Ahmad Azari, a team leader at the Student Leadership Program (SLP) and a senior majoring in chemical engineering and chemistry, was the first student from the UAE selected to serve on the National Model United Nations (NMUN) staff body for Conference B in New York in 2018. Azari was appointed as Assistant Director for General Assembly First Committee, which included the task of choosing and writing the background guide, an extremely comprehensive document that will help delegates learn everything they needed to know about the topic in their respective committees.

Azari was also trained to edit and understand resolutions. He was selected from a large global pool of candidates due to his experience in Model United Nations in general and the National Model United Nations (NMUN) in specific. Azari attended NMUN twice in March 2016 as a delegate, and March 2017 as Chair of General Assembly 1 (GA1). Due to unavoidable circumstances, Azari could not travel to the United States to take part in NMUN 2018, however, his work and achievement were recognized in the NMUN 2018 catalog.

He has been an active student in SLP since he was a freshman and has taken part in numerous events and functions organized by the program. He has trained AUS delegations dispatched to National Model United Nations in 2017 and 2018, in addition to Bahrain Universities Model United Nations in 2016.

Speaking about this selection Azari said:

“I believe that leadership characteristics – strong writing skills and valuable recommendations – were the main factors in selecting candidates in the NMUN staff interviews. The conference has always impacted me on a professional and personal level. It leads to the natural growth of the human intellect as well as enhances soft skills as we are dealing with people we have never met before and are expected to work with for over 50 hours a week. It’s truly magical. I am forever grateful for the NMUN team for such a development of my character.”

Commenting on Azari’s achievement, Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Dean of Students, said:

“What a great achievement for Ahmed to make it this far. Serving as a staff in the largest Model United Nations simulations in the world exemplifies his leadership abilities. It is all about determination and persistence. Our Student Leadership Program encourages students to look for opportunities and guides them to achieve and maximize their potential. Congratulations to Ahmed and we wish him continuous success and a bright future ahead.”