Day 5: Committee Work Part 2

Bonjour! :) Today, we had a meeting with Malo Mofakhami, President of the European Youth Parliament - France, Pierre Sineux, President of the University of Caen, and Harlem Désir, Secretary of state for Foreign affairs. Monsieur Désir answered questions from delegates that ranged from what stance should the US take in the Ukraine crisis to how the EU should move forward.

Monsieur Harlem Désir

For the large majority of the day, we worked on our resolution. Dan checked in with us and closely monitored our progress and answered any questions that we may have had. Chris later visited us to provide an objective/outsider's view of what we've been discussing and he made very important suggestions in regards to possible changes (such as including the US more in the resolution because part of the question is about global powers and not just solely on Ukraine and Russia).

Chris commenting on our preliminary clauses.

After several long hours and a variety of mild and strong disagreements, our resolution was completed. Tomorrow is the first day of GA (General Assembly) where we will present our resolution clause by clause and a series of debates about our resolution is to be conducted where my peers will respond to questions from our fellow committees.

After today, I feel confident that I understand some more about the situation happening right now in Ukraine. Hearing the opinions and facts about the growing conflict from my peers, Dan, visiting chairpersons, etc. made me comprehend what's going on much better than merely reading what's posted online. In the US (depending on the state), you're not taught a lot about European history and it is something I would like to see changed. I strongly believe it's important for American students to not only learn about European history and to note the differences between East and West, but to recognize the similarities between the two. To just study American history is limiting your scope and perspective on the past and the present. We live in such a diverse world, and the people we meet every day can come from countries far away from our respective homes. Even having just a good broad understanding of European countries and learning about current events from news outlets (such as BBC and Reuters) can help you relate to those you work with, those you meet in common places, etc.

Part of our resolution

Discussing solutions

Paride, Me & Jonas