Storella Keynotes BosMUN XXII Conference
Ambassador Mark Storella, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Director of the School’s African Studies Center, provided the keynote address to the Boston University Model UN (BosMUN) XXII Conference that met from February 10-13, 2023 in downtown Boston.
Storella shared three lessons with delegates drawn from his over three-decade career as a United States diplomat, including as U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, that they could apply to their work at the conference. First, he urged them to proceed with idealism so that their goals would be worth pursuing but also with realism to ensure that they used practical skills that would be needed to have any chance of achieving their high ideals.
Second, Storella urged them to think of the UN not as a singular entity but rather in the plural – “the United Nations are.” This perspective is critical in multilateral negotiations to appreciate the diversity of players and views among nations and among the various agencies that populate a very diverse international environment. He implored them to treat all delegations with respect since “you never know which country or which agency will help you solve a problem.”
Finally, reflecting on the bevy of global challenges the world now faces from climate change to forced displacement, from pandemics to wars of aggression, Storella quoted President Joe Biden’s National Security Directive #1 which said, “global challenges require global solutions.” Storella noted that in an era of broad international disruption, effective multilateral diplomacy is needed now more than ever. He concluded, “your hard work and the skills you will learn at this conference may someday make the difference for all of us. This conference may change your life and someday your life may change the world.”
Established in 1973 by the Boston University International Affairs Association (BUIAA), BosMUN XXII is one of the largest and most prestigious model UN competitions in the nation, with over 1600 delegates from high schools around the nation and several foreign countries. Learn more on BosMUN’s website.
Ambassador Mark C. Storella was a United States Foreign Service Officer for over three decades serving as Ambassador to Zambia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, and Dean of the Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute. Storella is a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Excellence in Service Award, the Thomas Jefferson Award presented by American Citizens Abroad, and several Department of State superior and meritorious honor awards. Learn more about Ambassador Storella on his faculty profile.