Dear Delegates,

Welcome to UPMUNC 58! My name is William Dalton, and I’ll be your chair for the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF). On behalf of myself and your dais team, I’m thrilled to welcome you to this year’s conference!

Forests sit at the intersection of climate stability, economic development, and cultural identity. Yet every year, millions of hectares vanish, taking with them irreplaceable biodiversity, carbon storage capacity, and the livelihoods of those who call these forests home. At the same time, reforestation efforts often stumble, struggling to balance ecological integrity with political realities and market incentives.

Over the weekend, you’ll face two critical questions:

1. How can governments curb deforestation while ensuring indigenous communities not only survive but thrive economically? This means confronting land rights disputes, integrating traditional ecological knowledge into policymaking, and designing economic models that don’t sacrifice long-term sustainability for short-term profit.

2. How can public and private actors come together to restore forests at scale, without falling into the trap of empty pledges and greenwashing? You’ll wrestle with questions of transparency, financing, and global accountability while considering the role of technology, from satellite monitoring to blockchain-based carbon tracking, in making reforestation efforts both credible and effective.

The solutions won’t be simple. You’ll have to navigate competing interests, states seeking growth, corporations seeking returns, communities seeking justice, and imagine what a truly sustainable, inclusive forest economy could look like.

As for me, I’m currently a junior at the Wharton School, studying Finance and AI for Business. On campus, I serve as one of the Vice Presidents for the Wharton Undergraduate Consulting Club, Executive Cohort Director for Wharton Cohorts, and a Project Lead for Locust Walk Consulting Group. I’m also a Board Member for INTERCOL, Penn’s intercollegiate Model UN team, and a Teaching Assistant for WH2010: Business Communication. Beyond that, I work as a Writing Fellow for the Marks Family Writing Center, a Penn Abroad Ambassador, a Campus Director for the Millennium Fellowship, and as a Shift Captain for the Kite & Key Society.

Outside of academics, I’m a twin, a lifelong Star Wars fan, and a basketball enthusiast who loves exploring Philadelphia’s restaurant scene (even with a long list of food allergies). Philly has become my second home, and I can’t wait to welcome you all to this city and to UPMUNC 58 this November. Please don’t hesitate to email me or any of your staffers with questions about the committee, we’ll see you soon!

William Dalton
wwdalton@wharton.upenn.edu