Opening Remarks of the UN Resident Coordinator in Jordan Sheri Ritsema-Anderson at the Model UN

Let me start by congratulating the School and you the students for undertaking such an important and formative exercise that will help you practice the qualities needed in international diplomacy. Qualities like global citizenship, empathy, leadership and above all, the ability to listen deeply, understand the position of another, and create trust where it does not and perhaps should not exist.

Over the next days, as part of the Model UN, you will learn how to use these qualities in real world scenarios.

I encourage you to master them, because that is how you will succeed in changing the world.

Young people often ask me: how can we impact our world? And I say, have moral courage, be bold, and take action.



But equally important is also that you learn how others think. That you are willing to listen to people that think differently from you or even that offend you. That you seek to truly understand those that oppose you, without judgement. They too are human, and they too have a story. And you must find ways to create new solutions together. That is international diplomacy.

The scenarios you will act out are similar to those that I have experienced in my 20 year career in international affairs and diplomacy.



One of my first assignments in the UN was with UNICEF as a Child Protection Officer in the Gaza Strip in 2009, after the first large scale conflict between Gaza and Israel. I later returned to Gaza in 2011, and worked with UNRWA for two years on refugee protection. I returned to Palestine for a third time in 2016, where I worked as the Deputy Head of Office for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, otherwise known as OCHA or the agency that makes the maps. I was based in East Jerusalem and I managed UN humanitarian operations and led negotiations with military counterparts for all Palestine, including Gaza and the West Bank.

In between that, I also worked in Iraq three separate times, and was on the ground when ISIS emerged in 2014 and committed unspeakable atrocities, and displaced millions of people in mere weeks.



I've worked in Africa, Southeast Asia and have worked at the New York headquarters.

Each of these jobs was quite different. But in each of them, I saw the power of diplomacy, the significance of the UN and the indispensable relevance of international mechanisms and law.

In New York, when the UN was called to provide its first ever briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Venezuela, it was controversial and politically sensitive. To reduce the sensitivities and ensure a productive discussion at the Security Council, I met with each of the elected 10 members of the Council in advance to give them more understanding of the issue and encourage them to take a leading role in creating a positive dialogue. The session was one of the highest attended in years, and the dialogue was largely productive. As a result, we were able to 2dvance dialogue with the authorities in Venezuela and able to move the work forward.

Sometimes my work takes the form of negotiations. In Palestine, in Iraq, in South Sudan and other locations .. in each of these locations, I negotiated access for humanitarian operations. Discussing with military and sometimes armed groups the unrestricted and independent ability to deliver life saving aid to needy people. And after wars are over, working together to transition out of emergency operations, out of camps, and helping people back to normal life. None of that happens easily. Most of it happens behind closed doors, because trust is often the single most important ingredient to a good negotiation. It makes for good diplomacy, but bad for speeches and TV.

At this juncture in history, you may be saying does the UN till have relevance? Do the international mechanisms and law still matter? When we turn on the TV and see every day the UN calling for ceasefires and the protection of civilians in war, whether in Palestine, Sudan or Ukraine, or beyond, and these are not adhered to, doesn't this mean that the system is useless? Or that the UN does not have relevance?

To this, I would indeed point to my experience in Palestine. As is obvious, the narratives and data used in that conflict by the parties often contradict. So here is where I would say that the relevance of the UN is extremely clear. For decades, the UN has been providing a clear, data driven information on the situation. And I would ask, in situations such as the Israel/Palestine conflict, where trust is so broken, and histories and narratives compete deeply, who else besides the UN can provide a fact-based neutral voice?

What about the relevance of international mechanisms? You may say to me that you see that reckless behavior is threatening our planet. Gaping inequalities persist. Hunger is back to 2005 levels. On our current path, it will take 300 years to reach gender equality. And almost 600 million people will live in extreme poverty by 2030. Countries are increasingly sinking under debt.

I would say that yes, while the wheels of international diplomacy do turn slowly at times, they do turn. And when they do, they make enormous strides for humanity. The development of the Sustainable Development Goals is one example. Agreements on the climate, on biodiversity, on digitization, on reform of the international financing system. All these take place through diplomacy and international mechanisms. And are part of saving our planet.

After 20 years in international diplomacy, there are four things I know for sure.

The first is that, as humans, we often only see our own point of view, our own narrative. Especially when events are difficult, resources are scarce, or we are in pain. It can be almost impossible to see any other side.

The second is that we have to summon our moral courage and mental and emotional strength to look beyond ourselves. Go beyond our borders, as humans and as nations. Because the only way to move forward, to create a better tomorrow for us all, is by working together. Otherwise, we work against each other, and it becomes you versus me.

Third, if we don't have mutually agreed international mechanisms and rules, everyone in the world will be left to make up their own rules.

And fourth, that would be catastrophic for everyone.

So how do we avoid that catastrophe? How do we go forward from here?

How do you as young people make a positive impact on the world? How do you change a world where you may perceive that some lives seem to matter less than other lives? That the application of international law seems optional and is not being enforced. That human rights have boundaries and are not applicable to all.

You do it by becoming part of the solution. By taking bold action, taking initiative, and by going beyond yourself and your country, working with others.

You do it by fighting against the forces of polarization. Against the forces that say you are either with me or against me, there is no middle ground. The ones that would paint all of you, as young people, as potential threats, rather than sources of untapped and boundless positive potential.

You do it by mastering and deploying those core qualities I mentioned at the beginning: international mindedness, global citizenship, empathy, the ability to listen deeply, understand the position of another, and create trust, and leadership. Because it is often not only what you know and what actions you take, but also how you do that.

You do it by making the choice to be part of addressing and resolving any weaknesses or gaps in the implementation of international mechanisms, international law, or sustainable development for all. By staying engaged, with the world, rather than disengaging. You stay engaged on behalf of all those that don't have a voice or can't equally participate. In Jordan you are lucky - you have access to the world, and the world has access to you. Many of your peers live in locations where that is not true, and they would surely ask you to stay engaged in order that you can represent them, and speak for them, and influence those with power to make the right decisions that ensure equality of all human lives.

At this moment of deep pain, of horrific suffering, we must increase our commitment to upholding and implementing global ideals, international law and to continuing diplomacy. It is the only way to save ourselves and those we love from even more death and destruction. The charter of the United Nations, which was forged after two world wars and sought to save humanity from hell, not to deliver it to heaven, remains as valid today as it was when it was written.

The United Nations is not something far away, or that belongs to a few. The United Nations is yours. You are part of the United Nations. It is you, and you are it.

The world order is yours for the shaping. What do you want it to look like? Are you willing to go beyond your personal and geographic borders to shape that world? And will you learn not just the topics, but the skills and qualities, needed to find peaceful and just solutions to the world's most difficult issues? Will you work with others, even those you disagree with - especially those you disagree with - to create peace?