Regional Universities Converge on Georgetown Qatar to Practice Diplomacy and Share Best Practices in Student Learning
Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), a regional leader in fostering global dialogue and diplomacy, brought together 180 passionate and talented university students and their advisors from across the region to participate in a Model United Nations (MUN). The event, centered on the theme “Building Global Unity and Peace in Areas of Conflict: Empowering Peace Through Agency,” provided a platform to practice diplomacy, collaborate, and share solutions for developing a new generation of regional leaders.
The student-led event welcomed participants from ten local and ten regional universities spanning Bahrain, Lebanon, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Morocco. “This experience was really eye-opening for me because I met so many different delegates from so many different Arab cultures,” said American University in Cairo student Farida Mardini, adding: “I think this really helped enhance my diplomacy skills overall.”
“I got to meet interesting people from many different universities around the world,” reflected Abdulrahman Al Mansoori, a AFG College, University of Aberdeen student in Qatar, “It helped me view the world with many different perspectives.” His teammate Gabor Lengyel, added: “I was surrounded by more than 150 people from this region, and this was spectacular…I felt like I was supercharged by them, I was lifted by them—it was the best MUN opportunity of my life.”
Advancing Regional Educational Outcomes
In addition to the student deliberations, GU-Q organized a full day of workshops for university faculty and administrators accompanying the student delegations. Through dynamic learning sessions, the educators shared best practices and new advancements enhancing the student experience in the areas of accessibility, experiential learning, and artificial intelligence.
“As we celebrate 20 years of Georgetown’s presence in Qatar, we are doubling down on our commitment to advancing interregional dialogue and equipping future leaders with the skills and perspectives necessary to build a more peaceful and united world,” said Dr. Ken Grcich, Associate Dean of Students, who facilitated a session on enhancing student experience tailored to the highly diverse global campuses unique to the region.
For Dr. Hussain AlShroufi, Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics from Gulf University for Science and Technology in Kuwait, the experience paved the way for closer interaction between universities in the region. “It has been a wonderful experience, and hopefully in the future we can organize something in Kuwait, and GU-Q can honor us with their presence on our campus as well.”
Fostering Creativity and Connection
In addition to a student board running the event, seven alumni returned to lend their years of experience to making the event true to life. “I love being back at Georgetown, it is like my home, said Balquees Hijazi a 2024 graduate now working as an Admissions officer at GU-Q. “Since graduating and starting my job, I have realized that being a better listener makes me a better leader, especially in terms of leading sessions.” Her former classmate Enisha Sharma, now an Analyst at Protiviti Middle East reflected “Georgetown equipped me with such amazing skills as a student, but since graduating, I have gained experience working with people from different ages, and I used that in the sessions.”
The event concluded with an open mic night and cultural booths, where participants shared poetry, music, food, and personal reflections. This closing event underscored the spirit of creativity and collegiality, bridging cultures and fostering friendships among participants from diverse regions.
“The way they set up this MUN was a five-star experience,” reflected Gabor, “the way we were treated by the chairs and all of the supporting personnel was top notch, they assisted all of the participants regardless of their level… they were super encouraging, and overall it was a safe environment where everyone was able to find their real self, and express themselves in the best way, so it was marvelous!”
Testimonials
“As a professor, I think that these kinds of conferences are extremely useful for students, they build their skills, their debating, their eloquence, and more than that, these kind of conferences builds their self-confidence and the charisma they need to express their views without fear or hesitancy, and this a wonderful gain from the academic point of view.”
“The MUN format is simply the United Nations in miniature, and this means that it is a wonderful opportunity to get to know the delegates from other countries, they discuss with those delegates, they try to come up with a resolution, and this resolution has to be very well written and very well expressed.”
“Georgetown University’s Qatar branch helped us immensely in facilitating everything for us, inviting us, and I’m personally grateful for this wonderful invitation, and hopefully this will pave the way for future participation. It has been a wonderful experience, and hopefully in the future…who knows, we can organize something in Kuwait, and GU-Q can be honoring us with their presence on our campus as well.” —Hussain AlShroufi, Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics from Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait