The next days were a stimulating mix of both discovering the city on our own and adding the final touches to our preparation for NMUN NY 2025. As we were to represent the countries at this year’s conference, we visited the Permanent Missions of Mongolia and Fiji to the UN. Especially the representative of Fiji reminded us that small states have significant voices and that the UN was made to draw on all perspectives in creating effective solutions to current world issues.

At the Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN, we gained insight into Germany’s campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2027–2028 term and the current developments regarding its UN General Assembly presidency.

Like every year, we had the pleasure of visiting Milbank LLP in their New York office for a compelling panel discussion and a subsequent dinner, where we were able to get to know some of the partners more deeply. We were extremely grateful for the opportunity to get an idea of the company and what it is like to work there as a lawyer.

On the first conference day, we entered the Hilton hotel anxious and excited. Upon walking to our rooms, hundreds of university students in suits swarmed through the halls, and we were pleased to see some familiar faces from previous conferences. As stated during the opening ceremony: over 357 colleges and universities took part in NMUN NY 2025. Moreover, the words of the conference organizers reminded us that MUN was meant to sharpen our academic skills, public speaking ability, and understanding of global events.

Therefore, we entered our following committee sessions with a sense of purpose and enthusiasm, aligning with the conference motto: “Rise to Shine.”

Representing Mongolia in the UN General Assembly First Committee meant finding solutions for international trust-building, with a focus on nuclear disarmament efforts. With over 350 students in the committee, my partner and I separated to take part in different working groups. Until 10:30 p.m., we connected with as many different delegations as possible to find solutions that aligned with Mongolia’s diplomatic values, while making sure not to be underestimated as a less populated state.

The morning of the next day, we still had time to write our speeches and strategize about working papers. Convincing nuclear weapon states and those interested in building nuclear weaponry, such as Iran, of Mongolia’s perspective turned out to be especially challenging. At times, it took hours to rework singular clauses with the goal of both creating agreeable yet effective solutions striving towards a path of nuclear disarmament. However, we were able to come to agreeable compromises while tending to our country’s needs and interests regarding the topic and were able to emerge from the committee with an abundance of agreed-on resolutions and an Outstanding Position Paper Award.

Due to the sheer amount of intelligent, creative, and innovative students in each working group, we often had to meticulously structure the multitude of promising solutions we came up with. In doing so, we were met with very different debating styles, partially influenced by cultural differences and different negotiating techniques. This allowed us to learn to adapt to our debate partners. As most days stretched from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., our board had our backs with coffee breaks, speech advice, and any support we needed. Moreover, being a pair of two in each committee led me to build a new sense of trust in my working partner, who, similarly to me, had to fight for our position across the entire committee. Furthermore, whether it was some advice or motivation, we knew we could turn to the entire delegation. Therefore, within our assigned committees, hotel rooms, and beyond, we grew together as one delegation. Consequently, we were all filled with pride when, on the day of the Closing Ceremony, the Secretary-General called our university’s name as an Outstanding Delegation.

We are all very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate at NMUN NY 2025 and appreciate the effort each one of us has put in that led us to leave this conference as one successful delegation.

Verfasst von Lina Liebezeit (Delegation 2025)