The email that seemed fake will take young people from Mar del Plata and Tandil to New York to represent Argentina at the UN

An email that initially looked like a scam will take young people from Mar del Plata and Tandil to New York to represent Argentina at the Global Model United Nations. The invitation, sent on World Federation of United Nations Associations letterhead, first prompted suspicion. Verification, followed by a virtual face-to-face meeting, confirmed that it was genuine.

The February event will bring together 1,700 participants from nearly 100 countries. The Argentine group includes five fourth-year students from Instituto Juvenilia, a recent graduate of the school and three winners of the Regional Model United Nations competition, known as Monur. The participants have spent recent years taking on diplomatic roles, representing different countries and cultures, and debating international issues.

“Monur shaped my entire adolescence. Every time I took part, I came out different, better, and it became a bridge for my personal development,” Lola Carreras told La Nación. Carreras won in 2025 and now studies law. She will travel as a delegate and tutor of Instituto Juvenilia’s debate workshop, alongside Lucas Cidañez, a 2022 Monur winner.

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Monur shaped my entire adolescence. Every time I took part, I came out different, better, and it became a bridge for my personal development.

Mercedes Sisterna and Luciana Scherbarth, lawyers who founded and coordinate Monur, introduced the program in Buenos Aires province 13 years ago. Sisterna said the invitation was surprising until its authenticity was confirmed. “It is great news because, beyond being a huge opportunity, the model we have been invited to is the one that most closely resembles how the UN operates,” she said.

The delegation will be in New York from February 11 to 15, with sessions at two hotels and the UN headquarters. Preparation is demanding. Carreras previously won best delegate while representing Russia on the Security Council, discussing immigration, the Arctic and cybersecurity. Sixteen-year-old Ignacio Menéndez Perone, a student in Tandil, won the latest Monur edition, which addressed Iran-US relations, the South China Sea and nuclear nonproliferation.

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It is great news because, beyond being a huge opportunity, the model we have been invited to is the one that most closely resembles how the UN operates.