“80 Years of the UN: A Legacy of Peace, A Challenge for the Future”

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My name is César Uriel Dam Blanco, and I have the honor of serving as Secretary-General of this second edition of NHMUN. Today, you will have the opportunity—regardless of the reason—to experience what a Model United Nations truly is. Personally, I have been fortunate enough to do so in different corners of the world: from Switzerland to the Dominican Republic, and in academic forums such as Harvard and Yale. Each experience, different in accent and setting, has taught me the same lesson: that oratory, when born from conviction, can transform a debate into a victory and an idea into a future.

The world we simulate here is not an empty stage: it is a mirror of our own contradictions. Diplomacy is fragile, nations rarely align, and yet, never before has there been a greater need for agreements than today.

As Julian Treasure once reminded us: “The human voice is the instrument we all play. The most powerful sound in the world, the only one that can start a war and, at the same time, say ‘I love you.’” The voice is both weapon and bridge, capable of dividing or uniting, and in your hands rests the decision of how to use it.

Let us not deceive ourselves: we all want to win. No struggle, no debate, makes sense without the hope of victory. But here, victory is not measured by defeating the other, but by conquering—through clarity, strategy, and words—that which once seemed impossible.

 

With respect,

César Uriel Dam Blanco

Secretary-General

New Hope Model United Nations

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