At the Conference
2026 Scheduled Speakers at NY-A
Each year we are privileged to host an array of speakers at our NMUN conferences.
We encourage all delegates, faculty, and guests to take advantage of these unique educational opportunities.
Additional speakers will be added to this page as they are confirmed.
Keynote Speakers
Ambassador Annalena Baerbock served as Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from December 2021 until May 2025. Throughout her career she has been a strong advocate for the multilateral system with the United Nations at its core.
She was an elected member of the German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag) from 2013 until June 2025.
In 2018, she was elected co-chairperson of the Green Party and held the position of party leader until 2022.
Prior to becoming an MP, Annalena Baerbock advised her party’s parliamentary group in the German Bundestag on matters of foreign and security policy and served as chairperson of her party in the federal state of Brandenburg. From 2005 to 2008 she worked for a Member of the European Parliament.
Annalena Baerbock holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Hamburg University.
She was born in Hanover on 15 December 1980 and has two daughters.
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Ms. Diene Keita as Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) effective 29 August 2025. She holds the rank of United Nations Under-Secretary-General. Ms. Keita served briefly as Acting Executive Director and as Deputy Executive Director Programme since August 2020.
Ms. Keita brings to the role over three decades of leadership in international development and public service. Her career includes service as Minister for Cooperation and African Integration for the Republic of Guinea, alongside extensive experience within the United Nations. She has held senior leadership positions within UNFPA, including as Representative in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo—two of the organization’s largest programmes. She has acted as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Mauritania, Benin, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ms. Keita began her United Nations career in 1990 with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Throughout her career, Ms. Keita has worked extensively on the empowerment of women and youth, inclusive growth, demographic issues, and sustainable human development. She has focused on addressing sexual and reproductive health, as well as on ending gender-based violence in humanitarian settings.
Ms. Keita holds a doctorate in Law and advanced degrees in International Economics, Development Law and International Relations from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. She is fluent in English, French and Italian.
Farrukh Khan has held senior leadership positions within the United Nations and the Pakistani diplomatic corps. He is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of Law and School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Most recently, he served as the Sergio Vieira de Mello Chair in Post-Conflict Diplomacy at Seton Hall University. Currently, he is a Senior Non-Resident Advisor at the International Peace Institute and co-chairs the Standards and Oversight Committee for the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market.
Farrukh Khan is a non-resident adviser at the International Peace Institute (IPI). Farrukh boasts 27+ years of active involvement in shaping global political and economic policies, holding various senior roles in government, global institutions, think tanks, and academia. His international career commenced in 1995 when he joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan.
In the Government of Pakistan, he served as Director General for the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Conference, and Economic Diplomacy, as well as representing Pakistan in the United Nations Missions in Geneva and New York. He led negotiations for launching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at Rio+20 and co-chaired the UNEP Working Group that established the UNEP's World Environment Assembly. He also served as the Chairperson of the Adaptation Fund Board, introducing the innovative direct access modality. His efforts on behalf of the developing world led to the establishment of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), where he served as a member of the International Committee that designed it. Subsequently, he served on the Green Climate Fund Board, overseeing the creation of the GCF's Private Sector Facility and various organizational components.
Farrukh also served as Chef De Cabinet/Deputy Chef of the Cabinet to the 75th President of the UN General Assembly and as a Senior Manager at the Executive Office of the then-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Currently, he is a Visiting Scholar at the Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania. He previously served as a Senior Fellow at Harvard's Mossavar-Rehmani Center for Government and Business. He is a member of the Governing Board of the Carbon Market Integrity Council, actively engaged in revamping voluntary carbon credit standards. His thought leadership extends to policy journals and newspapers, and he is an alumnus of the University of the Punjab and Columbia University.
Delegate Seminar 1:
Insights from UN Insiders
Delegates, Head Delegates, Faculty, and Guests without a Mission Briefing at this time are encouraged to attend.
Monday, 30 March, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
3rd Floor Hilton Hotel - Trianon Ballroom
Join us for this fireside chat with Linda Fasulo and Pamela Falk. Linda represents NPR News at the UN as an Independent Correspondent and is author of An Insider's Guide to the UN. Pamela is the UN Resident Correspondent for U.S. News & World Report. Our moderator, Michael Eaton, will ask about pertinent issues before the UN. Given the current world situation, there's no better time to get a more complete understanding of the complex world of the UN. Come learn, from these insiders, how the UN works and doesn't work, its strengths and weakness, who the key players are, and how things get done. Prepare your questions for the Q&A period.
Pamela S. Falk is a TV, radio, and print correspondent based at the United Nations, where she reports for U.S. News & World Report and, on air, for France24 English. She has earned awards for her reporting from around the world.
She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was the former Staff Director of a Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, President of the U.N. Correspondents Association 2012 -2014, professor at Columbia University and Hunter College, reported for CBS News for 23 years as a correspondent, is the author/editor of six books, and has written long-form articles about global affairs for The New Yorker, Foreign Affairs, The Hill, the New York Law Journal, and many others. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA. She also reports on SubStack @PamelaFalk.
Falk has worked in government, law, academics, and the press. She received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and her Ph.D. from New York University, and attended the Universidad Complutense (Madrid).
Michael has served as full-time Executive Director of NMUN since 2004 and has helped expand its annual programming to include more than 5,000 college participants. Prior to his current position, he was the Director of Enrollment Services and Marketing for the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (www.hecua.org), an educational nonprofit offering social justice-based off-campus study programs.
He began his undergraduate studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and attended NMUN as a student delegate. He ultimately received his B.A. in Economics, summa cum laude, from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and his M.A. in Nonprofit Management and the scholar award from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. Additional honors include being named a Truman Scholar. He completed the coursework for a doctorate in International Education at the University of Minnesota (ABD).
Michael has served as an adjunct faculty member at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota; a Trustee of the Center for UN Reform Education, a board member and past-President of the United Nations Association of Minnesota, as well as multiple terms on the National Council of UNA-USA. He resides in Minnesota.
Delegate Seminar 2:
Career Opportunities at the UN Secretariat
Delegates, Head Delegates, Faculty, and Guests without a Mission Briefing at this time are encouraged to attend.
Monday 30 March, 10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
3rd Floor Hilton Hotel - Trianon Ballroom
The United Nations Secretariat's Office of Human Resources warmly invites you to a special session featuring alumni from the Young Professionals Programme (YPP). This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from individuals who have successfully navigated their way into impactful roles within the UN.
Highlights of the Session:
- Experiences Shared by YPP Alumni: Learn firsthand about the challenges and successes of securing a position at the UN from YPP alumni hailing from various regions around the globe.
- Other Entry Points into the UN: Explore briefly the multiple pathways for joining the UN, including direct applications, the JPO Programme, and registration in the UN Global Talent Pool.
- Live Q&A: Have your questions answered during a live Q&A segment, allowing for a deeper understanding and personal interaction with former YPP participants.
We're waiting to welcome you to this enriching session! Our YPP alumni are eagerly looking forward to speaking with you, ready to share their invaluable experiences and insights. Don't miss this opportunity to connect and be inspired by their journeys.
All Faculty Interactive Workshop:
Best Practices in AI Use at NMUN
All Faculty are encouraged to attend.
Monday, 30 March, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
2nd Floor, Hilton Hotel - Morgan
Join your colleagues for this faculty panel workshop on the promises and challenges of AI use at NMUN from a faculty perspective. Efforts will be made to not only share the newly formulated NMUN policy but to also identify challenges and improvements. We hope to brainstorm and share best practice solutions. Panelists and audience members will be encouraged to share their ideas.
Patrick is currently the counsel and director of government affairs for The American Waterways Operators, a maritime trade association headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metro area. He earned bachelors degrees in International Relations and Animal & Nutritional Sciences from West Virginia University and his juris doctor from American University's Washington College of Law.
Patrick's involvement with NMUN has spanned a decade of involvement in every type of NMUN conference as a delegate and member of the volunteer staff at conferences in New York, Washington DC, Quito, Rome, and Xi'an. During his time on staff, Patrick served in several roles from Assistant Director to Secretary-General of NMUN•DC in 2015 and NMUN•NY in 2017, and Deputy Secretary-General of NMUN • China in 2018.
Karen J. Vogel Faculty Seminar:
What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been: U.S. Engagement at Multilateral Environmental Negotiations in 2025
Faculty, Guests, and Head Delegates not assigned to a committee are encouraged to attend.
Tuesday, 31 March, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
2nd Floor, Hilton Hotel - Morgan
While the U.S. has the political, economic, strategic, and diplomatic resources to be a leader on nearly every issue at the United Nations, the extent to which it has done so has varied significantly. Through an examination of the current U.S. administration’s actions at 36 multilateral meetings on environmental and sustainable development issues in 2025, several common trends and themes emerged, with a direct link from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. Join Pamela Chasek, Ph.D., Manhattan University, for an in-depth discussion on this subject. There will be time for Q&A.
