New York – Dominican Republic Model United Nations 2009 Comes to Successful Close

The closing ceremony the 2009 New York – Dominican Republic Model United Nations (NYDRMUN), an initiative of the Association of United Nations of the Dominican Republic (UNA-RD), Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), performed took place April 4, 2009 in the General Assembly of the United Nations.  The event was
historic in nature in that it was the first time that the closing act of the Model was simulated in the principal organ of the United Nations. Over 500 students from the Dominican Republic, the United States and Latin America participated in the event.

The closing ceremony of the 7th edition of NYDRMUN began with the welcoming words of Pilar Sandoval, Executive Director of UNA-RD and the main organizer of the event. Remarks were also given by Guarocuya Batista, General
Secretary of NYDRMUN 2009; Katherine Acosta, Coordinator of the Model and a member of the UNA-RD; Louis Bogaert, Subsecretary of State of External Relations of the Dominican Republic; and Stefancyk Kerry, GFDD Program Assistant and GFDD/FUNGLODE Representative to ECOSOC.

Led by Sandoval, elected delegates read the resolutions they devised during two days of intensive discussions — using the same voting technology as the representatives of the Member States of the United
Nations General in the Assembly.

After approving proposals Nathanael Concepción, Specials Projects Manager of the UNA-RD spoke about the Dominican-Haitian Diaspora Forum for the Development of the Hispaniola and Emil Chireno, Coordinator of the forum, presented the solutions and conclusions that the participants formulated during their meetings.

Following the presentation of the Dominican-Haitian Diaspora Forum, Raymond Ratti and Fernando
Atristain, Coordinators of the Forum for Peace in the Middle East, continued to present the resolutions. Both forums were led by prominent experts.

Once the conclusions were presented the act proceed with the projection of the final video of the event, which consisted in a brief summary of all activities of the Conference and interviews with delegates and representatives of the event that expressed their views of how participating in the Model of United Nations transform
their lives making them more conscious and better informed of the issues affecting the world.

In his closing speech, Guarocuya Batista expressed once again the importance of the event for the students. Luis Bogaert and Kerry Stefancyk also stressed the fundamental role the Model plays in creating tomorrow’s leaders.  The session of speeches ended with the intervention of Pilar Sandoval, who stated how excited she was about the closing ceremony of
NYDRMUN taking place in the General Assembly of the United Nations. Sandoval thanked the participating educational institutions for their support on behalf of UNA-DR, GFDD and FUNGLODE.

The event concluded with an Awards Ceremony. The Presidents and Vice-Presidents announced the winners recognized for outstanding achievement.

Educational institutions were also recognized for their commitment to the mission and objectives of NYDRMUN 2009. Awards were
presented by Model Manager, Katherine Acosta and Specials Projects Manager, Nathanael Concepción. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic also received awards for their on-going support for UNA-DR activities.

The event is organized to provide opportunities for Dominican students and students from across the region to formulate solution proposals that correspond to the United
Nations’ agenda of work. Participating in NYDRMUN offers students an inside look into the work conducted by representatives of the distinct global delegations that comprise the United Nations.
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