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Diplomacy in action, interview with Meryem, president of the MUN-PSL student society

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Meryem Khouzaimi MUN-PSL

From the war in Ethiopia to the French Presidential elections, the members of the student society MUN-PSL come together every Saturday for solid and constructive debates around key current events. This society, which is funded through the 2021 Call for Student Initiatives, will be heading to Maastricht soon to take part in EUROMUN. We met with Meryem, MUN-PSL’s enthusiastic and committed president.

Being able to debate with people from various academic backgrounds and different nationalities is a real advantage.

Meryem, who is currently studying Social Sciences at ENS - PSL, developed a keen interest in law and diplomacy from an early age. At the Louis Massignon International French High School in Casablanca, Morocco, Meryem and her classmates observed first-hand the consequences of the Arab Spring movement in the Middle East and North Africa. The context offered much food for thought, and prompted Meryem to contribute to the Arab League’s presidency of the MUN conference held at her high school. The League organized a conference of international negotiations for the OSUI network, which attracted high school students from several French educational institutions in the Arab Maghreb region.

An outstanding student, Meryem enrolled in PSL’s CPES Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Program after high school and was delighted to discover she could join a new MUN branch, the MUN – PSL.

“The MUN organizes simulations of UN General Assembly meetings around a variety of themes. This represents a demanding but highly interesting commitment. Each debate event provides an opportunity to discover a country and its foreign policy, to perfect your speaking and negotiating skills and your sense of diplomacy.”

This experience has served to strengthen her conviction and ambition to progress in this field. A student in law at the ENS-PSL Social Sciences Department, she also enrolled on the ‘Legal Systems and Human Rights’ Master’s at Paris-Nanterre University, in order to enhance her legal training as much as possible. A tireless member of the MUN-PSL, she became President of the society, which now boasts some thirty members from various PSL schools and other Parisian universities.

Having such a broad panel of students is a real asset! It prevents us from becoming boxed in with a single perspective on things; each student has a different culture and a richness to offer.”

Meryem hopes to make the best of this diversity to open debates on international topics as widely as possible, with issues ranging from the war in Ethiopia to the inclusion of nuclear power in European green energy taxonomy.

“Being able to debate with people from various academic backgrounds and different nationalities is a real advantage. It shows that when seeking motions, we still care about the well-being of people in this world.”

Each topic for debate is a collegial choice, which requires upstream preparation. Participants in the debate choose in advance which country or party they will defend, and the aim is to be able to put forward a motion at the end of the discussion. As President, Meryem documents each theme and prepares a substantiated report on the key issues raised by the topic in question. If need be, she also helps members to prepare their questions and speeches. This task requires teaching ability as well as tact: “The organization of the society is very horizontal, we all share the same passion and, as president, I never try to impose my views!” Meryem is assisted by the society’s Treasurer, Abla Mikou, a student enrolled on the Master’s degree in Business Informatics (MIAGE) at Dauphine - PSL, who, alongside all the committee members, works to keep the MUN-PSL going.

As a member of an international network, the actions of MUN-PSL reach far beyond the Parisian sphere. In early April, some of its delegates took part in MEDMUN in Menton, while others will head to Maastricht in May for EuroMUN, thanks to funding from the Call for Student Initiatives.

“These events are truly instructive. I feel personally that I’ve really learnt to debate and to express my interests and limits clearly in an International Relations context. It might sound easy, but it’s actually a very difficult exercise. You have to know how to pursue a constructive debate, understand the other person’s position and negotiate.”

The MUN-PSL society also enables its members to improve their skills in several areas, such as public speaking, diplomacy and active citizenship. “The MUN provides a framework, and, as I see it, enables us through specific procedures to take back control as citizens, which is ultimately the bedrock of democracy.”

MUN PSL

The aim of the society is to bring together and prepare students for the MUN (Model United Nations), a large-scale simulation of UN conferences.

In a similar format to UN delegates, the MUN bring together student delegations from around the world for several days of debate, mainly in English, on topics of worldwide importance, such as nuclear proliferation or global warming. This is an opportunity for students to perfect their debating skills, the key to citizen participation, through engagement with other cultures, ways of thinking and expression.

Training sessions in debating skills are also held throughout the year on the PSL campus.

Join the debate!

The Call for Student Initiatives

The Call for Student Initiatives is a project support scheme. Launched twice yearly, it helps to promote student actions and strengthen campus life. MUN PSL was a winner of the ‘2021 Call for Student Initiatives’ alongside nine other projects.

 

 

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MUN PSL was a winner of the ‘2021 Call for Student Initiatives’

Applications under the Call for Student Initiatives in Spring 2022 can be submitted until May 15.