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The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations leading international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO's goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food and lead active, healthy lives.
This year's FAO committee will be addressing the following topics:
- Regulation of Genetically Modified Agricultural Products
- Invasive Species and the Implications for the Forest Industry
Food and Agricultural Organization Chair - Miranda Maliszka
To the 2021 Delegation of the Food and Agriculture Organization,
My name is Miranda Maliszka and I am beyond enthusiastic to welcome to you the 2021 Hofstra University Model United Nations Conference. I will be your chair for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) this year.
As I approach my final year at Hofstra, I am exceptionally grateful for all the memories I’ve created and opportunities that I have been given. I look forward to graduating in May with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Resources and Geographic Information Systems with a minor in food studies.
I spend my “free” time as the treasurer of Model U.N., president of Habitat for Humanity, sister of Alpha Theta Beta Sorority, the Panhellenic Representative for the Fraternity and Sorority Expansion Committee, and a member of the Hofstra Division of Committee Standards Student Hearing Board.
In my previous Model U.N. experience, I served as the dais for the Social, Cultural and Humanitarian committee (SOCHUM), where we focused on human trafficking and women’s rights in the Middle East. I’ve also attended both the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC) and Columbia University Model United Nations Conference (CMUNY). These two experiences allowed me to enhance my delegation skills in the general assembly and crisis committee.
It was only three years ago that I proposed two agricultural-related topics that didn’t fit in any committee. With the help of the secretary-general, we were able to convince our advisor to take a chance and bring the FAO into the conference. Since then, I’ve received nothing but positive feedback and I am overwhelmingly grateful for that.
This being my last time as a chair, I wanted to bring a bit more of a challenge to the delegation. The topics that will be discussed this year within the FAO are the Regulation of Genetically Modified Agricultural Products and Invasive Species and the Implications for the Forest Industry. These past two years, I’ve been continuously impressed by the delegates, and my expectations for the committee have been exceeded as each delegate showed true character when representing their countries.
As a Hofstra student and mentor to many these past few years, I would like to share one piece of advice with every delegate that will participate in my committee this year. Do not underestimate your abilities when it comes to speaking in front of others, step out of your comfort zone and use this experience to grow and better yourself. A wise one once said, “Believing in yourself is the first secret to success.”
Even though the challenges of holding this conference during the COVID-19 pandemic will keep us from being in the same room, I look forward to meeting each and every one of you and watching you converse among yourselves to pass adequate resolutions that work toward these two ongoing issues. As the day grows closer, I cannot wait for the commencement of HUMUNC 2021 and to hear all of the ideas that will flow through over the course of just one weekend!
Sincerely,
Miranda Maliszka
FAO Chair
HUMUNC 2021