Director-General's remarks at the Opening Session of FerMUN 2026

FerMUN 2026
Opening Session

Tuesday, 6 January 2026 at 3.00 p.m.
Assembly Hall, Palais des Nations

Ambassadrice Jurgensen
Monsieur Antwi (Secrétaire Général de FerMUN 2026),
Monsieur Houngbo,
Madame Bisagni-Faure, (Rectrice de l’Académie de Lyon),
Chères étudiantes, chers étudiants,
Mesdames et Messieurs,

C’est avec grand plaisir que je vous souhaite la bienvenue au Palais des Nations pour l’édition 2026 du Ferney-Voltaire Model United Nations — FerMUN.

Permettez-moi d’abord de remercier les organisateurs de cette conférence - le Lycée Internationale de Ferney-Voltaire et la Mission permanente de la France auprès de l’Office des Nations Unies à Genève. C’est grâce à leur engagement et à leur partenariat que cette rencontre peut avoir lieu chaque année.

Today, more than 550 young people from 17 countries across Europe, Africa, and the Americas are gathering here in Geneva.

Over the coming days, you will be debating at the International Labour Organization and here at the United Nations Office at Geneva—two institutions dedicated to advancing social justice and improving lives around the world.

FerMUN has grown into one of Europe’s most ambitious and dynamic Model UN conferences. Its strength lies in its professionalism, its trilingualism, and its diversity. Few events allow students to debate in English, French, and Spanish in the very hall where diplomats negotiate real resolutions. And even fewer offer the same spirit of collaboration and openness that defines this conference every single year.

What makes FerMUN truly special is not only where it happens, but how it happens. For months, you have researched issues, studied policies, developed arguments, and prepared draft resolutions. You have learned to listen as much as to speak and to compromise as much as to persuade. In short—you have practiced diplomacy in its purest form.

And your agenda this year could not be more relevant to the world we live in.

You will be debating the future of labour rights, at a time when millions still struggle for a living wage, for fair parental leave, and for safe working conditions. You will examine the challenges of the informal economy, which employs more than 60 per cent of the world’s workforce, yet often leaves people without social protection, legal safeguards, or decent work.

You will discuss working conditions in the arts and entertainment industries, where physical and psychological risks persist, as well as the future of elite athletes, whose careers must be protected with the same attention we give to their performance.

You will delve into the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence, asking how algorithmic decision-making affects workers and how we can guide the development of AI so that it strengthens—not weakens—social justice.

You will address urgent issues debated daily here at the UN: how health systems can better combat violence against women, girls, and children; how the world can be better prepared for future pandemics; and how global food needs can be met without exceeding the environmental limits of our planet.

And finally, your Youth Assembly will tackle a question at the heart of this institution: How can we revitalize multilateralism in the face of rising nationalism and international fragmentation?

These are the same questions the international community struggles with today. And they are the questions that will shape your generation’s future.

If there is one message that I hope you take home from your experience here, it is this: Your voice matters.

We say often that youth are the leaders of tomorrow, but you are also the leaders of today—in your schools, in your communities, on your digital platforms, and here at the United Nations. When you debate wages, equality, health, food security, digital rights, and global governance, you demonstrate a commitment to building a fairer and more sustainable world.

At a time when conflicts are deepening, trust in institutions is weakening, and global challenges are becoming more complex, your engagement sends an important signal. It tells us that the next generation is ready—not to accept the world as it is, but to improve it.

The United Nations needs your creativity, your curiosity, your ability to listen, and your willingness to imagine new solutions. We need your energy to push forward the transformations set in motion with global agreements such as the Pact for the Future, which calls for stronger multilateral cooperation and new opportunities for youth participation.

Let this conference inspire you not only to understand the world, but to help change it. Take the skills you develop here beyond this hall—into your schools, your communities, and your future careers.

With your enthusiasm, your ideas, and your determination, I am confident that you will carry forward the UN’s values of peace, dignity, and equality.

Thank you, merci beaucoup, and I wish you an excellent and inspiring FerMUN 2026!