Model NATO 10th Anniversary edition

We are born with the desire to know. It is said that to be happy you need something to do, something to love and, above all, something to strive for. For us, Model NATO has it all.

The conference was born out of the desire of a few young enthusiasts and their mentor, Daniela Bordei, to offer a new perspective on security and a better tomorrow for the planet. Young people cannot remain mere observers of social, political and economic phenomena. As future bearers of responsibility, they need to engage with the problems facing humanity. Model NATO is the world's only NATO simulation aimed at teenagers, designed to help them understand the role NATO plays for the security of life on earth.

Year after year, the conference has risen to the challenge of starting fresh as organizing teams change and participants leave to study at home or abroad. Over nine editions it gathered more than 1,800 young people, 10 organizing teams and distinguished guests, among them NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană, former President of Romania Emil Constantinescu, and leaders of the Atlantic Treaty Association and the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association.

The 10th edition took us to NATO Headquarters in Brussels, at the invitation of NATO's Public Diplomacy Division, in recognition of the consistency of our work over the years. A special mention goes to Mrs. Mihaela Roșu, who accompanied us throughout and facilitated our meetings with NATO officials.

The first day brought a guided tour of the headquarters and six hours of briefings and questions in the amphitheatre where NATO press conferences take place. Ambassador Baiba Braže, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, spoke about the key issues on NATO's agenda; Ambassador Dan Neculăescu, Romania's Permanent Representative to NATO, presented our country's role in the Alliance; Nicola de Santis presented NATO's new Strategic Concept and the road to the Madrid Summit; and officials from the NATO Information and Documentation Centre and the Political Affairs and Security Policy Division discussed NATO's response to the invasion of Ukraine and its partnerships with Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. Participants' questions, spanning politics, security, energy and education, won the admiration of their hosts.

On the second day, in the conference area where the North Atlantic Council meets, participants sat at the round table behind the names of the 30 Allies. We thought of how Model NATO started, with white cards on which we wrote the names of the countries. Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană joined the simulation, spoke with each participant and set out the topic: strengthening the eastern flank of the Alliance through partnerships and possible new members. The conclusions were sent to NATO ahead of the Madrid Summit.

The day ended with awards for the best participants, the naming of new Model NATO Ambassadors, and photographs among the flags in front of NATO Headquarters.