These young girls will represent Chile in UN international debate competition

SANTIAGO – They learned English at the Liceo, most have never taken a plane in their life, but with effort and passion, this group of 12 girl students will be travelling more than 8 thousand kilometers from Chile to fulfill a dream: to represent the South American country in the 45th version of the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) Conference. This is a demanding international debate competition to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, between March 1 and 4.

The young people belonging to the English Debate Academy of Liceo N°7 of Niñas de Providencia, were invited to breakfast by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Ampuero, to the Foreign Ministry. The Secretary of State celebrated that the students were selected among schools from all over the world to participate in the meeting and said he was proud because “they are going to an international place where international politics takes place”.

In the competition, the teams assume the role of ambassadors of different member countries of the UN and propose solutions to problems of global interest. Foreign Minister Ampuero stressed that the students will have an experience that will bring them closer to international relations and together with the Director of the Diplomatic Academy, Ambassador Miguel Ángel González, invited them to consider Acade as a future option.

“When they are already in the University era, think that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a Diplomatic Academy and we are always looking for the best students, the best students, who can be interested in becoming the future diplomat of our country” said the Secretary of State.

The Head of the Department of English of the Liceo 7, Rossana Barría, has accompanied the students during the months of preparation and reflects that in this activity “not only the academic environment comes into play, but there is also a formative and sociocultural experience”. For his part, Ignacia Marín, member of the team, believes that “despite the difficulties, we have faced everything as a team and thanks to that we go to the United Nations. I am realizing that it is a very big and rewarding opportunity for our lives.”

The Foreign Ministry will support the 12 young people of Liceo 7 in their trip to New York, where they will be received by the Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations, Ambassador Milenko Skoknic, in the Mission’s facilities, and they will be invited to see the work Our country performs in the multilateral sphere.

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