On behalf of the Secretariat and the students of College of Engineering, Pune, it is my utmost honour to welcome you all to the third edition of COEP Model United Nations. Having organized the first edition of this conference as a COEP-ian, I consider it a great privilege to have been invited back as the Secretary-General of COEPMUN, 2016. For the last two years, we have been played host to one of the best MUNs in the city, and plan to continue to provide a local platform of a global institution – the United Nations - on which the fragile hopes of mankind currently rest as we continue to face new and ever changing geopolitical challenges. Every day, the United Nations makes a positive difference to millions of people. The United Nations feeds the hungry and shelters those driven from their homes. The UN defends human rights for all, regardless of race, religion, nationality, gender or sexual orientation, and vaccinates children who would otherwise die from preventable diseases. All of this is a consequence of the essence of negotiation and diplomacy prevalent in the numerous committees that form the United Nations, and is exactly what would be expected of you in the eight committees that we look to emulate at COEPMUN, 2016. The agendas, very carefully selected, represent a host of geopolitical issues prevalent today, from the European refugee crisis, to long predominant issues such as the death penalty, the Middle East situation and status of non-self-governing territories. We welcome you, leaders of the future, to come and find new, intriguing, innovative and creative solutions to these old problems, while maintaining the high quality of discussions that has been characteristic of the COEP Model United Nations thus far. As a Secretariat, we’ve always strived to endorse the policy of ‘delegates first’, driven by our desire of adding value to every single person attending our conference. COEPMUN invites some of the best MUNers in the country to form the Executive Board who as they moderate and guide you, you learn the importance of listening, adapting and the art of diplomacy necessary to navigate the complex web of international relations. This culminates in a collaborative resolution making process to build frameworks upon which we can move one step closer to alleviating the suffering that has become ubiquitous in today’s world. I look forward to seeing you all come December. To our old delegates, who are a testament to our successful conferences, we welcome you back. To the new ones, you’ll see...

-Nishant Bidichandani

Secretary General