The College of Idaho Model UN wins Most Outstanding Delegation in NYC

In an unprecedented performance, The College of Idaho http://www.collegeofidaho.edu Model UN Team earned a "Most Outstanding Delegation" award at the 2009 National Model United Nations Conference (NMUN) held last week in New York City. Political economy associate professor Rob Dayley took a team of 11 students to the conference.

Only 14 of the 190 schools at the five-day conference were awarded such distinction, the highest possible award given. The C of I was the only school from the Pacific Northwest recognized. In honor of their achievement, The C of I delegation, representing Cambodia, was asked to stand in applause on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly Hall at closing ceremonies.

"It is a remarkable achievement," said Dayley, who noted that some colleges prepare for months. "Our students do well because they are skilled analytically, are comfortable debating political issues, and know how to write well and work collaboratively."

The international conference includes over 3,000 delegates from liberal arts colleges and universities from around the world. With their accomplishment, The C of I cracked the top tier of elite schools who are perennial winners at the conference such as Austin College, University of Montreal, UC Berkeley, Florida International, BYU and Alma College.

It also excelled past dozens of international delegations from Germany, U.K., China, Japan, Canada, Italy, Greece, France, Mexico, Switzerland, Egypt, Turkey and other countries.

To win the highest award, a delegation must demonstrate excellence in all committees in which they participate. Students spend over 50 hours in sessions from Tuesday to Saturday and work from morning until midnight on negotiations and resolution writing. Awards are based on accurate representation of a country’s positions, proper use of MUN procedure, and excellence in diplomacy during committee.

Leading the way for the C of I were veterans from last year’s award winning delegation: Kaite Justice, Jesse Holmes, and Jesus Tarifa (head delegate).

Dayley said it was a team effort and that there were several outstanding moments, including:

* Kaite Justice being selected by committee directors to serve as Rappateur for the General Assembly 2nd Committee. In a C of I first, Justice chaired a session of her committee, a body that included representation from all 190 schools.

* Jesse Holmes serving on the G.A. Plenary covering the topic of United Nations Reform. Holmes was a chief sponsor of a resolution to reform ECOSOC that passed by the widest margin among all 15 resolutions that were adopted in the body.

* Jesus Tarifa and Brian Weiss leading a bloc of developing countries in the WTO Ministerial Committee and writing an important report segment on greater transparency in trade negotiations.

* Brenden Hoffman and Kara Myers leading deliberations on strategies to address the food crisis, offering multiple speeches from the floor that won praise from fellow delegates in the Economic and Social Council-Asia Pacific (ESCAP).

* Dorgham Abusalim and Roshan Roghani teaming up to lead work in the G.A. 1st Committee covering the topic of illicit trafficking of nuclear material.

* Amy Bennett, on the G.A. 2nd Committee, contributing to her bloc’s resolution on climate change.

* Jessie Barnes and Victoria Hess heading a diverse bloc of countries drafting resolutions on the topic of improving UN humanitarian response in the G.A. 3rd Committee.

"Their performance reflects the quality of education The C of I provides its students," Dayley said.

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