Welcome Delegates!

My name is PietroPossenti. I am sixteen and I am currently in my third year of high school at the International School in Genoa.
It's a great pleasure  to be the President of the General Assembly and Chair of the Humanitarian and Social Committee in GeMUN 2012. This isgoing to be my 8th  MUN experience.
For me, MUN conferences are a unique opportunity to acquire knowledge of our current and  historical background and how the world is shaped today. This year, GeMUN will be concentrating on the topic of youth: I believe that this topic is of a great importance to us youngsters and I am firmly convinced that many (if not all) participants will be stimulated to have a constructive debate and produce exquisite resolutions!
I look forward in seeing you in Genoa!

The President of the General Assembly and chair of the SOCHUM Committee,
Pietro Possenti

Dear Delegates,
I have the pleasure of serving as the Chair of Humanitarian and Social Committee at GeMUN 2012. I am 17 years old and I am a junior at Kadikoy Anadolu Lisesi in Istanbul, Turkey. GeMUN will be my 11th conference overall and my 3rd time being a Student Officer.
In the 21st century, we are still facing enormous challenges when it comes to Human Rights. This year, the Humanitarian and Social Committee has a special focus on the rights of children and the youth. The agenda consists of three significant issues; ensuring children’s rights to a family, devising measures to protect cultural, ethnic and religious minorities with special focus to youth problems and enforcing the right to a primary education. Our wide agenda needs to be addressed with utmost importance and only by deep knowledge on the topics, we will have a high quality of debate and fruitful resolutions. I hope that all of you will invest time in your research before the conference.
So far in each and every conference I have attended, I gathered beautiful memories; I feel that GeMUN 2012 will be also full of accomplishment and happiness for all of us.
I am looking forward to meeting you in February.
Kind regards,
Müge Güzet

Dear Delegates,

I am very honored to welcome you all to the 10th Genoa Model United Nations.

My name is Marta Laurino, I am sixteen and I am currently attending “Liceo Linguistico Grazia Deledda”  where I study English, French and Arabic. I know that some delegates come from these countries: GeMUN is a great opportunity for us to improve our language skills and exchange our point of view.

Since the beginning of high school I’ve always taken part in MUN conferences as a Delegate. I invite you to not be shy and to take the floor a time at least. I’ll be glad to help you! Please don’t hesitate to write me, for any query. We are all here to find the best solutions for a better future and world to live in.

This year the topics of the Humanitarian Committee are very delicate: Enforcing the right to a primary education, Ensuring children’s rights to have a family and Devising measures to protect cultural, ethnic and religious minorities with special focus to youth problems.

Don’t forget to have fun and to enjoy yourself in Genoa!

Yours Sincerely,

Marta

Dear GeMUN participants,

My name is Martina Ghinetti, I am 14 years old and currently attend my first year at Deledda International School here in Genoa. It is both a pleasure and an honor for me to be one of the deputy chairs in the Humanitarian and Social Committee.

I enjoy learning foreign languages (I study English and German) and finding out more about new cultures: MUN experiences are a great opportunity to meet people your own age in a friendly, but at the same time inspiring and educational environment, as you are able to exchange ideas and points of view on different issues.
Overall, GeMUN 2012 will be my 5th conference and the second one as chair. I took part in GeMUN 2011 as the delegate of Mexico in the Security Council, in the debating day as delegate and in PaMUN as the delegate of Fiji. In GeMiniMUN 2011, I was appointed as Deputy Chair in the commission for Sustainability. I joined Model United Nations last year for the first time, and I can perfectly understand how first-time delegates feel: at the beginning, I was afraid of taking the floor, but in the end I did and I felt so gratified and happy to express my point of view after all the hard work I had been doing.
My advice for new delegates is: don’t be scared, just go for it! You will feel that all the effort you’ve put in your preparation was worth it. For those of you who already are experienced MUNers I say “enjoy the conference”; our Experts’ group and Staff  have been working really hard for you and we hope you will have a great time in Genoa.
This year’s conference will be focusing on youth, and who better than us could be interested in the matter? We are youth. We are the future. We are the generation who will face the outcome of what our parents’ generation has done. 
Looking forward to meeting you all in Genoa,

Dear MUN Directors and Participants,
I am Kimberly Andriani, I am 16 and I attend Grazia Deledda School.
GeMUN 2012 will be my seventh MUN experience, including MiniMUN and Debating Days, and I'm taking part at this conference as chair in the SPECON.

I have been a delegate also in other MUN, like MilanMUN and RRSMUN. This will be my first experience as chair. I'm very proud to be an officer.
When I took part at my first GeMUN, three years ago, I was convinced that it could be a great event: now I know that a MUN is something more than just  a way to have fun: you can improve your English, broaden your knowledges and meet foreign students.
I think issues of GeMUN 2012 are very important, especially for us: we are the youngsters, we must make something to change not-working things.
For everything you need, don't be shy and don't be hesitant about asking because together we can find solutions.
I hope you all to enjoy this conference!
Best regards,            
Kimberly Andriani

Dear GeMUN participants:
I am Lorenzo Venturini, currently in 12th grade at the International School in Genoa. GeMUN 2012 will be my second experience as a Chair, and I am proud to be part of the committee which will tackle issues directly related to Youth, a major driving force in today’s world.
We live in times of change. In the past year, the “Arab Spring” led by the youth has ousted several Middle Eastern governments and permanently changed the region’s political landscape; an economic crisis in the developed world has led to the relative decline of the PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain) and the West in general, while the developing world has seen a rapid increase in wealth and importance; and the world population has reached 7 billion and continues to rise.
This gives the world incredible opportunities to reform and improve, but also poses grave risks. It is the duty of the United Nations and of our conference to set the world on the right path and lead to a better future for all. The youth are the key to this: they offer fresh perspectives and a new understanding. They have great potential, and it is on how this potential is used that the future of the world depends.
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” And that is what we are here for: to make sure our youth are ready to face the future and become the world’s leaders.
I look forward to meeting you all at GeMUN 2012,
Lorenzo Venturini
Chair of Special Conference

I am Umberto Mattioli Della Rocca and I am very pleased to give you a warm welcome to GeMUN 2012 conference.
This year I am going to cover the role of Deputy Chair on Special Conference on youth. I was born here in Genoa and at this moment am attending The International School in Genoa. I am in tenth grade and until now I haveparticipated in three MUN conferences, two of which were in Saint Petersburg, SpiMUN and in Genoa, GeMUN. I have attended one MiniMUN in Genoa in which I was Deputy Chair in the Sustainability Conference.
 I hope that all delegates in the Committee will be active and determined so that we will be a great success!  Other than working hard in lobbying and passing resolutions, I look forward to having fun with everyone and to meeting new people!

Looking forward to meeting  you,
Umberto Mattioli Della Rocca

My name is Alberto Mortarotti. I live in Genoa, Italy. I’m in the tenth grade at the International School in Genoa.

GeMUN 2012 will be my fifth Model United Nations experience, and my second as Deputy chair; my first one was GeMiniMUN 2011.
I am delighted to have been chosen as Deputy Chair in the Disarmament and International Security Committee, because this year it will debate important youth-centred topics, such as  the problem of child soldiers, the production and trade of arms, and terrorism in Latin America as a whole.
I hope to see active delegates who will engage in fruitful debate and come up with interesting resolutions.

I am looking forward to meeting all of you in GeMUN 2012
Best regards
Alberto Mortarotti                                                       

My name is Eleonora Bartolini. I am 17 years old and I attend Liceo Grazia Deledda.
 I am, as always,  honored and proud to take part in this conference.  GeMUN 2012 will be my first experience as Main Chair in the Economical and Social Council, consequently I am excited but also worried, I hope to be able to do it ; I will certainly do my best to make the conference as perfect and realistic  as possible.
I would like to call attention especially to new delegates: don’t be shy, don’t  feel ashamed because Model United Nation is not a place where anyone is judged but an opportunity to meet and discuss. In my opinion this Session of MUN is special, because the main theme is YOUTH , that means the theme is “us” ,we are the future and the future is something that you have to build from now on.
We are going to discuss important and fundamental issues about children’s rights: if we want to guarantee a better future , first of all we have to defend and protect our rights. Another interesting topic regards alcohol and drugs: all of us know about this problem which is spoiling our generation; in fact drug and alcohol abuse is associated with negative consequences like school failure, poor judgment which may increase the risk  of  accidents, violence, breaking rules and, in particular, health problems.
 We should inform , be aware and  collaborate without prejudices.
I wish you all a great and interesting GeMUN.
Best regards,
Eleonora Bartolini

Dear GeMUN participants,
This year I am deeply honoured to be the president of the Economical and Social Council. This will be my second time attending MUN as chair.
Allow me to introduce myself - my name is Nikita Zaytsev, I’m 17 and my hometown is St. Petersburg, in the Russian Federation. I am in my senior year at Gymnasium 157.
When I was younger I could never have imagined that one day I would take part in such an activity as Model United Nations. Being part of this group means a lot to me because I believe that thinking and debating about how, together, we can make our world a better place is vital.
My MUN-career started at March 2009, SPIMUN was my first conference which I attended as a member of the administrative staff.
In November 2009 I tried out as a delegate. I still remember my feeling as I was about to take the floor - I was almost frozen with fear, except my hands were trembling. After I made a couple of speeches, I finally realized that there was nothing to be afraid of and all you need to do is just take a deep breath and speak. Since that time I have participated in 9 conferences (2 of which are GeMUN, in fact), and GeMUN 2012 will be my 10th anniversary conference.
Personally I consider the ECOSOC agenda to be crucial. The existence of child labour is unacceptable in today's society and should be eliminated by all means, especially hard physical work due to its harmful impact on children’s health. Age-based discrimination problems also still exist in contemporary society. This kind of discrimination can cause issues in the employment sphere, which is the basis of each state’s economy and should be taken into account. Ultimately, a culture of respect between all age groups should be encouraged and promoted.
And last but not least, is the problem of illegal trade and consumption of drugs and alcohol. This problem is particularly relevant in Russian society, where alcohol is freely sold to teenagers alongside cigarettes, and any measures taken by the government have seemingly little on no effect in stamping this out.
I truly believe that at ECOSOC we will have heated and fruitful debates on these issues, and I look forward to seeing you all in February,
Nikita Zaytsev

Dear Delegates,
                Model United Nations Conferences are important to help us become more international and therefore reflect what the world ‘international’ means. Surely, being international implies being open-minded and respectful. The Genoa Model United Nations is one of many occasions to improve our ‘internationality’. MUN conferences should always be professional but also fun, fulfilling one’s being by widening our knowledge. Therefore, I hope that all of you will use MUN conferences to meet new people from all around the world and have fun while discovering new countries and cultures.
                This is my first experience as chair. I am honored to attend GeMUN 2012 and I will do my best to make sure that all delegates feel comfortable participating actively in the conference.
I would like to thank you all for having chosen to take part in GeMUN 2012 and hope you will all have wonderful memories of the conference, as I have. I hope everyone will acquire new insights from this conference as in every other one.

                Thank you

Rachele Angelica Miscioscia

Dear Delegates,
My name is Harshini Krishnan and I am a student of the American International School in Chennai, India. I will be the President of the Mediterranean Conference this year. I was born in the United States and spent most of my life in the little north-eastern state of New Jersey. However, in the sixth grade I moved to Bangalore, India, and then moved once more to Chennai, India in the eighth grade. I started Model United Nations in the ninth grade due to my interest in the politics, international relations, and economics. It very quickly became a cherished part of my life and I cannot imagine a week going by without it!
I believe that Model United Nations is an important foundation, as it teaches us youth what to do and what not to do as the future leaders of tomorrow. The development of silver-tongued debate skills, persuasive skills, and analytical skills are essential regardless of what field you go into.
In a little over two months, you will be stepping onto Genoa’s soil in order to culminate debate about three of the largest issues that plague the Mediterranean today. The questions of stability in Northern Africa, Libyan reconstruction, and the deployment of measures to prevent the kidnapping of children are all of equal importance. Your job as a delegate is to bring your diplomatic, rhetoric, and research skills to the table and work cumulatively with fellow nations in order to devise practical approaches to the issues at hand. Ever since the 1920s, students across the world have used Model United Nations as a forum to discuss and deliberate various cultural, political, and economic issues. This conference will be no different. It is your job to synthesize your experiences, ideas, and skills in order to be the best diplomats you can be.
Whether you are a first time delegate or one with the experience of many conferences under your belt, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time with questions. I look forward to meeting you all in February!
Most sincerely,
Harshini Krishnan
harshini.krishnan@gmail.com

Dear delegates,
My name is Eleonora Bisio and I am a senior at The International School in Genoa. I participated in three MUNs and really enjoyed all of them. This will be my second time as a deputy chair. I am currently a member of the GeMUN experts and have been helping in the organization of GeMUN. This will be my last MUN and I am honored to chair the Mediterranean Conference.
I can’t wait to see you all.
Sincerely,
Eleonora Bisio 

Dear all,

 My name is Ottavia Boletto and I am honoured to be a deputy chair in the Mediterranean Conference at the upcoming GeMUN 2012. I live here in Genova and I am in tenth grade at The International School in Genoa. I started participating in MUN last year and so far have been to 4 conferences both in Genova and abroad. MUNs have proven to be enriching, inspiring and fun. We meet new people and learn a great deal about current worldwide issues.
I have been deputy chair once before and greatly enjoyed the experience. So being a deputy chair in the next GeMUN is very exciting and I am looking forward to chairing fruitful debate.

This year’s GeMUN’s topics are at the same time very interesting and challenging; and I am sure that during the debate everybody will be stimulated to participate.

I can’t wait to meet you all in February!
Sincerely,
Ottavia Boletto.

To all GeMUN Participants,

To begin with, I would like to say that it is a great honor to serve as the President of Security Council for GeMUN 2012 and I was thrilled to have been chosen to bear the happy burden of this position.

However, over the past few years of participating in the Model United Nations program, I have realized that while being a Chair or President does have its merits, it is really the delegates who are the face and voice of the conference. These young, bright, enthusiastic students from different cultures and backgrounds, who come together to take part in this intellectual endeavor, constantly embody true diplomacy and cooperation. So I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you for your enlivening curiosity and your dedication to finding comprehensive solutions to today’s problems.

Furthermore, I would like to touch upon those of you who will be participating in Security Council, specifically. At the advent of its creation, the United Nations was hoped by all to be a symbol of peace, a mark of international collaboration, and an icon of just power, with the Security Council at its core. This February, I hope to see all these values personified in each of you, whether it be through your persuasive speeches or your thoughtful solutions.

I hope that together we will have a wonderful 3 days, filled with lively discussions, heated debates and, of course, an enjoyable atmosphere! For now, I wish you happy preparations, and encourage you to contact me without hesitation for any doubts that you might need clarified.

Until we meet,

Samvitha Ram
President of Security Council 2012

Dear GeMUN participants,

My name is Linda Repetto and I am very pleased to introduce myself as one of the Chairs of the Environment Commission. I live in Genoa and currently attend the fourth year at Deledda International School, which is an international school affiliated with the IB diploma programme.

I have taken part in four Model United Nations conferences so far, and I have been a member of the Experts’ group for two years in a row. I have also participated to the GeMUN Debating Day held in April 2011. I have represented Senegal in Social Humanitarian Committee in GeMUN 2010, Kyrgizstan in Environmental Committee in SpiMUN 2010 and Uganda in General Assembly in CACMUN 2010. I was appointed as Deputy Chair in GeMUN 2011 and Chair in the GeMUN Debating Day 2011.

I believe that MUN experiences are fundamentals for us all, because they give us opportunities to discuss ideas and opinions with students from all over the world. MUN conferences are also useful to understand world issues under different points of view, considering the history and culture of specific countries.

I will do my best in order to make sure that this will be an extraordinary experience for you all.

Looking forward to meeting you in February,

Linda Repetto

Dear GeMUN participants,
My name is Ecenur ORTAC and am a junior at ÖzelSisliTerakkiLisesiin Istanbul,Turkey.I am honored to be among you in the 9th annual session of GeMUN conference.
 I’m sixteen and this year I will be chairing the Environment Commission. GeMUN 2012 will be my 9th Model UN conference,and my first time chairing a committee.
In our committee we will be debating three crucial topics: “Implementing measures to prevent climatic and environmental changes caused by pollution”, “The question of nuclear contamination in Eastern Asia”, and “Youth education aimed at environmental sustainability”. I am sure that all these three topics will create stimulating debates over the course of the conference.
I have been involved in MUN for three years and Model UN has become an addiction for me.I have had the opportunity to experience unforgettable things throughout the last three years and I am really sure that GeMUN 2012 will be one of the greatest conferences of all!
I advise all delegates to thoroughly research the issues at hand and to be sufficiently preparedto discuss their topics in order to make our debates more engaging. As Chair,I will try to help you as much as I can.If you have any questions,feel free to ask me anything you need to know about the conference. (My e-mail address is ece_ortac@hotmail.com )
I wish you all a great conference.I am looking forward to seeing you all in February,
Yours sincerely,
Ecenur ORTAC
Chair,Environment Commission

Dear GeMUN participants,
My name is Chiara Piva and I am honoured to introduce myself as one of the chairs of the Environment Commission in this year’s Genoa Model United Nations Conference. I am 17 years old and I am in the fourth year at Liceo Linguistico Manzoni in Milan, Italy. I have participated in MUN for three years and GeMUN 2012 will be my third conference but the first one as a chair. I am eager to experience this role and I will do my best to ensure a successful and productive debate and an environment where everyone can feel comfortable to express themselves with confidence.

The issues we will discuss are of immense importance but unfortunately too little has been done so far to find a solution and not enough people have yet understood that saving the environment means saving humanity. Our resolutions will not save the environment now but they will help us grow more concerned about its problems and therefore more willing to take action. I truly hope we will cooperate to reach this common goal: to give ourselves and the next generations a healthy planet.
I look forward to meeting you all in February.

Sincerely,

Chiara Piva

Dear Delegates,

Welcome! My name is Cristina Rojas; I’ll be serving as a Deputy Chair for the United Nations Environmental Committee. I am very excited about this up-and-coming GeMUN 2012 and I really hope you are too!
            I am currently a junior at the Country Day School in Costa Rica. I have participated previously in many MUN Conferences, including last year’s GeMUN, which was a great success! I have also participated in the WMHSMUN at William and Mary University in Virginia and I was the Deputy Secretary General for the CDSMUN at my own school.
            Come prepared for a great conference, the more you put in to it, the more you will get out of it! I hope to see all of you participate in the conference and I keenly wait to hear all of the wonderful and innovative ideas each and every one of you will bring to committee.
            If you have any questions or doubts please do not  hesitate to email me. I will gladly help you in any way possible. I look forward to seeing all of you at the conference!

Cristina Rojas