Secretariat
Dear Participants of ZYGMUN II,
This year our theme revolves around children and youth, the leaders of our future. One of the four main principles of the United Nations is maintaining worldwide peace, and it is in this spirit, that the ZYGMUN II conference theme specifically focuses on fostering peace and security for future generations. The strength of this theme lies within the unique perspectives that our delegates bring, regarding issues that affect children and youth like themselves. As the next generation of leaders, we hope that our delegates will feel inspired to address and debate issues that pertain directly to their own futures.
Throughout time, we have seen the effects that war and disputes have had on forthcoming generations. Grudges were held, history was written, and lines were drawn. Today, with pollution in the air, contamination in the water, collapse of Economies, shifting power politics, education being affected by gun control, and the refusal of collaboration from many nations, the hope for a brighter future seems dimmer than ever. However, the past doesn’t have to determine the future. The future is ours to create. As youth, it is our responsibility to put our best efforts towards learning about issues that affect us, in order to make informed decisions for what we believe can create and maintain a form of worldwide peace.
“The single most important thing I can do is to help in any way I can to prepare the next generation of leadership to take up the baton and to take their own crack at changing the world,” Barack Obama, former President of the United States of America, stated at a University of Chicago forum on April 24, 2018. In a world with ever-growing prosperity as well as setback, it is crucial to give hope to the elder generations that the next generation is ready to grab the baton and continue the race with ambition.
ZYGMUN II committees will be addressing a wide spectrum of topics with emphasis on our overall theme. The Human Rights Council will make critical decisions on what actions must be taken to protect children forced into draft armies, and victims of child trafficking. In the Disarmament and International Security Committee, delegates will be seen looking at the prevention of chemical weapons, as well as tackling the controversial issue of artificial intelligence weaponization. A familiar issue for many of our local delegates, the Environmental Committee will be addressing smog and the risks it poses to our health as well as taking it to other parts of the world and looking at the role harmful pesticides play in water and food contamination. ECOSOC will make an effort to address youth unemployment as well as youth crime rates, and the ZYGMUN II Security Council is facing the large undertaking of addressing the situation in Yemen and that of Rohingya refugees in the Rhakine state.
We believe that this year’s theme will provoke valuable and critical inquires as well as instill within our delegates a thirst for change. This opportunity will be about collaboration, expression and new ideas, making sure that our voices are heard in the name of our future.
We look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
The ZYGMUN Secretariat
This year our theme revolves around children and youth, the leaders of our future. One of the four main principles of the United Nations is maintaining worldwide peace, and it is in this spirit, that the ZYGMUN II conference theme specifically focuses on fostering peace and security for future generations. The strength of this theme lies within the unique perspectives that our delegates bring, regarding issues that affect children and youth like themselves. As the next generation of leaders, we hope that our delegates will feel inspired to address and debate issues that pertain directly to their own futures.
Throughout time, we have seen the effects that war and disputes have had on forthcoming generations. Grudges were held, history was written, and lines were drawn. Today, with pollution in the air, contamination in the water, collapse of Economies, shifting power politics, education being affected by gun control, and the refusal of collaboration from many nations, the hope for a brighter future seems dimmer than ever. However, the past doesn’t have to determine the future. The future is ours to create. As youth, it is our responsibility to put our best efforts towards learning about issues that affect us, in order to make informed decisions for what we believe can create and maintain a form of worldwide peace.
“The single most important thing I can do is to help in any way I can to prepare the next generation of leadership to take up the baton and to take their own crack at changing the world,” Barack Obama, former President of the United States of America, stated at a University of Chicago forum on April 24, 2018. In a world with ever-growing prosperity as well as setback, it is crucial to give hope to the elder generations that the next generation is ready to grab the baton and continue the race with ambition.
ZYGMUN II committees will be addressing a wide spectrum of topics with emphasis on our overall theme. The Human Rights Council will make critical decisions on what actions must be taken to protect children forced into draft armies, and victims of child trafficking. In the Disarmament and International Security Committee, delegates will be seen looking at the prevention of chemical weapons, as well as tackling the controversial issue of artificial intelligence weaponization. A familiar issue for many of our local delegates, the Environmental Committee will be addressing smog and the risks it poses to our health as well as taking it to other parts of the world and looking at the role harmful pesticides play in water and food contamination. ECOSOC will make an effort to address youth unemployment as well as youth crime rates, and the ZYGMUN II Security Council is facing the large undertaking of addressing the situation in Yemen and that of Rohingya refugees in the Rhakine state.
We believe that this year’s theme will provoke valuable and critical inquires as well as instill within our delegates a thirst for change. This opportunity will be about collaboration, expression and new ideas, making sure that our voices are heard in the name of our future.
We look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
The ZYGMUN Secretariat

Dear Delegates, Faculty Advisors, and Friends,
I am absolutely delighted to welcome you all to this year’s Zygmunt Model United Nations conference, hosted by the American School of Warsaw!
I am a Turkish, 17-year-old senior with a passion for politics, currently attending the American School of Warsaw. I was born in Belgium, raised in Costa Rica, and recently moved to Poland. The variety of cultures I have experienced, ranging from Middle Eastern to European as well as Latin American, have helped me gain an appreciation of foreign culture and diversity. Most importantly, these travels have triggered my interest in international relations, a driving factor behind my love for MUN.
I started MUN in middle school, and throughout my journey, I have been granted dozens of opportunities to express different perspectives regarding imminent global issues, eventually allowing for thoughtful resolutions to be passed. This year’s theme of Children and Youth is of particular importance as it plays a factor in all of our lives. In today’s world, people tend to forget that the future generations, our generation, is the future and quite possibly, the key to change.
I am incredibly excited to meet passionate young leaders from all over the world, and further the educational mission of ZYGMUN.
Sincerely,
Defne Onguc
Secretary-General
[email protected]

Dear ZYGMUN participants,
It is with great honor that I welcome you to this year’s ZYGMUN conference! I am currently a sophomore 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 fours years ago, I’ve had the chance to attend seven 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 and chairing at last year’s inaugural ZYGMUN conference.
As someone who is always looking to understand the world around me, this year’s conference theme particularly speaks to me, as it not only pertains to our world but specifically to our generation; present and future. Doubtless, the advances made by humanity in the past century alone, have been incredible. Improvements in technology have made crisis reaction and prevention not a question of capability as much as a question of collaboration. And that is the challenge I pose to you. Represent your countries well, and above all else, represent humanity. Work together and aim to understand others’ viewpoints, both in and out of the committee, as you seek solutions to today’s most pressing issues; issues that affect countless youths like ourselves and issues that pose serious threats to our shared future.
I cannot wait to welcome you all to Warsaw and see the incredible things that you come up with!
Sincerely,
Julia Anting
President of the General Assembly
[email protected]
It is with great honor that I welcome you to this year’s ZYGMUN conference! I am currently a sophomore 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 fours years ago, I’ve had the chance to attend seven 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 and chairing at last year’s inaugural ZYGMUN conference.
As someone who is always looking to understand the world around me, this year’s conference theme particularly speaks to me, as it not only pertains to our world but specifically to our generation; present and future. Doubtless, the advances made by humanity in the past century alone, have been incredible. Improvements in technology have made crisis reaction and prevention not a question of capability as much as a question of collaboration. And that is the challenge I pose to you. Represent your countries well, and above all else, represent humanity. Work together and aim to understand others’ viewpoints, both in and out of the committee, as you seek solutions to today’s most pressing issues; issues that affect countless youths like ourselves and issues that pose serious threats to our shared future.
I cannot wait to welcome you all to Warsaw and see the incredible things that you come up with!
Sincerely,
Julia Anting
President of the General Assembly
[email protected]

Greetings to all ZYGMUN applicants!
I am a current eleventh grader at the American School of Warsaw, and with great pleasure a part of of this year’s annual ZYGMUN conference Secretariat. MUN has been a passion of mine for the past four years and will continue to be so as I move forth with studying politics and international relations. I am originally from Pakistan, however I have spent all my life living in different corners of the world. United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and now Poland, are among the countries that I have had the privilege to call my homes. By living in the city of Warsaw, I have learned to enjoy and love this historically rich city more each day.
Bringing people of youth together to tackle global issues in a city which tackled communist deprivation itself, is an inspirational way to put our best efforts towards understanding the world we live in. Coming to Warsaw has also allowed me to gain more knowledge on world politics which I have been able to reflect through my art. Visual arts is also another big passion of mine, in which I focus on expressing world issues/politics through my work. As a person of youth myself, I believe that our capability of attempting to tackle world issues in our own personalized ways, should not be underestimated. The theme of children and youth reflects on our conference because of our beliefs that the younger generations have the ability to make a difference, and impact in the lives of many who are facing hardships everyday. I look forward to all the delegates and student officers coming from around the world to bring their own attributes to the second annual ZYGMUN conference!
Sincerely,
Sehar Mapara
Deputy Secretary-General of Administrative Affairs
[email protected]
I am a current eleventh grader at the American School of Warsaw, and with great pleasure a part of of this year’s annual ZYGMUN conference Secretariat. MUN has been a passion of mine for the past four years and will continue to be so as I move forth with studying politics and international relations. I am originally from Pakistan, however I have spent all my life living in different corners of the world. United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and now Poland, are among the countries that I have had the privilege to call my homes. By living in the city of Warsaw, I have learned to enjoy and love this historically rich city more each day.
Bringing people of youth together to tackle global issues in a city which tackled communist deprivation itself, is an inspirational way to put our best efforts towards understanding the world we live in. Coming to Warsaw has also allowed me to gain more knowledge on world politics which I have been able to reflect through my art. Visual arts is also another big passion of mine, in which I focus on expressing world issues/politics through my work. As a person of youth myself, I believe that our capability of attempting to tackle world issues in our own personalized ways, should not be underestimated. The theme of children and youth reflects on our conference because of our beliefs that the younger generations have the ability to make a difference, and impact in the lives of many who are facing hardships everyday. I look forward to all the delegates and student officers coming from around the world to bring their own attributes to the second annual ZYGMUN conference!
Sincerely,
Sehar Mapara
Deputy Secretary-General of Administrative Affairs
[email protected]

I am pleased to extend warm greetings to all of those participating in the 2nd upcoming Zygmunt Model United Nations conference, here in American School of Warsaw.
I am from South Korea and I’ve actively engaged in MUN since 8th grade. This will be my last year taking part in ZYGMUN as a senior. I’ve participated as a delegate in the first ZYGMUN conference but also took part in administrative works and logistics. As an individual, MUN has pushed me to challenge my limits and embrace my passion for international politics and economics. I’ve participated in multiple conferences in Paris, Greece and Warsaw throughout my MUN career. Furthering my MUN experiences by partaking in a variety of committees including Human Rights Council, Economic and Social Council, Disarmament and Security Council and Security Council, I am very thrilled to widen my area of participation in MUN by organising a conference and managing the finances for ZYGMUN 2019.
I would like to specifically highlight this year’s theme of Children and Youth. As young leaders of our world, I believe that our generation has the potential to shape the fast-forwarding issues of our current world. With my experiences and enthusiasm, we, as a secretariat, will ensure that all the participating delegates are able to have their best experiences here in Warsaw.
Sincerely,
Jihyeon Kim
Deputy Secretary-General of Financial Affairs
[email protected]
I am from South Korea and I’ve actively engaged in MUN since 8th grade. This will be my last year taking part in ZYGMUN as a senior. I’ve participated as a delegate in the first ZYGMUN conference but also took part in administrative works and logistics. As an individual, MUN has pushed me to challenge my limits and embrace my passion for international politics and economics. I’ve participated in multiple conferences in Paris, Greece and Warsaw throughout my MUN career. Furthering my MUN experiences by partaking in a variety of committees including Human Rights Council, Economic and Social Council, Disarmament and Security Council and Security Council, I am very thrilled to widen my area of participation in MUN by organising a conference and managing the finances for ZYGMUN 2019.
I would like to specifically highlight this year’s theme of Children and Youth. As young leaders of our world, I believe that our generation has the potential to shape the fast-forwarding issues of our current world. With my experiences and enthusiasm, we, as a secretariat, will ensure that all the participating delegates are able to have their best experiences here in Warsaw.
Sincerely,
Jihyeon Kim
Deputy Secretary-General of Financial Affairs
[email protected]