That is what the ESCP student society UNITED stands for, and what the YEStoUN 2018 event embodies.

From 9th to 11th February, the ESCP London campus welcomes student delegations from our sister campuses in Paris and Berlin, as well as from fellow top-ranked business schools HECESSEC, and NEOMA, to prepare for the National Model United Nations 2018 competition in New York City.

The 9th edition of this event opens on Friday evening, and will feature an opening conference on the topic of diplomacy. Two exceptional guests from the French Embassy in London will join as keynote speakers to give their insight on how diplomacy looks outside the Model United Nations framework: Patrick Chevallereau, Defense Attaché, Denis Macshane, British former Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Rotherham from 1994 to 2012, Minister of State for Europe in the Labour Government from 2002 to 2005; and Vicky Pryce, Economist and former Joint Head of the United Kingdom's Government Economic Service

After this inspiring opening, the students will take the lead on Saturday and Sunday. Each business school has been assigned a country which its delegation represents in the UN simulation games through speeches and informal negotiations. At the end of the training, an international agreement in the form of resolutions on specific topics must be reached. Throughout the process the complex rules and procedures of the United Nations must be adhered to. Students have have spent significant time working on understanding the economic and geopolitical issues faced by their represented countries, enabling them to be confident and capable voices for their nominated state. 

The students slip into the role of real diplomats and do not only acquire knowledge on how the UN system works but also on the issues and difficulties the represented states face. This helps them to understand political issues from another perspective and illustrates directly the complexity and the frailty of the global international system.

This great event, the flagship event of UNITED, would not be possible without the generous support of ESCP. At this point the UNITED team would like to give special thanks to the London campus Director, Simon Mercado; UK Director of Academic Quality and Student Services, Florence Mele; and Solène Hoyez, Events Coordinator at the London Campus.

The next step will be to head to the National Model United Nations session in New York City on 16th March. The delegations will participate in formal and informal sessions led by young UN officials as Chairs. Initially, the committee meetings will take place in hotels, but all participants are excited for the moment they enter the UN headquarters. At this most important location, the centre of the UN, the delegation which wins the coveted award will be announced. Two teams of students from ESCP Business School's campuses in London and Madrid received 'Honourable Mention Delegation' awards at the end of their sessions at the 2016 National Model United Nations conference (read more).

However, as the organisation of the NMUN states, "There are no winners and certainly no losers". These events, no matter which size and where they take place, are not about winning awards. They are about the young generation understanding the world as it is; understanding that there is always another perspective, another angle from which to see this world; and that understanding each other’s perspective is the only way to achieve a peaceful and promising future for all.

- UNITED Student Society

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