offered its world class facilities in order to allow a truly professional atmosphere where the delegates took part in two distinct, and undeniable relevant committees: the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The ever interesting and dynamic Security Council was simulated in Spanish and covered the issue of the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (ISIS) and the increasing threat this terrorist organization poses to Member States. Coincidently, the Paris bombings took place on that Friday afternoon, which showed the urgency of the issue at hand and the need for the international community to deal with this terrorist organization. On the other hand, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which aims to provide regional security within the European zone, discussed Energy Security. In this regard, the delegates had to evaluate the increasing dependability of the EU on Russian oil, the environmental consequences of non renewable energy sources, the provision of appropriate delivery methods for energy to be transported, the implementation of renewable energy sources, within other key points of discussion.

Reinaldo Martínez, the General Coordinator of SIM, expressed his most sincere gratitude during the closing ceremony to all participating institutions for accepting this invitation, and further motivated delegates to continue to develop their skills as individuals to become competent in the high competitive scenario that they will be immersed in soon.

Diego Estévez, Secretary General of DREMUN 2015, motivated and challenged the students to continue discovering the thrill of debating issues that affect the international community in present day. He further accentuated the need for students to keep starving to achieve the genuine hunger for success that they portrayed during the conference, since that hunger, as he mentioned, “will allow you to flourish and achieve any and all of the goals you set for yourself”.

Zaidy Rijo, the Executive Director of UNIBE Cap Cana, delivered the closing remarks by emphasizing the importance of these sorts of initiatives in order to build a more just and fair world, since as she mentioned, “we must continue to empower youth in any way we can, because the future of humanity will soon be in their hands”.