Proudly Introducing:
UNITED AMBASSADORS'
MODEL UNITED NATIONS
*HALL OF FAME*
We are proud to introduce the final members of the 2017 MUN Hall of Fame.
This initiative aims to recognize and congratulate these Model UN veterans for their exemplary & lasting contributions to the Model UN community.
We thank our Media Partner MUNPlanet for their cooperation on the selection of the 15 finalists for the year of 2017 before entering the voting process.
The final Hall of Fame of 2017 includes a pre-set quota of 12 members. Please see them below.
TOP 5 WINNERS
The winners below are the holders of the highest 5 voting records, including the one above. They also include honorary members (ie: finalists from category 1).
TOP #1 WINNER
Karim ElDib - MUN Adviser/ Director of Hayah International Academy MUN
Top Winner. Category: Exceptional MUN Adviser. Location: Egypt.
Karim ElDib is the director of the MUN program at Hayah International Academy in Cairo, Egypt. Throughout his 7+ years as a director, HIAMUN, the school’s conference, has grown from a small conference in 2011 with delegates from a single school to a THIMUN affiliated conference hosting 10 forums and hundreds of students. HIAMUN students, under Karim’s guidance and support, have represented their delegations in multiple local and international conferences in Cairo, Doha, Istanbul, Dubai, and Saint Petersburg. Karim El Dib’s efforts and dedication to the program can be represented through the passion his students develop for MUN, and the achievements they have reached throughout the years. While HIAMUN delegates have won numerous awards and ICJ cases at high school MUN conferences, they have carried on after graduation to hold many positions in the MUN world as well. These students from Cairo ended up in positions including students who served as WIMUN SG, and O-MUN Director/ Assistant Directors, as well as students now working at United Ambassadors, Best Delegate & multiple large university-level MUN conferences. Several HIAMUN alumni have also been chosen to present at the Qatar MUN and Leadership Conference (QLC), where Karim El Dib himself has also given workshops. The success of HIAMUN, year after year, as well as the work done by both HIAMUN students and alumni at many conferences and programs, acts as a testament to the effort and dedication Mr. Karim exerts into the MUN program at Hayah and its students. As an MUN director, a teacher, and a mentor to many, Mr. Karim’s commitment and hard work has constantly guided and motivated the HIAMUN community to become better students, delegates, and leaders. Karim won first place with a clear majority in the vote tally.
Darko Petrovic, Founder of EuroMUN and the UN Student Association in Mastricht
Top 5 Winner. Category: MUN Conference/ Youth Association Founder. Location: The Netherlands.
Darko Petrovic is an MUN enthusiast whose journey began in 2006, at crossroads of his second year at Maastricht University. Together with a group of friends who wanted to translate thought into action, learn differently, try new things and make the world around them a better place, he established the United Nations Student Association (UNSA) Maastricht and led the organization of the first European Model United Nations (EuroMUN) in 2008. In 2009, after an eye-opening volunteering in Madagascar, he continued supporting UNSA through the introduction of a more social dimension to the association’s work. The new Development Committee became its platform for partnerships with now over a dozen local NGOs in developing countries, which opened volunteer opportunities for university students to enrich their inter-cultural experience and raise awareness of development challenges, in exchange for hands, skills and fundraising events to support the implementation of their projects as part of the global MDG (now SDG) agenda. Since 2010, Darko has been working for the UN World Food Programme in the Gambia, Rome and now Myanmar where he tries to navigate the UN system and find a way to make a difference in the lives of people most in need through every aspect of his work. Currently, in monitoring and evaluation, he advocates for evidence-based decision-making and works hard to make WFP’s results matter and its contribution to the SDGs more visible so that critical funds (!) can be raised to save lives and livelihoods.
Merna Ghaly, GUCMUN 2017 Secretary-General - Runner up for #1 Winner (Top 5 Winner).
Top 5 Winner. Category: Outstanding Youth Leader - MUN Secretary-General. Location: Egypt.
Before becoming active in MUNs, Merna was an active climate activist; but to her, it was not just about the climate or the planet, it was about social justice, and the values humanity should stand for. When she first joined MUN, she thought of it as a place for ideas and learning about the world and how it works, a way to gain the skills one would need to be able to have influence on issues to advocate for. Through multiple leadership roles, she gained a different understanding of the true value and impact of MUN. As Secretary-General of GUCMUN, her vision for the model was for it (and all MUNers) to go “beyond the simulation". To put an effort in understanding how the world functions and to analyze why things happen to start taking effective action steps to bring about this change we speak of to life. For us to not only speak of global matters, but also see the world that is directly around us and find our role in making it better; to both think globally, yet act locally. During this year, GUCMUN has become a more inclusive community rather than an exclusive one. As a Model UN Conference, they are more committed to direct action. They have prepared and developed not only delegates but also the Secretariat for more than just the conference, but to become true agents of change. Within this year, matters discussed were ones that can be reflected in the local community, and have pushed people to think beyond the obvious. And now when crucial issues get discussed, in any setting, GUCMUNers do not only do it with great tact they also do offer realistic ideas and solutions.
Lisa Martin, Founder of Online Model United Nations - **Honorary Member**
Top 5 Winner. Category: International MUN Organization Founder. Location: United States/ Qatar
Lisa Martin is a sentinel of the MUN world and her contributions and dedication resonate in the lives of many students, adults, and professionals around the globe. She broke the barriers created by distance and brought MUN into the 21st century through technology when she created Online Model United Nations (OMUN) in 2011. Lisa’s passion for MUN is prodigious and she has an innate ability to bring individuals and organizations together and through and influence them to work together towards a greater goal. She is a connector in the MUN world and has created partnerships with organizations such has HELA, OMUN, Best Delegate, Salam Center and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Her accolades are endless, she goes above and beyond sacrificing her time, effort and resources to ensure the most deserving kids from no matter where they come from get a chance to experience opportunities that are often life changing. She is a testament to the quintessence of MUN and her ethos resonates with all the principles that make MUN great. She founded the MUN program at ACS Abu Dhabi and became one of the first schools from the UAE to attend THIMUN. She then started the Model UN program at MKIS in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She sent delegations, student officers and press team members to THIMUN and BEIMUN. She is the Founder and former Director/CEO of OMUN, THIMUN’s online partner. She is currently the head of THIMUN Qatar, based in Doha. Lisa stops at nothing when she sees an opportunity in Model UN that she believes could better the world or peoples lives.
Lisa is also an Honorary Member of the Hall of Fame (Finalists Category 1 - Int'l MUN Organization Founder).
Dina Kotelnikova - Founder of Genoa MUN.
Top 5 Winner. Category: MUN Conference Founder. Location: Italy.
Ms. Dina Kotelnikova is a founder of the GeMUN conference in Genoa which has become the most reputable in the country and highly regarded by the international MUN community. GeMUN is THIMUN affiliated conference. Since 1998 GeMUN students have attended more than 130 conferences. The last 14th GeMUN 2017 brought together 650 participants from 16 countries. The GeMUN team led by Ms. Dina Kotelnikova is a great supporter of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its set of 17 SDGs. The GeMUN team, in cooperation with the City Council, planted a new park in Genoa dedicated to SDGs broadcasted by local media. The GeMUN team promotes professional interpretations of the UN activities. The considerable amount of Ms. Dina Kotelnikova’s work goes into coordinating and bringing together these talents. After 19 years of activity, more than 13000 students from all over the world call themselves GeMUNers. She considers knowledge of building partnerships vital for sustainable future. That is why she has been promoting and organizing training courses and tutorships of new conferences in different schools in Genoa, Italy and abroad. GeMUN team assists students who would not have had access to MUN.
Ms. Dina Kotelnikova is a tireless promoter of MUN activities worldwide; she loves her students and her job.
TOP 10 WINNERS
The winners below are the holders of the highest 10 voting records. They also include honorary members (ie: finalists from category 1).
Afolabi Adekaiyaoja, London International MUN 2017 Secretary-General
Top 10 Winner. Category: Outstanding Youth Leader - MUN Secretary-General.
Location: United Kingdom.
Afolabi Adekaiyaoja is an avid MUNer who was the 18th Secretary-General of the London International Model United Nations and presided over the affairs of the Foundation in 2017. Afolabi has chaired and attended many reputable conferences in U.K and around Nigeria. Afolabi’s passion for MUN stems from his appreciation of the power and fact that effective interaction and communication can make a difference and bring people together. His experience started from Nigeria where he was elected Deputy Secretary-General Academics of the Nigerian Secondary Schools Model United Nations in 2011. He has Chaired and staffed at conferences such as conferences at Cambridge, Oxford, UCL, LSE, ScotMUN among others. As Secretary-General of LIMUN 2017. In this office, he worked with his team to create a High School Conference which launched in November last year. The conference was a success and attracted just over 100 attendees in the first year. He also attended several conferences and carried out several outreach workshops at schools. Under his leadership, LIMUN became the largest MUN conference in the world to simulate all six official languages of the United Nations. He also worked with his team to introduce several innovations to this conference such as a Summit between several committees, harmonized workings of the 35 committees and worked with his team to provide scholarships to the 10 recipients of the High School scholarship. He is currently working within the LIMUN Foundation to share his expertise with the new teams managing the conferences and is working on another potential conference outside Europe.
Andrew Newman - MUN Adviser, John Burroughs School, THIMUN MUNITY press coordinator
Top 10 Winner. Category: Exceptional MUN Adviser. Location: United States.
Andrew Newman, MUN For over twenty years Andrew Newman has been involved with The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) program. As the coordinator of the THIMUN MUNITY press team in The Hague, Andrew has inspired young journalists to meet a real deadline with substantial news. As a member of the THIMUN Advisory Board, he works to give direction and insight to the world’s largest MUN organization. As the THIMUN Foundation branched out to the Middle East, Andrew has worked closely with the THIMUN Qatar Board in numerous areas including the THIMUN Qatar (TQ) conference, the THIMUN/Qatar/Northwestern Film Festival, and the Qatar Leadership Conference. Andrew led a delegation from his school to TQ where he helped coordinate a cultural exchange with students from Kabul, Afghanistan who were also attending. This initiative has led to a significant relationship of mutual support where the Afghan students have created their own NGO, Hope in Education and Leadership in Afghanistan (HELA), and the Burroughs students work to support their efforts through fundraising, conference preparation, and program initiatives. Plug-in Model UN (PiMUN) is one such initiative where used laptops are repurposed and put into the hands of new MUN students in less developed countries such as the students in Kabul. After a meeting in 2016 between these two groups and the Afghan Embassy in Doha, HELA has held several MUN conferences in Kabul with an equal number of male and female participants and with government support. Andrew sees value in not only guiding his students to creating brilliant resolutions but helping them create initiatives outside the conference forums that lift the ideas in those resolutions off the page and put them into action that help change real people’s lives. With tremendous passion and positive spirit and energy, Andrew works endlessly to help his students realize their voice and actions can make a difference on our planet.
Robin Schoss - Founder of MyMUN - **Honorary Member**
Top 10 Winner. Category: International MUN Organization Founder. Location: Germany.
"My achievement, the creation of MyMUN, could be interpreted as both an outstanding MUN achievement, as well as a reform to the way MUN is conducted, and the way MUN is perceived in the world. By connecting tens of thousands of MUNers with thousands of conferences, delegate are able to get in touch, and stay in touch with each other like never before. We have also helped small, local conferences to get on the world stage. One conversation with a 200-delegate conference in the Netherlands was particularly memorable to me: For the first time in their history, they told me, they received applications (and those delegates actually attended!) from as far away as Malaysia, Indonesia and Canada. When they asked those delegates how they had heard about and applied for such a regional, almost rural, MUN conference in a tiny village in the Netherlands, the answer was: MyMUN. This is our aim, and our continuing achievement: To create connections were none were before, to make acquaintances that otherwise would not have been possible, and to create a community of like-minded, driven, motivated and world-changing young minds - the global leadership of tomorrow!" Robin Schoss is also an Honorary Member of the Hall of Fame (Finalists Category 1 - In'l MUN Organization Founder).
Talita Pinotti - Co-founder, FACAMP Model United Nations
Top 10 Winner. Category: MUN Conference Founder. Location: Brazil.
Talita Pinotti is a Brazilian who truly believes in the transformative power of Model UN’s. When she was an undergraduate, she and some colleagues had the dream to get closer to the United Nations world, but were unable to attend a MUN. After graduation, Talita and her friend Patrícia decided to foster the culture of simulations in São Paulo, the southeast region of Brazil. Talita gathered some students and started to participate in the few events available in Brazil. After a year, in 2013, this group organized its own Model UN, called FACAMP Model United Nations (FAMUN), introducing MUN to many new participants. FAMUN is now in its 5th edition and has received more than 3000 students from all over the country. The project has encouraged many schools to create their own Model UN and positively impacted many students. In 2016, Talita and her colleagues, Patrícia and Roberta, decided to begin the full adoption of UN4MUN in Brazilian MUNs. Talita believes that by presenting other students with the knowledge and opportunities brought by MUNs, she could collaborate with capacity-building and global awareness in her region. These initiatives helped many students and professors to learn more about cooperation, mutual respect, and teamwork. To her, the most rewarding outcome of this experience was to see that the project that she started provided local youth with an innovative educational experience, which turns them into multipliers of social change.
Honorary Members
The members below are recognized by United Ambassadors as honorary members who were not included in the final voting tally.
They are finalists from the same Category (2) reserved in 2017 for Model UN Directors and Coordinators.
Mr. Gregory Kovrizhenko - Coordinator of Moscow International Model UN.
Location: Russia. Category: Model UN Conference Coordinator.
Mr. Gregory Kovrizhenko is the founder & coordinator of Moscow International Model UN, Russia's largest MUN conference held at MGIMO University, and the world's first conference to simulate the UN in all six official working languages of the United Nations. Mr. Kovrizhenko is also a member of the Chief Board of the United Nations Association of Russia and the Honourary President of the World Federation of United Nations Associations. The first edition of MIMUN was held in 1999. Currently, Moscow International Model United Nations Secretariat does not only hold an annual conference but also supports and encourages conduction of such activities in Russia and abroad. In different years the opening ceremony of MIMUN was attended by such honored guests as the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Step by step MIMUN became an object of intense interest and the number of simulated organs increased undeviatingly. Since 2015 12 organs have been simulated annually. From 2011 to 2014 Moscow International Model UN was held in three of the UN official languages: Russian, English, and French. Since 2015 the work of the committee has been conducted in all UN official languages: English, Russian, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. In 2017, the name of the prominent Russian diplomat Vitaly Churkin has been attributed to MIMUN. It is now called Churkin Moscow International Model UN.
William Yotive - Former Model UN Focal Point & Program Manager, United Nations.
Location: United States. Category: Model UN Conference Director/ Coordinator.
Mr. Yotive is currently serving as Model UN Coordinator at WFUNA. Prior to working at WFUNA, Mr. Yotive was Project Manager of the United Nations Global Teaching and Learning Project within the Outreach Division of the UN Department of Public Information from 2001-2015. He was responsible for creating educational materials for schools around the world on the United Nations and organizing video conferences on human rights, the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and the observance of the International Day of Peace. Mr. Yotive managed the Model UN portal on the UN’s educational website throughout his UN career and helped organize the first UN-sponsored Global Model UN conferences for university students in Geneva, Kuala Lumpur and Incheon from 2009-2011 with the purpose of accurately simulating UN meetings in the General Assembly and Security Council, now called UN4MUN. Since 2012, Mr. Yotive has been teaching students how to accurately simulate the UN and is currently writing a book on the history of Model UN which will provide the first detailed history of how it evolved. Prior to working at the UN, Mr. Yotive was a Director of Research at Sesame Workshop which produces educational television programs for children, such as Sesame Street where he conducted studies to evaluate the impact that these programs have on the cognitive, social and emotional development of children. Mr. Yotive is an Advisory Council Member of the Committee on Teaching about the United Nations and also serves on the International Institute on Peace Education Transnational Advisory Group.
Elie Samia - Program Director of Global Classrooms - LAU - Model United Nations (UNA-USA)
Location: United States/ Lebanon. Category: Model UN Conference Director/ Coordinator.
Mr. Elie Samia has a 25-year experience in university teaching at the Lebanese American University (LAU) in the academic fields of political science, sociology, and cultural studies. He is a lecturer in Political Science and Sociology at LAU. He was the director of guidance at LAU (2005-2010) responsible for student development and academic welfare. He became the executive director of outreach and civic engagement at LAU in 2010 until 2014 and is now the Assistant Vice President for Outreach and Civic Engagement and is responsible for a plethora of student leadership and civic engagement programs. He is also the program director of the Global Classrooms LAU Model United Nations (2005-present), of the Model Arab League Program (2011- present), and of the USAID University Scholarship Program (2010 - present). He is also the faculty advisor for the Harvard World Model United Nations (2003-2005) and (2014-present). He gave more than 200 workshops to a wide audience ranging from youth associations to corporate employees in Lebanon and abroad about educational leadership, negotiations, creative business development, building motivation, civic engagement, and project management.