AUKMUN Participates in Project Aequitas in the Netherlands

The American University of Kuwait Model United Nations (AUKMUN) organized an academic trip to The Hague, Netherlands to participate in a project entitled, Project Aequitas, which was in collaboration with the Kuwait Embassy in The Hague. This project consisted of participation in a Model United Nations (MUN) conference hosted by Leiden University and a visit to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accompanied by His Excellency, Counsellor Tareq Al-Shumaimry. The project aimed to educate students on the international legal system as well as give greater insight into work in the diplomatic sector.

A total of seven students participated in this trip—Head Delegate and AUKMUN President, Ali Al-Qallaf; Treasurer, Fares Al-Shamry; Vice President, Ali Al-Khuraibet; Judicial Affairs Committee Chair, Hussain Khashab; Secretary, Nada El Gamal; Events Planning & Coordinating Chair, Layan Al-Ayoubi; and AUKMUN member Ridaab Marzuq. The students were accompanied by their advisor, AUK Professor of Near and Middle Eastern Studies and History, Gholamreza Vatandoust.

Throughout their participation in the MUN conference, the delegates played the role of diplomats and represented different states within the simulation. Each student was tasked to represent the policies of their assigned state in various UN commissions and create a resolution regarding the issue at hand. With high competition, AUK delegates managed to gain two awards—the Judicial Affairs Committee Chair received the Best Delegate Award, and Secretary, Nada El-Gamal received the Honorable Mention Award.

During the second leg of the program, Their Excellencies Counsellor Tareq Al-Shumaimry and Counsellor Ali Al-Thayedi of the Kuwait Embassy in The Hague organized a trip to the Peace Palace. In this visit students were given a briefing on the history of the international court as well as its legal functions, and were given a lecture on court hearings and proceedings. The students also participated in an interactive discussion regarding the ICJ which provided a unique opportunity for students to integrate what they have learned in their law courses into the discussion.

To end the program, the delegation visited the Kuwait Embassy in The Hague where they were warmly received by His Excellency Ambassador Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi. Each delegate then gave a detailed presentation on what they had learned from this experience. Following the presentations, each delegate was given a certificate signed by the Ambassador, thus concluding the program.
 

(From left) H.E. Counsellor Tareq Al-Shumaimry, Counsellor at the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in the Kingdom of the Netherlands; ; Dr. Gholam Vatandoust, AUKMUN Academic Advisor; H.E. Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait in the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Ali K. Al-Qallaf, President of AUKMUN
 

(From left) Layan Al-Ayoubi, Events Planning & Coordinating Committee Chair of AUKMUN; Fares Al-Shamri, Treasurer of AUKMUN; Ali Al-Khuraibet, Vice President of AUKMUN; H.E. Counsellor Tareq Al-Shumaimry, Counsellor at the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Ali K. Al-Qallaf, President of AUKMUN; H.E. Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait in the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Dr. Gholam Vatandoust, AUKMUN Academic Advisor; Hussain Khashab, Judicial Affairs Committee Chair of AUKMUN; Nada El-Gamal, Secretary of AUKMUN; Ridaab Marzuq, AUKMUN member