CLEIMUN19 Opening Ceremonies
“Cleveland International Model United Nations is now officially open.” Grace Kilfoyle, Joint President of the Security Council, ushers in the start of CLEIMUN19. The fourth annual CLEIMUN Conference features delegates from 15 schools, three countries, and two hemispheres. Along with students from schools across the greater Cleveland area, there are also students from Saint Georges College in Santiago, Chile and College de Saint-Joseph Le Rosarie in Le Puy-En-Velay, France. In his welcoming remarks, Mr. James Reed, Principal of Saint Edward High School, quoted President John F. Kennedy's commencement address graduates at American University: “Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process--a way of solving problems.” These words proved to be particularly fitting as Secretary General Aiofe McGowan announced the theme for CLEIMUN19: “ Collaboration in a Polarized World”. Daniela Milan, deputy director of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, stressed the importance of openness and compromise as the foundation of all diplomacy. With these words, students went off to their committees, eager to begin debating their resolutions and working with other delegates to collaborate on solutions to global issues. We are looking forward to the passage of many resolutions over the next three days. As the Le Puy Choir sang A Prayer for Peace, delegates set off to educate themselves and others about the issues that, in the words of Mr. Reed, “will save us all.”
