CAIRO: We are failing miserably in our efforts and the situation in the Middle East is getting worse, said Ambassador Hisham Youssef, chief of cabinet for Arab League chief Amr Moussa. Youssef was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 20th Cairo International Model United Nations (CIMUN) at the American University in Cairo (AUC) on March 11. CIMUN is the oldest student activity at AUC, and has become the largest Model United Nations program outside North America. Every year, around 400 students from all over the world take part in simulating the different councils and committees that make up the UN. Participants issues ranging from HIV/AIDS to child soldiers and land mines and come up with a resolution at the end of the four-day conference. Now that you ve reached the 20th model, then some changes should be introduced and instead of only simulating the UN, you should also criticize it, said Moussa, who was scheduled to speak at the ceremony but instead recorded his speech on video since he was unable to attend at the last minute. Moussa added that the council should address the challenges faced by an international system in dealing with the current issues, aside from only addressing the issues themselves. Recalling some of these challenges, Youssef gave several examples of real life situations where UN council meetings ended fruitlessly and amendments made by the Arab world were turned down. When the war in Lebanon broke out, Arab states requested a meeting of the UN Security Council but their request was turned down. This was the first time in history that the Security Council did not meet when war erupted. Another example was when Arab states requested a high level meeting to discuss and revive the peace process. After much prodding from European countries, the United States agreed to a meeting but on the condition that no outcome would come of it. We are living in an age of decline in international law, but the issues that you are discussing in CIMUN are an indication that you are aware of the current situation, said Youssef. CIMUN was founded in 1989 by students at AUC and incumbent AUC Provost Tim Sullivan. A political science professor at the time, Sullivan had attended a model of the UN in Russia before deciding to bring the idea home. In the first couple of years, I had to provide the funding for CIMUN out of my own pocket, said Sullivan, the program grew and we ve become what we are now. It started with only one council, the Security Council, and 20 years later, we have over six councils, said Omar El Orabi, secretary general of CIMUN. We will tackle issues of hunger, issues of migration and issues of disarmament, which are generally issues that many have shied away from. He added. The theme of this year s conference is Veto the Apathy, meant to encourage people to take action against everything that they view as unjust in the world today. A lot of young people today are apathetic. They re being constantly told by adults, society and the happenings of today that they can t change the world, said Sullivan, who then quoted US Politician Barack Obama s catch phrase: Yes, you can. CIMUN s latest branch is a development program, MUNDP, which aims to develop Egyptian society through education. This year they have succeeded in building libraries in underprivileged areas by collecting donated books and organizing a meals on wheels program. They have also collected money to pay the school tuition for children whose parents could no longer afford it, and so far 25 percent of students tuition has been paid in schools in Shoubra. CIMUN will have its own building on AUC s new campus located in New Cairo.
