The Cairo International Model United Nations (CIMUN) team of the American University in Cairo (AUC) won Outstanding Delegation awards for the 12th consecutive year at the 2022 National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York City this spring, a statement by the AUC said on Sunday.
The team won a total of 19 awards at the conference, it added.
Youssef Ragai, a graduating senior in computer engineering and CIMUN secretary-general, said that CIMUN’s team was able to win the highest number of awards since its participation at the New York conference.
“No other university has collected as many awards as we did with that number of delegates. The Outstanding Delegation Award is also the highest attainable award any university can get at the world’s largest Model United Nations conference.”
In addition to 17 individual awards, the team –– made up of 32 students from different majors –– was given two Outstanding Delegation awards this year for Gabon and for Saint Kitts and Nevis catapulting AUC to be recognised alongside 24 other top-performing universities.
“This is the 12th year in a row where AUC has won Outstanding Delegation awards, but this [win] has to be the most memorable,” said Ragai.
“It has been three years since we last participated in NMUN face to face, so being able to match the University record with a completely new team means that CIMUN and AUC are stronger than ever. Our team’s hard work, perseverance and dedication led us to win.”
Walid Kazziha, professor of political science and faculty adviser to the CIMUN team, was proud of the team’s rigorous preparation. He said despite doubts around travel, “they worked with such determination — as if nothing could stop them. They proved to be very self-confident, dedicated to working together and highly self-motivated. This year, our CIMUN team exceeded all expectations.”
