Students Shine at UN Competition in New York

11.06.2026

Students from the University of Siegen impressed with their outstanding performance at the National Model United Nations (NMUN) in New York. Representing Italy, the delegation once again received the highest honor and successfully held its own among the international field of participants.

MUN-Delegation am Campus AR mit Litty und Merzendorfer

The delegation from the University of Siegen represented Italy at this year’s Model United Nations conference in New York. The students received the highest award for their performance. Chancellor Iris Litty and Prorector Prof. Dr. Hans Michael Merzendorfer congratulated them on their achievement.

Italy, a member of the G7 with excellent international relations, was assigned to the University of Siegen this year at the National Model United Nations (NMUN), the world’s largest United Nations simulation. At this prestigious academic competition in international law, more than 4,000 students from around the world gather annually in New York for five days to act as United Nations delegates in a simulation conference.

The University of Siegen, along with the Universities of Tübingen and Heidelberg, was honored as one of only three German delegations to receive the “Outstanding Delegation” award. This award recognizes the best delegations of the entire conference. In a field of participants dominated by North American teams, the University of Siegen—which has been participating in NMUN since 2009—once again succeeded in achieving a top ranking.

This is a major success for the 20 students from Siegen. Under the guidance of MUN Coordinator Gerrit Pursch, they had spent several months intensively preparing to represent Italy’s positions in the various committees.

Members of the delegation were also recognized on an individual level. In the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Gurleen Kaur (teacher training in English and social sciences) and Gökçe Doğa Tütenk (Bachelor’s in Psychology) impressed the judges. The position paper for the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) by Sarila Ngakhusi (Master’s student in Human-Computer Interaction) and Kirill Perstenkov (Master’s student in Economic Policy) was also recognized.

Rabea Richter (Master’s student in Digital Public Health) and Friederike Wolff (Bachelor’s student in European Business Communication) achieved particular success at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). They were honored as “Outstanding Delegates.”

Ayça Akçakoca (Ph.D. candidate at the Chair of Contextual Economics and Economic Education) and Chase Bezonsky (Master’s student in Roads to Democracies) were both appointed by the conference organizers to chair a committee.

NMUN enables students to engage with global issues from the perspective of the country assigned to them. Looking back, the students emphasize that this was a unique experience. “We deliberately stepped out of our comfort zone on multiple occasions through intensive discussions with other delegates and gave it our all. I am very proud that we were ultimately recognized for what we achieved together as delegates and as a delegation,” said Rabea Richter.

In addition to subject-specific knowledge, participating in NMUN also fosters personal skills. Students not only learn to speak in front of large audiences, conduct negotiations, and advocate for positions persuasively, but are also empowered to develop joint solutions to complex international challenges.

“As a future teacher, what I take away most from my work on the UNESCO Committee is how important it is to give young people spaces for participation, discussion, and changing perspectives. It is precisely these kinds of experiences that strengthen critical thinking and empathy,” summarizes Gurleen Kaur.

Upon their return, Chancellor Iris Litty and Prorector Prof. Dr. Hans Michael Merzendorfer met with the students to exchange experiences and congratulated the delegation on their outstanding success. The discussion focused on the importance of a willingness to compromise and multilateral cooperation, youth empowerment, as well as the contribution of the University of Siegen’s Model United Nations (MUN) program to academic education, the promotion of democratic skills, and the professional preparation of students for tomorrow’s job market.

Anyone interested in the university-wide Model United Nations (MUN) program is cordially invited to participate in the year-round activities. The university’s own UN simulation, SiegMUN, for high school and college students will take place this year from November 25 to 28.

Video Award for Short Film

Sören Bloscheck from Campus TV at the University of Siegen accompanied the students and produced a short film about this year’s NMUN NY participation. His contribution was awarded the video prize by NMUN.