UND will host the Upper Midwest Regional Model Arab League (MAL) Conference on Oct. 23-25, according to a UND news release.

The Model Arab League is a student leadership development program designed by the National Council on US-Arab Relations to help students learn more international relations.

The MAL is similar in design to Model United Nations Conferences; however, it focuses only on the 22 nations of the Arab League. More than 2000 students participate in Model Arab League events annually throughout the country.

The conference will consist of a two-and-a-half-day simulation in which students will role play as representatives of Arab League member countries, working to draft resolutions and build coalitions to respond to international crises.

Participants will simulate Arab league councils during the conference, which include the Joint Defense Council, the Council on Palestinian Affairs, the Council on Political Affairs, the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers, the Council of Arab Environmental Affairs Ministers, the Council of Arab Economic Affairs Ministers, the Summit of Arab Heads of State and the Special Council on Religion and Extremism.

The actual Arab League was founded in 1945 by Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Syria. It has since expanded to include 22 members across the Middle East and north Africa. 

The Arab League is designed to increase cooperation between the Arab nations on a variety of important issues, including economic, social, political, public health and military topics.

been pushing for the United Nations to recognize Palestine as a state as well. Since 2011, the Syrian opposition has replaced Syria at the Arab League. In 2012, the Arab League called on current president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, to step down from leading the country.

Teams present at this weekend’s conference will be from UND, North Dakota State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead, St. Cloud State University, and Mount Mary University.

The UND Center for Human Rights and Genocide Studies, Department of Modern and Classical Languages, the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, and the Student Organization Funding Agency will provide support for the upcoming conference.

Last year, the University of North Dakota hosted its first ever Model United Nations Conference with 50 students from UND, NDSU, and the University of Manitoba participating in the conference. That conference simulated the United Nation’s activities during the 2013-2014 Maidan Protests in Ukraine.

Elliot Golden is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]