United Nations Association: Events Director

I am standing to be Events Director in this election because I believe how this society interacts with the real world is extremely important. I have become extremely passionate about MUN despite having never done it before joining UCL. I have attended 5 conferences so far, won 3 awards and hope to achieve much more in the years to come.

However, MUN is definitely a bubble. This is a repeated truism, repeated at lots of MUN conferences, but it is also fact. You very often see the same faces, debate the same issues multiple times and you are tempted to debate in a certain way. Often diplomacy strays into politics. 

Events are a way to keep your feet on the ground. What do diplomats actually do? How do they communicate important issues? 

Events are also a way to help those who want a career in the UN and/or diplomacy, gain experience and exposure.

It is a small secret that I have really enjoyed the embassy trips ( I have been to nearly all of them) as well as massively enjoying the visit to the International Maritime Organisation. I want this momentum to continue into next year but ensuring there is more time between trips to prevent clashes. I also hope to collaborate with other societies both within and outside UCL to have a better chance at attaining the harder to get embassy visits.

Having arranged visits to embassies and international organizations, I discovered the fulfillment of offering such exclusive opportunities to UNA members. To prove that UNA is not just about MUN, as many have told me, I plan to host a mix of serious and non-serious events, including panel discussions, career talks, and end-of-term socials. As a committee member for the past year, I identified 2 key areas for UNA's improvement: strengthening the connection between committee and non-committee members, and increasing networking opportunities with external speakers. To address these, I will kick off my second year in UNA by organizing welcome events for new first-year members and at least 2 speaking events. Furthermore, to enhance the quality of training sessions, I will arrange workshops on essential MUN skills, such as negotiation and public speaking, by inviting UCL Alumni with enriched MUN experiences or professional trainers. Noticing many UNA members' strong interest in the Crisis committee, I plan to organize crisis simulation workshops beyond regular GA training sessions, to train participants in responding swiftly yet diplomatically in crisis scenarios. Leveraging my PR experience from being part of UNA's marketing team, I will keep members informed about relevant external events, programs, and internships through UNA's social media, promoting the members' skill development beyond MUN conferences. 

Vote for me, and I will keep UNA busy with loads of exciting events!