LETTER FROM SECRETARY GENERAL
Dear participants and guests of the conference,
It is a great honor and pleasure for me to welcome all of you to the Saint-Petersburg International Model United Nations conference 2019! It is for the 23rd time that Saint-Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia, and Gymnasium 157, the school with a long history, open their hearts, minds and doors for you!
I am delighted to see that the idea of the conference is still burning with the flames of enthusiasm in the hearts and eyes of our newcomers and experienced participants. It is always a pleasure to see how new members join our SPIMUN family and greet all those committed to our conference. Teamwork, cooperation, openness to new members and new ideas are essential principles of MUN movement.
Last year Gymnasium 157 that hosted SPIMUN, was celebrating its 150 years Anniversary. The motto of the Gymnasium is “Loyalty to the traditions, openness to the world”. SPIMUN conference is the embodiment of this slogan. It has already become the tradition itself.
Nowadays the situation in the world is becoming more and more complicated. The cooperation and partnership between states are damaged by misunderstanding, demonstration of power, mutual complaints, and confrontation. Under these circumstances the role of peoples’ diplomacy should not be undervalued. Model United Nations conferences play a principal role in this context. Current situation demand special attention of SPIMUN 2019 to several issues devoted to the international security and stability. We hope these issues of great importance will be thoroughly discussed.
For young participants there is something even more significant. SPIMUN conference, as any other MUN, gives an opportunity for communication, interaction, exchange of opinions, for constructive dialogue between representatives of different countries and cultures.
That is why the voice and thoughts of everyone present here are vital. Our world is not perfect, a lot of crucial issues exist and a lot of new threats appear. But that is the reason we are here and that is what we should not be silent about. I encourage you to be confident and persistent, to believe in yourself and your ideas, and be sure I personally believe in every single one of you.
And our joined efforts will build bridges to the future!
Irina Belyaeva
Secretary General
SPIMUN 2019