It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Security Council at UPMUNC. UPMUNC will be an adventurous four days in the heart of Philadelphia, and the Security Council will be an exciting and dynamic committee.
Let me take a moment to introduce myself. I am currently a Senior in The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, concentrating in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Operations and Information Management (Decision Processes). I have been part of the International Affairs Association since my freshman year, most recently serving as Crisis Director for both the ad-Hoc Committee at UPMUNC, and the Russian Cabinet at ILMUNC. Your Crisis director, Ana Rosa Giannareas, and I are both from Latin America—I from Venezuela and she from Panamá. Ana Rosa is a Junior at Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, majoring in Systems Science and Engineering, with a focus in Financial Systems. She was an Assistant Crisis Director for the Organization of American States at UPMUNC last year.
The role of the Security Council is unique in the United Nations. As described in Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the Security Council has the responsibility to “maintain or restore international peace and security.” Such an important duty often requires interpreting the UN Charter, and can be truly intimidating.
I expect all of you to come willing to defend your member states' interests and fully exercise your diplomatic and negotiation abilities. Come ready to debate and quickly develop effective solutions to the topics that our excellent crisis staff has prepared.
I recognize the challenges you may face representing your member states. Inflexible policies may suddenly become obsolete and negotiable, while flexible policies may become rather narrow, as events develop.
With this in mind, I wish you the best of luck at UPMUNC. I look forward to some sharp debate and negotiations.
Ercole Volonnino
ercolerv@wharton.upenn.edu