The following are the closing remarks of 2024 Secretary-General of American Model United Nations on 26 November 2024.

Welcome to the end of your four days of Conference! On behalf of the AMUN Secretariat, I congratulate you for your outstanding work and achievements this Conference. We hope you will join us again next year as a returning representative or member of staff!

On Saturday, I discussed the difficulty of diplomacy and representing your country’s agenda in response to some of the most challenging problems facing our global community today. I hope that you recognize your success in your discussions and consensus building and have learned from your collaboration with your fellow diplomats. 

I want to discuss some highlights of the hard work that simulations across the Conference put forth to make improvements across the globe.

The Third Committee discussed opportunities to protect the rights of indigenous peoples through multilateral programs that would ensure access to essential resources like education, food, healthcare and energy, whether in conflict or during a climate disaster.

The World Health Assembly passed resolutions that focus on increasing healthcare access for women, children and adolescents in rural areas and improving data collection to better respond to health inequities caused by drug trafficking.

The First Committee focused on the practical disarmament of conventional weapons  with resolutions discussing specific regional approaches to disarmament, the relationship between Member States and non-state actors in successful disarmament, and how important youths can be in meaningfully promoting disarmament and non-proliferation efforts. They have also focused extensively on the emerging role of AI in Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems and the need for caution and global standards on how AI may change the weapons landscape. 

The Contemporary Security Council successfully arranged emergency humanitarian aid deliveries for refugees fleeing the Sudanese civil war. Members of the council identified the key drivers of the conflict and were able to arrange a temporary ceasefire.

The International Court of Justice passionately  and respectfully debated the legal merits of the Advocates’ well prepared oral arguments and memorials across three cases. Through their deliberations, they formed eight thorough, judicious opinions, five of which were dissenting.

International Press Delegation reporters have written more than 40 articles over the course of conference, exposing humanitarian tragedies in the Congo and Sudan, uncovering nuance in debates on world health and the rights of indigenous people, and fostering cooperation by finding common ground between working papers over the course of conference. Reporters conducted interviews and facilitated press conferences, allowing new perspectives and equal voices.

The last four days you have experienced hard moments. Not all resolutions pass. Sometimes you may have gotten stuck and were unable to find common ground. Negotiations may not have worked the way that you wanted them to. However, throughout that you were able to accomplish a lot. You found mutual understanding in challenging situations. You found creative solutions to real problems the world is facing. 

On Saturday I spoke about how our access to information can be overwhelming especially when it feels that nothing is happening. I hope that as you see this going forward you are reminded of diplomacy that is happening behind the scenes to affect real change in these situations. 

I also hope that you take a moment soon to reflect on the past four days. Think about how the solutions that you came up with would have impacted the current global events. Progress is sometimes slow and not always obvious, but it is always ongoing. I also hope that you take time to reflect on the skills that you learned this weekend. Regardless of what path you are on in life, I believe you will take these skills with you.