Bank of Palestine sponsored the PAL Model United Nations (PALMUN) program in Palestine this year, which was organized by the PALMUN club in the Friends Boys School, with participation from 300 students from 12 schools from various Palestinian governorates and cities, in the presence of Dr. Laila Ghannam, Governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate, Mr. Sabri Saidam, Minister of Education and Higher Education, and Engineer Musa Hadeed, Mayor of Ramallah Municipality, in addition to representatives of the UN agencies operating in Palestine and other Palestinian institutions.
According to the organizers, this model is an academic program to mimic the United Nations and their sessions, which aims to education the youth participants about the current events related to international relations and diplomacy and introduce them to the UN’s agenda. This program also represents a smaller version of the real United Nationals.
The events of the program concluded on Sunday 17/01/2016, after three consecutive days of events, in which sessions that mimic the General Assembly of the United Nations, Security Council, Economic Council and the United Nations Development Program were held. Throughout these sessions, the students played the role of country representatives and international organizations, by providing official speeches and engaging in debates and heated discussions, in addition to providing solutions and important decisions. The students took the role politicians and diplomats through the formation of alliances with other countries, and studied solutions of international conflicts, in accordance to the interest of the country they represent. The PALMUN program also discussed the causes and practical solutions of international dilemmas, after collecting adequate information in order to benefit from other experiences and recognizing the rules and procedures of the UN’s sessions; the sessions ended with voting on decisions.
The Bank’s sponsorship to this student activity is due to its vision regarding the importance of educating the Palestinian youth about international, humanitarian, economic, social, and cultural issues that is being dealt with per the law and through international organizations, headed by the UN. This sponsorship represents the Bank’s engagement in supporting youth to mimic diplomatic roles and presenting and discussing ideas from the world, which will help them to enhance their self-esteem and enable them to defend their country, Palestine, in various conditions and through diplomatic methods, using education and knowledge, which creates future leaders.
PALMUN in the Friends Boys School decided to organize the first conference in Palestine in 2011.