“I want to bring people together under the values of the UN”

When applying to Euromun 2024, I hoped to chair the Council of the EU or the European Parliament. I ended up being one of the chairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Back then, I met Vanessa. We tried to do an online meeting, calculating the hours between Türkiye and the USA. She was excited to chair with me, and I was excited to learn from her knowledge about the Council of Europe. 

Honestly, chairing with Venessa was a great experience, and I hope we can do it again one day. For the moment, the only thing we can do is meet to catch up. At some point, the interview with Vanessa became coffee on a Thursday instead of a formal question-and-answer situation. 

Vanessa is 19 years old, and she is studying Arabic Literature and Civilisation. She is French and Mexican. Her MUN career started five years ago. She told me that, like every GenZ MUNer, she had to stop for two years because of COVID-19. 

She began her MUN journey in her first year of high school. She learned they wanted to establish a MUN Club and asked if someone was interested. “I was intrigued,” she told me, “so I applied”. She commented that during the first meeting, by the way attended by 40 people, she had to introduce herself in English. “I had to prepare myself. I was a bit insecure about my confidence and speaking skills”. Laughing, she finished saying:

And yes, it is true, not only her negotiation skills are bright, but her sense of fashion.  

With lots of MUNs under her belt, she prefers to be a delegate. “After chairing many conferences last year, I realised I enjoy participating in debates more, but as a chair, I can't do that.” She highlighted some of the duties of a delegate: express opinions and engage with other delegates. Her favourite committee is the UNSC, where she has participated the most and in where she won her first award as Colombia. 

She has chaired in English, French and Spanish. I asked her if she would do so in Arabic. Vanessa expressed her desire to do it in the future: “it would be like a crash course”. 

In terms of chairing, MUN Command has helped her a lot. “The statistics and the visuals are very convenient”. Moreover, she has used mymun several times. We can summarise that mymun makes it easier for the MUN community to organise conferences and apply to them.  

Maybe some of you know her because you have met her at a conference, but others may know her for her role as Vice President of CINUP (Comité Interuniversitaire des Nations Unies de Paris). It is currently in her second term. She didn´t hesitate to tell me her favourite part of being in such a position: "Being a Vice President gives me a voice and makes me feel like I´m part of something big”.  Apart from being the face of CINUP, she is responsible for guiding people and ensuring that the organisation is well-represented. 

During the interview, I asked about MUNWar. To be honest, when I was preparing for this interview, it was the first time I had heard about a conference like that. MUNWar is a unique mix of MUN and a war game with many logistical aspects. She pointed out that the most challenging aspect of organising was “merging the map-based strategy with the debate”. Apart from the inconveniences, the conference was rated a 4.6 in mymun, and she is already looking forward to MUNWar 2025 in April. 

She considers the future thoughtfully, hoping MUN “will benefit her career”. However, she does not rely solely on it. Vanessa sees MUN as a valuable experience, but her focus remains on her studies. 

Reflecting on her journey, she compares it to participating in the Olympics, where each experience adds to her growth. She’s making the most of every opportunity, knowing that the certificates and skills gained will certainly open doors.

In the end, what started as a professional MUN interview turned into a coffee chat with a future fashionista, and multilingual negotiator. Vanessa, with her collection of suits and her knack for navigating both UNSC debates and the intricacies of Arabic grammar, is clearly going places. As for me, I’m just glad that our “interview” didn’t end with me asking how she likes her coffee in Turkish. Here’s to more MUNs, more coffee, and hopefully, less confusion about which Council we’re chairing next time!

photo credit to Marie-Elia Gaillard