In New York: 4,000 students revive the United Nations
For four days, thousands of students from over 140 countries (including almost 2,000 Italians) will simulate the negotiating activities of diplomats, with a focus on global crises, AI and sport as a vector of peace
At a time in history when international institutions are often bypassed and multilateralism is under indictment, the Change the World Model United Nations (CWMUN), the largest international youth forum in which over 4,000 students from more than 140 countries (about 2,000 Italians from Lazio, Lombardy, Apulia, Marche, Sicily, Tuscany, Calabria, Sardinia, Veneto and Campania) confront each other on the major themes of global politics, simulating the functioning of the United Nations and dialoguing with international leaders, diplomats, entrepreneurs, journalists and sports stars.
The event - organised by the Diplomatic Association and Change the World Academy - takes place from 26 to 29 March and opened this morning with the traditional Opening Ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters, where students and organisers will be welcomed by Italy's Permanent Representative to the UN, Giorgio Marrapodi. For four days, New York will become the centre of a major international youth diplomacy workshop, in which students will simulate the work of the United Nations, discussing topics such as international cooperation, technological innovation, sustainability and peace.
Among this edition's guests: Jonathan Capehart, Pulitzer Prize-winning US journalist; Catherine Colonna, former French Foreign Minister; Bernardino León, former UN Special Representative for Libya and expert on the Middle East; Caryl Stern, former President and CEO of Unicef USA; Paolo Boccardelli, Rector of Luiss Guido Carli University; Francesco Boccia, President of the Senators of the Democratic Party; MEP Dario Nardella; Enrico Trantino, Mayor of Catania, together with numerous protagonists from the academic, diplomatic and international business worlds.
The protagonists of the testimonies will be Ukrainian Olympic athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, at the centre of one of the most controversial cases of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games after being disqualified for deciding to compete with a 'memory helmet' dedicated to fellow Ukrainian athletes who died during the war, and former Iranian national team footballer Shiva Amini, now a refugee abroad. Since her career was cut short in 2017 for playing without a hijab, Amini has been taking her testimony to international fora, from sports organisations to the United Nations, and has also appealed to FIFA, calling for stronger action to protect athletes and women's rights in Iranian sport.
