While for some it might represent bad luck, for the Model NATO family, the number 13 represents new beginnings. This February we have had the absolute honor to celebrate the 13th edition of Model NATO, back in the city where it all started, Bucharest. The conference took place in the Palace of Parliament between 17th-20th of February, allowing participants to emulate the actions of NATO in the same environment where politicians and diplomats work.

The Model NATO conference was born out of the desire of our mentor, Daniela Bordei, to offer understanding of current affairs and a better tomorrow for the teenagers of today. The lack of youth involvement in foreign affairs, diplomacy and politics represented our motivation to bridge the gap created by the Romanian education system. We believed that, as Romania’s youth, we should not remain oblivious to current affairs, for rather sooner than later, they would become our reality.

12 editions have passed, each one different, surpassing the capital area and spreading to new horizons and cities such as Iasi, Cluj and Craiova, and even entering different countries for our 10th edition, where the Romanian youth had the great honor to be invited to the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Throughout the past 11 years, the Model NATO has continued to grow, presently having impacted over 2500 participants, 12 different organizing teams as well as very many distinguished speakers, who have educated and shared their wisdom with our participants. We have had the honor to listen to personalities such as His Excellency Mr Emil Constantinescu, former Romanian President, His Excellency Mr. Mircea Geoana, Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Ambassador Baiba Braze, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, Mr Nicola de Santis, Head of Engagement Section, Public Diplomacy Division, Mr James Joye Townsend, President of the Atlantic Treaty Association, Mrs. Juxhina Sotiti Gjoni, President of the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association, Mr. Alex Serban, Vice President of the Atlantic Treaty Association, Romanian politicians and numerous officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense, just to name a few.

Innovating education is the root the entire project stems from, therefore every edition we change, welcoming new people into the organizing team, adapting to unforeseen contexts, maintaining high relevance of our topics and attracting new generations into gaining another perspective upon diplomacy and the world we live in. This year, we adopted two new committees which were of highest relevance to current affairs: the Defense Policy and Planning Committee, and the Partnerships and Council Security Committee along with the traditional North Atlantic Council.

After 3 editions on foreign ground, this time, we returned to our roots. On the first day, 17th of February 2023, participants had the great opportunity of entering the Palace of Parliament through the main entrance, the grandeur of which immediately instilled a sense of importance in them. The conference was opened by our esteemed speakers, with Mr. Eduard Bachide, the Secretary of State for relations with the Parliament and the quality of staff life discussing the importance of youth engagement in NATO, followed by Brigadier General (retired) Professor Doctor Stan Petrescu, teaching the youth a short intensive course in Geopolitics and its relevance in NATO and the past, present and future of foreign affairs. We then welcomed one of the Representatives for Romania at NATO who talked to us about their own career path that got them to NATO, and shared that her start in this domain happened at a past edition of Model NATO which sparked interest in participants, making them realize they can reach their goals and pursue a career and diplomacy as well. This was followed by an interactive talk with Mr. Iulian Fota, State Secretary for Strategic Affairs, who proudly emphasized the importance of NATO to Romania, while taking the participants back to the process of Romania entering the organization back in 2004, and all that the accession entailed.

The simulation and debates then commenced. For two days and a half, participants, split into committees, debated topics on the development of NATO in order for the organization to maintain its edge in all necessary areas. The North Atlantic Council focused on the future of the organization and its 2030 Agenda, while also furthering discussions regarding NATO’s Warfighting Capstone Project and the way in which allies must develop their militaries. The Crisis simulation of the North Atlantic Council dealt with hypothetical scenarios in which the organization had to act according to the specific crisis in the most effective manner. The Defensive Policy and Planning Committee focused on the furthering of technology and air defense to combat any possible future security threats while the Partnerships and Council Strategy Committee debated the importance of further development of strategic partnerships, as well as strengthening the eastern flank through potential new partners and members.

The participants entertained many debates along the weekend, slowly starting to form conclusions and build potential plans of action, which finally took the shape of well-defined Communiques, detailed documents that each committee redacted, explaining in detail the proposed plan of action which the participants chose, voted on and amended.

After 3 days of hard, collaborative work and fruitful debates, we all had the pleasure of listening to Professor Doctor General Mircia Chelaru, talking about the attributes of a good leader. After his presentation, we welcomed His Excellency Emil Constantinescu, President of Romania at the time of its accession to NATO, who gave the participants the privilege to ask him questions regarding his career’s milestones and challenges.

The event could not have ended better than through the closing ceremony where Mr. Emil Constantinescu awarded the titles of Model NATO Ambassadors to participants or members of the organizing team who were celebrating 3 editions of being part of our continuously growing family. Following this, each committee announced their prize winners such as the Best Delegate, the Best First Timer and the Honorable Mentions, followed by the overall awards to participants who, not only showed incredible debate skills, but also proudly possessed the qualities of true diplomats, maintaining professionalism and integrity at all times. After many days of hard work and improvement, we all left the Palace of Parliament on Monday afternoon feeling more self-confident, viewing the world around us from a different, more elevated perspective. At the horizon, we can clearly see the 14th edition and the challenge awaiting for us.