The UN Security Council will discuss the situation in the Middle East. The Committee on Disarmament and International Security of the UN General Assembly will examine the conditions in Yemen.

The Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Affairs Committee of the UN General Assembly will focus on issues of the LGBTI community and the trafficking of women in “fragile” states. Development issues with an emphasis on developing countries on the occasion of the exit from the pandemic crisis will be at the center of the meeting of the Economic and Social Council of the UN.

The developments and the latest events in the international arena will be the subject of negotiations at the simulation conference of the organs of the United Nations and other international organizations, Thessaloniki International Student Model United Nations – ThessISMUN, which begins today at the University of Macedonia with the participation of 250 students from Greece and abroad.

ThessISMUN is organized again this year with the support of the Office for Greece of the United Nations Regional Information Center in Europe and participates in the campaign to promote the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and celebrates the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“It is one of the most successful events organized by the University of Macedonia, it has been held continuously since 2002 with the only exception during the pandemic” emphasized the Vice Chancellor of Finance, Planning and Development of the University of Macedonia, Professor Eugenia Alexandropoulou during today’s press conference for the 20th anniversary Thessaloniki International Student Model United Nations, ThessISMUN.

“It is the brainchild and the fruit of great efforts of the professor of International Law and International Organizations at the Department of International and European Studies of the University of Macedonia Paroula Naskou-Perrakis, who retired from the University, but has left this important institution as a worthy legacy” said Mrs. Alexandropoulou stressing that “over the years ThessISMUN has given many students from Greece and abroad the opportunity to broaden their experiences, strengthen their knowledge, become part of a model that provides a better understanding of the operation of some of the most important organizations in the world».

Every year, hundreds of young men and women familiarize themselves with the issues discussed in international organizations, are chosen, argue in favor of the positions of the states they represent, take decisions by consensus through mutual concessions and negotiations, realize the need for international cooperation with the aim of establishing peace in the people, he noted.

The academic director of ThessISMUN, Professor Theodosis Karvounarakis, pointed out the dimension of the acquaintance and familiarization of the participants with the international society.

“They learn that international society is not anarchic, it is organized, operates on the basis of certain principles and certain laws and is in the interest of states because in this way they have a predictable framework of action and ensure their cooperation” explained.

Clarifying that the participants are from Schools of Law and Schools of International Relations, he underlined that in the future, in the course of their careers, they will serve in international organizations, some will become diplomats and others in the context of their work duties will deal with cases related to the international environment and it is useful for them to be aware of it and to cope appropriately and successfully.

He also emphasized that in a pre-defined and well-coordinated framework arguments are exchanged, negotiated and meaningful results are produced and that the participants learn to work together in English and in an international environment and familiarize themselves, among other things, with leadership positions as they take on special tasks.

“ThessISMUN, which was created in 2002 by Paroula Naskou-Perraki and Mirka Godika, then National Information Officer at the United Nations Information Center in Athens, is the only student Model UN in Greece. After the pandemic crisis, we aspire to strengthen it to make it more international and a point of reference for the entire region” emphasized Dimitris Fatouros, head of the Office for Greece of the United Nations Regional Information Center in Europe.

“A whole generation of students has been created who are everywhere in Greece and Europe” he said, noting that ThessISMUN is a celebration of youth, during which participants learn to discuss, compromise, learn other people’s truths, understand the international system, understand that there are rules and get to know the United Nations, that it is an organization created by the people for the people.

Human friendships, relationships have developed through the Conference over the years and participation in it is positively evaluated for a possible job and internship position.

They develop skills, their business acumen, their communication skills and all these are counted and positively valued in a CV assessment in the future, emphasized Stefanos Katsoulis, Secretary General of the UN Security Council at the 20th ThessISMUN, who had the same role in 2007 , when he was a student.

Stefania Zourka, graduate student of the Faculty of Law of AUTH and president of the UN General Assembly emphasized that this is an institution that unites the universities of Greece and abroad that “gives the inspiration, the vision, the step to discover our position in Greece and in the world, but also the position of Greece in the world”.

Aris Agyptiadis, undergraduate student president of the Committee on Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Issues of the UN General Assembly (UNGA – SOCHUM) emphasized that the participants learn to speak English better, to write in English, and to be comfortable in public.

“We are a family that is constantly expanding and its members produce values” he said.

The 20th anniversary international simulation conference of the organs of the United Nations and other international organizations, Thessaloniki International Student Model United Nations, – ThessISMUN is organized from today 19 to Sunday 23 April 2023.