At the Conference
2026 Scheduled Speakers at NY-B
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
Melissa Fleming was appointed UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications in September 2019. She leads the UN’s Department of Global Communications, which informs global audiences about the state of the world and engages them to build support for the work and goals of the United Nations.
In this role, Ms. Fleming oversees the Department’s strategic and crisis communications operations, including its multilingual news and digital media services, public outreach programmes, and global campaigns. Under her leadership, the UN Department of Global Communications developed the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity, a blueprint for healthy information ecosystems.
Previously, Ms. Fleming served 10 years at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as Spokesperson for the High Commissioner and Head of Global Communications. Prior to that, she was the Spokesperson and Head of Media and Outreach at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). She earlier headed Press and Public Information at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and before that, served as Public Affairs Specialist at Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty. She also worked as a journalist.
Ms. Fleming is a TED speaker, the author of the book, A Hope More Powerful than the Sea, and the host of the award-winning UN podcast, Awake at Night. She has published widely on strategic communications and is a frequent public speaker at universities and conferences.
She holds a Master of Science in Journalism from the College of Communication, Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in German Studies from Oberlin College.
Source: https://www.un.org/en/department-global-communications/head-of-department
Ambassador Mike Waltz was sworn in as the 32nd U.S. Representative to the United Nations on September 20, 2025. Ambassador Waltz is a Colonel in the U.S. Army, a combat-decorated Special Forces officer, the former National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump, a former Congressman and small business owner, an author, and a proud father.
In 2018, Waltz became the first Green Beret to be elected to Congress. In this role, he served as a subcommittee Chairman on the House Armed Services Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Waltz served in this capacity until he was sworn in as President Trump’s National Security Advisor on January 20th, 2025.
The Ambassador has served his country his entire life. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute with Honors, has served over 26 years in the U.S. Army, retiring at the rank of Colonel. After being commissioned as an Army lieutenant, Ambassador Waltz graduated Ranger School and was selected for the elite Green Berets, serving worldwide as a Special Forces officer with multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa. For his actions in combat, he was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two for Valor.
Ambassador Waltz’s leadership continued in the Pentagon as a defense policy director for two Secretaries of Defense. He then went on to serve in the White House as a senior policy advisor. The Ambassador’s experiences as a soldier and a policy staffer inspired him to write the book, “Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret’s Battles from Washington to Afghanistan,” and USA Today Bestseller “Hard Truths: Think and Lead Like a Green Beret,” the proceeds of both continue to benefit veterans charities.
After serving in active duty and before being elected to Congress, Ambassador Waltz proudly built a small business that quickly grew to over 400 employees and was repeatedly listed in the Inc. 500 index as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America.
As a former Fox News Channel contributor, the Ambassador provided expert commentary on foreign policy, defense, and business issues to viewers around the world.
Ambassador Waltz has a daughter in college and a baby boy. He is married to Dr. Julia Nesheiwat, a combat veteran who served in the first Trump administration as his Homeland Security Advisor.
Source: https://www.un.org/en/department-global-communications/head-of-department
Delegate Seminar 1:
Navigating Negotiations on Women’s Rights at the UN
Delegates, Head Delegates, Faculty, and Guests without a Mission Briefing at this time are encouraged to attend.
Tuesday, 7 April, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
3rd Floor Hilton Hotel - Trianon Ballroom
Join us at this interactive session. We will hear from Gabriela Márdero, Gender and Human Mobility Affairs Expert, Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN and Stéphanie Toschi, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the UN. They will share their experiences and insights on how negotiations on women’s rights at the United Nations actually occur. Attendees will be encouraged to share their thoughts and ask questions during the Q&A session.
Gabriela is a career diplomat with 17 years of experience in the Foreign Service. She currently serves as a Gender and Human Mobility Affairs Expert at the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN. She has served in the Mexican Embassies to China, India, and Guatemala. Prior to coming to the United Nations, she was Consul General of Mexico in Tecún Umán, at the border between Mexico and Guatemala.
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.
Tuesday, 7 April, 10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
3rd Floor Hilton Hotel - Trianon Ballroom
The Office of Human Resources of the United Nations Secretariat invites NMUN participants to an interactive conversation on careers in the UN and the aspirations of the next generation of global professionals.
The session will bring together UN staff from diverse professional backgrounds to share insights from their career journeys and experiences within the Organization. Through an open dialogue, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, exchange perspectives, and learn about career pathways and the motivations that inspire young people to pursue a career in international public service.
Session Highlights
Sharing from UN Professionals
Reflections from UN staff on their journeys into the Organization and their experiences working in the UN Secretariat.
Your Voice, Your Questions
Participants will be encouraged to raise questions, share their perspectives, and contribute to the conversation about careers in global public service.
Exploring Pathways to the UN
Learn about entry points into the UN Secretariat, including the Young Professionals Programme, the Junior Professional Officer Programme, and other opportunities.
Join us for an engaging exchange that brings together the experiences of UN professionals and the ideas of the next generation of global leaders.
Ismael Issifou is an Associate Social Affairs Officer in the Division for Inclusive Social Development at UNDESA, where he has spent several years contributing to high-impact publications, most notably the World Social Report. In this role, he has developed strong expertise in analyzing complex data to inform policies that advance social inclusion, poverty reduction, and equal opportunities.
Prior to joining the New York office, he served as an Associate Economic Affairs Officer at the Economic Commission for Africa, where he was a core team member responsible for preparing the annual assessment of the socioeconomic situation in West Africa. Ismael holds a PhD in Development Economics.
Sarah M'Bodji, an UN staff who is a USA & Puerto Rican national and single mother. She currently serves as an Accessibility and Innovation Officer in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General, DGACM, supporting the Director of the Global Innovation and Data Analytics Service (GIDAS) in the Department for General Assembly Conference management (DGACM) at UNHQ.
Sarah works on AI and innovation and recently in 2024, just led the GIDAS Team to a Silver 2nd Prize Award in Microsoft’s UN 2.0 Hackathon for Good, during the UNGA79 for the UN Official Documents AI pilot project.
Since joining UNHQ in 2005, Sarah has held roles in ICT, project management, design, accessibility, and technology, including positions within the News Centre, Webcast, and Web Services of the Department of Global Communications. She passed the NCRE in 2007 and joined DGACM in 2009.
Ahmed Toraif, from the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an Associate Human Resources Officer in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance at the UN Secretariat. He is serving his initial appointment as part of the Young Professionals Programme (YPP), after successfully passing the examination cycle in the Social Affairs, Social Policy and Development and successfully becoming rostered in 2023.
Ahmed has a strong background in political, policy, and data analysis, and communications. His academic background is in social and public policy, and he is an advocate for progressive and transformative policies that are centered on the material improvement of people's lives and prospects.
Ms. Mi Zhou is an Associate Human Resources Officer in the Office of Human Resources (OHR), Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC). She joined the United Nations through the Young Professionals Programme (YPP) and has over 10 years of experience in human resources, administration, and programme management. Prior to joining OHR, she served with UNECA in Addis Ababa, leading the staff benefits team and supporting HR entitlements and related administrative processes. Her professional experience also includes working with IOM, UNICEF, and academic institutions. Mi holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Cornell University and bachelor’s degrees in Literature and Sociology from Peking University.
All Faculty Interactive Workshop:
Best Practices in AI Use at NMUN
All Faculty are encouraged to attend.
Tuesday, 7 April, 3:00-4:30 p.m.
2nd Floor, Hilton Hotel - Morgan
Join your colleagues for this faculty panel discussion 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.
Karen J. Vogel Faculty Seminar:
From Machetes to Algorithms: Patterns, Predictions, and the Prevention of Genocide in the Modern World
Faculty, Guests, and Head Delegates not assigned to a committee are encouraged to attend.
Wednesday, 8 April, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
2nd Floor, Hilton Hotel - Morgan
Join Zachary A. Karazsia for an interactive discussion on his recent book, Genocide in the Modern Age: State-Society Relations in the Making of Mass Political Violence (published with the Routledge Studies in Genocide and Crimes against Humanity series). He will address: does the rise of artificial intelligence and global surveillance technologies represent a fundamental shift in the nature of genocide and mass political violence atrocities? Or will these tools simply be new manifestations of an age-old scourge? This interactive seminar will examine some of the disturbing trends that have emerged over the last 125 years by drawing on historical and contemporary case studies from his recent book and on-going research. It will conclude with a brief discussion of the prospect of genocide and mass political violence in the digital age. Join the conversation by preparing your questions in advance for the Q&A portion.
