Secretariat
Julia Anting
Secretary General Dear ZYGMUN participants, It is with great honor that I welcome you to this year’s ZYGMUN conference! I am currently a senior at the American School of Warsaw and originally German and Spanish. However, I spent the first half of my life moving around: Munich, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Zurich, before finally landing in Warsaw, a city that has since become my home. Since joining Model United Nations six years ago, I’ve had the chance to attend fourteen conferences in four countries, during which I met fascinating people who share my interest in understanding and addressing the issues that shape our world. I have also had the privilege of debating topics of all sorts in various committees, chairing at the inaugural ZYGMUN conference, and serving as President of the General Assembly during ZYGMUN 2019 and 2020. My MUN experience has exposed me to new perspectives and taught me many lessons. One of these lessons has been that addressing worldwide issues requires both individual action and collaboration. On the one hand, change requires world leaders and individuals like ourselves to take on the initiative of facing real issues. However, none of this personal drive is sufficient without joint action. We must come together and strive to accept different perspectives. And this I ask of you: Represent your countries well, work together and aim to understand others’ viewpoints, both in and out of the committee, as you seek solutions to some of today’s most pressing issues. This year’s theme: “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: Promoting just, peaceful and inclusive societies” is the sixteenth UN sustainable development goal. Although we have arguably made significant strides over the past century to build strong institutions and inclusive societies both nationally and internationally, there is still much work to be done. Over the course of ZYGMUN 2021, you will see how the international community and our world leaders can come together to work towards this goal. However, beyond that, I encourage you to reflect independently and discuss with your fellow delegates how you individually can contribute to peaceful and inclusive societies beyond the confines of this conference. The power of conferences like this is not just that delegates gain an understanding of world issues and perspectives, but we as a secretariat hope that you will also leave inspired to enact change in your own societies and communities. I cannot wait to welcome you all to ZYGMUN IV and see the incredible things that you come up with! Sincerely, Julia Anting Secretary-General |
Annika Julien President of the General Assembly Dear ZYGMUN participants, My name is Annika and I am currently a senior at the American School of Warsaw. This year, I will be functioning in the Secretariat as President of the General Assembly at ZYGMUN IV. Model UN has truly shaped me as a person. Having attended sixteen conferences, I have developed skills through public speaking, active listening, and exercising diplomacy. These skills are particularly crucial in growing into the leadership roles that we are destined to obtain.I am very proud of this year’s theme: “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Promoting just, peaceful and inclusive societies ”. This theme refers to the sixteenth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations. We decided that addressing the Sustainable Development Goals is essential as we want to encourage delegates to work towards them in and outside of the conference. We expect that delegates keep the theme in mind when drafting clauses/resolutions in order to produce efficient, humanitarian solutions. In regards to further expectations, we want everyone participating in the conference to remember the essence of MUN: diplomacy, effective communication, and respect. Being diplomatic means acting professionally. With effective communication we expect to see you come up with successful resolutions, clauses, and amendments. We expect to hear thought provoking speeches with persuasive points that maintain your delegation’s policies. Respect is a given. I speak for the Secretariat as a whole when I say that we want ZYGMUN IV to be nothing but a positive experience. We want to see ZYGMUN participants make new friends and, of course, feel comfortable and be able to confidently participate in high quality MUN. I’m excitedly anticipating the conference. Annika Julien President of the General Assembly |
Alex Gliwinski Head of Admin Dear Honorable ZYGMUN participants, It is with the utmost pleasure and honor that I welcome you to the fourth annual ZYGMUN conference! Hailing originally from Poland and the United States, I’ve moved frequently and globally until most recently when I had the pleasure of settling in Warsaw. Four years ago, I attended the inaugural ZYGMUN conference as a middle school delegate. Now, four years later as a sophomore at the American School of Warsaw, I have the incredible honor to serve as the Head of Admin on the Secretariat. Since my introduction to Model UN in Middle School, I’ve had the immense privilege to attend ten conferences in many fascinating cities around Europe. MUN has grown to be an integral part of my life and provided me with a greater worldview and understanding of our complex society. We all have the opportunity to benefit and learn from Model United Nations. It teaches us to find strength in our ideas, builds our confidence and globalism, helps us problem solve, and teaches us the importance of collaboration. I hope you can all practice and develop these keystone skills during our conference, coming prepared to share your perspectives and learn from others. The theme for this year's conference, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions is a topic that's risen to an increasing prevalence. As we continue our path towards sustainable development, a lack of peaceful and inclusive societies poses a roadblock. Delegates at ZYGMUN must collaborate to create lasting solutions against violence, instability, and corruption in their committees. Much like we as a world must collaborate to create reliable, inclusive, and stable institutions to ensure global safety and prosperity. I look forward to meeting you all virtually at the fourth annual ZYGMUN conference! Sincerely, Alexandra Gliwinski Head of Admin |
Ian Wilder
Head of Public Affairs/Tech Director Dear ZYGMUN Participants, It is with great honor and pleasure that I can welcome you to this 4th edition of our ZYGMUN conference. It is with a certain sorrow that I write this introduction, as this is my 4th and final ZYGMUN conference. That does mean, however, that I have been in ZYGMUN since day 1, and take particular pride in being the one who named the conference. I’m a Senior here at the American School of Warsaw, and I’m half Polish and half American. I believe this is my 15th MUN conference, but, frankly, I’m as excited about it as I was about my first. I chaired ZYGMUN for two years, before joining the Secretariat last year as Secretary-General, and am honored to have the opportunity to serve the Secretariat again as Head of Public Affairs/Tech Director. ZYGMUN has been one of my most cherished memories and projects, so I’m looking to make my 4th and final ZYGMUN truly memorable. I feel that the importance of Sustainable Development Goal 16, or the theme of this year’s conference, is quite evident. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: something many of us, living in developed nations, take for granted. However, as you will see, through topics ranging from Somalia to the Caucasus region, there is still much left to do. I hope that all of you debate hard, and, most importantly enjoy yourselves throughout this unique conference! Of course, as I always urge delegates, go beyond the conference. Think about the real-life implications of some of your resolutions. Even if you might not agree with your country's policy, I encourage you to think about how things would turn out if your country's policy were to be implemented. You’d be surprised how much you can learn by changing your perspective. Naturally, by nature of my position, if anyone needs help with anything, but particularly technology, please, do not hesitate to reach out to me, and I’ll be sure to do everything I can to make my last ZYGMUN as enjoyable for you, as I know it will be for me. I look forward to getting to know all of you very shortly, and I’m so glad you chose to participate, despite the developing pandemic situation, and enjoy the Conference! Sincerely, Ian W. Wilder Head of Public Affairs/ Tech Director |