More than 400 students from Arizona, California and Sonora, Mexico, will head to the UA on March 21-22 to gain a better understanding of issues facing the world.

The 46th annual Arizona Model United Nations Conference will give students the opportunity to participate in simulated U.N. meetings, representing the different nations that participate.

Students will also model committee meetings for eight different bodies of the U.N., such as the Security Council and the First Committee of the General Assembly.

Ariel Sim, a political science sophomore, participated in the conference as a student from Desert Rose High School last year and now will help organize the event.

“”I absolutely loved it,”” Sim said. “”It offers the unique experience of an open dialogue on international issues.””

The students have “”spent upwards of four months becoming the countries that they represent in the committee, researching every aspect of the foreign policy that they will have to uphold,”” said Eric Reichenbacher, an international studies senior and undersecretary general of public information of the Arizona Model United Nations Club.

The conference at the UA is unique as the only English and Spanish bilingual model U.N. conference in the country.

Club members will lead and moderate the mock meetings. Sim will oversee the debate for the Historical Security Council, which will have students debate issues present in 1956.

“”High school curriculum can be very rigid,”” Sim said. “”This is an opportunity for students to get specialized information and a deep understanding of how the U.N. works. It takes students beyond what they would learn in a typical narrow-minded American public school system.””

Another committee, which will be conducted in both English and Spanish, is the Organization of the Americas. In it, students will be given different topics and issues regarding the nations of North, South and Latin America.

Representing countries such as Canada and Guatemala, they will work together to pass resolutions and solutions for topics like the war on drugs and education for the underprivileged.

The event kicks off at 11 a.m. March 21 with opening ceremonies at the Student Union Memorial Center.

Keijo Korhonen, a former UA professor and Permanent Representative for Finland to the United Nations, will be this year’s guest speaker.