DAHMUN Officers cheer for their mentor, Dr. Chaman Rahim. Imagine this: a group of young school and college girls from Saudi Arabia are in the United Nations' General Assembly, debating the effectiveness of Arab nations declaring states of emergency during the recent turmoil in the region. A little later, at the Security Council, you can spot different girls – but displaying the same kind of intellectual enthusiasm – where the no-fly zone policy measure adopted by Libya is being fiercely discussed. This might be what the future looks like. Dar Al-Hekma's Model United Nations club (DAHMUN) and its annual DAHMUN conference state that they are “creating future leaders” and the speed at which they are attempting to do this, may well ensure a unique Saudi presence in various UN arenas in the near future. These girls are Saudi and expatriate, teenagers and young adults, Dar Al-Hekma students and others. In fact, the only factors common between them is the fierce enthusiasm with which they embrace world affairs, the unique position they hold as potential policy-makers and the rigorous training DAHMUN is providing them with. Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations. The participants role-play as diplomatic delegates representing a nation or NGO in a simulated session of a committee of the United Nations, such as the Security Council or the General Assembly. They research a country, take on roles as diplomats, investigate international issues, debate, deliberate, consult, and then develop solutions to world problems. This year's theme at the ongoing DAHMUN conference is “Shifting Sands: A Wave of Change”, a vast topic tackling the “current shift of power in the Middle East”. “We are living in historical moments that are undoubtedly being studied and soon to be taught in history classes all over the world,” writes the Secretary-General of DAHMUN Nadine Mojadidi in the club's newsletter. “Are we positively or negatively affected by this wave of change? Are we taking two steps forward or 10 steps back?” The first annual DAHMUN conference was held last year, attracting 60 delegates and launching the initiative onto a world stage. Chosen delegates traveled around the world, met high-ranking UN officials and got a taste of what diplomacy and world governance are all about. In fact, the Secretary-General of DAHMUN last year, Muna Alamer, was one of the five individuals chosen from Jeddah last year to attend US President Barack Obama's Entrepreneurship Summit in Washington. Success in DAHMUN seems to ensure a globetrotting lifestyle for a number of these girls. The founder of DAHMUN is Dr. Chaman Rahim, a lecturer at Dar Al-Hekma, and the inspiration for these talented young girls. An academic at heart, this soft-spoken role model spearheaded the initiative in an attempt to “impart extensive leadership skills” and is revered by the close-knit family of DAHMUN officers and delegates alike. “I hope to make these girls more politically informed while at the same time I wish to educate students about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda through seminars, discussions and conferences,” she said. “The students are provided with a wide range of training sessions such as seminars and conferences. The MUN Society has organized several sessions on burning issues such as Israeli Settlements and the Niqab ban in France. In these sessions, the students represent different countries as delegates and they are given training on debating and research skills. Most importantly, they learn how to be politically aware. They also learn a wide variety of other skills through these interactive sessions including public speaking, group communication, research, policy analysis, active listening, negotiating, conflict resolution, note taking, and technical writing.” Citing the success story of DAHMUN's current Under-Secretary-General of Financial Affairs and Dar Al-Hekma student Faiza Ahmad Rizvi, she commented that DAHMUN delegates have managed to do extremely well on their visits overseas. “Faiza won the award for the Best Delegate among over 120 delegates from all over Europe, in the Radboud International Model United Nations Conference in Netherlands. She debated and negotiated with so much confidence that she won this prestigious award. We are all so proud of her,” Dr. Rahim remarked. I asked her what was the single most striking change she observed in students participating in the initiative and she replied: “Increase in confidence! I've noticed a striking increase in the level of confidence in students who have been a part of DAHMUN Society. It's so amazing to see them transform from non-speakers to outstanding public orators. I've seen astonishing changes in my students and I'm so proud of them. I'm extremely pleased to see them debate international issues with so much confidence, even in international conferences when we travel abroad.” Dr. Rahim was also quick to thank sponsors who support the initiative and have helped expand it this year. “We've been extremely blessed and we've received a lot of support from companies and sponsors. In the past, our events have been sponsored by big names such as Mohammad Yusuf Naghi and Goody,” she stated. During a conference, participants must employ a variety of communication and critical thinking skills in order to represent the policies of their country. These skills include public speaking, group communication, research, policy analysis, active listening, negotiating, conflict resolution, note taking, and technical writing. Model UNs are often run using basic parliamentary procedure. This allows all delegates to be active participants. Common activities in MUN involve giving speeches to the committee and writing resolutions concerning a given topic. Model UN is supported by many organizations, private groups, non-governmental organizations, inter-governmental organizations and national governments. United Nations Associations around the world and its international organization the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) have supported MUNs for decades.
