American Model United Nations 2018 Conference (AMUN)
As an exchange student of International Relations (IR) at University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire (UWEC), I decided to get involved with any possible organizations both on and off campus that could enrich my educational background and shape my professional path in IR. For that, I decided to join the Model United Nations Club, having taken a related course about International Organizations at the University of El Salvador and due to my previous experience at the Simulation of the Organization of American States (OAS) held in Costa Rica last year.
In order to be prepared for the American Model United Nations (AMUN) 2018, the Club met every Tuesday to practice drafting resolutions, delivering diplomatic speeches, getting familiar with the rules and procedures, discussing topics of the Simulation, and more. AMUN is open to all current university and college-level students and strives to combine educational quality with highly realistic simulations of the United Nations, giving students an unparalleled Model UN learning experience.
This year, AMUN was held in Chicago, IL from November 17-20 with an attendance of over 1,400 students, faculty, and young professionals from across the U.S. and around the world. UWEC had the privilege to represent Bahrain and each member of the Club had the opportunity to decide which Committee he or she wanted to represent. I personally decided to represent Bahrain in the Third Committee, discussing:
1. International cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem
2. Globalization and its impact on the full enjoyment of all human rights
The delegation of Bahrain worked as a bloc with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pakistan, Kuwait, China, and many African countries. We proposed a Resolution to the Body in relation to the drug trade problem and it was approved with most of the votes. After negotiating and working closely with other countries, our bloc convinced the Floor that our resolution provided a precise and accurate solution to counter this issue.
This Simulation shaped many soft and hard skills, such as public speaking, proper research, teamwork activities, and most importantly, to peacefully communicate solutions to the world’s problems. I would like to highlight that every participant plays a substantial role at AMUN since having the most realistic simulation of the real United Nations depends on each one of us. AMUN also took this 
experience further by organizing its “Graduate School and Career Expo” on the third day of the conference. This Expo is a great opportunity to look for a graduate or law school or M.A. in International Relations.
I must thank World Learning and recognize their help in guiding me throughout this experience.
“At Model UN, you broaden your horizons. By learning and networking, you can be part of the UN’s efforts to establish peace, secure human rights and enable all people to live in dignity.” – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, 24 January 2017
Written by Libni Sofia Lopez Hernandez, Global UGRAD 2018-2019 student from El Salvador at University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.