Dear Delegates,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Organization of American States at ILMUNC XXVI. My name is Ana Rosa Giannareas, and I will be chairing what I expect will be a highly stimulating and productive committee. The level of your engagement and passion will largely determine the success of our committee, and I hope you come prepared for intense and provocative debate.

For a bit about me, I am a senior majoring in Systems Engineering with a focus on financial systems. While unrelated to my studies at Penn, I have always felt passionate about international relations, which is why I have been involved in Model UN since high school. The OAS and Latin America hold a special interest for me as I grew up in Panama City and have learned first-hand about many of the issues pertinent to this committee. Since joining the International Affairs Association at Penn, I have participated in ILMUNC’s Security Council, IAEA, and Science and Technology committees.

Latin America’s current status as one of the world’s most violent regions points to serious deficiencies in public security and its links to the weak rule of law, corruption, and drug trafficking experienced by many member nations. At the same time, indigenous peoples have typically suffered from lower access to education and health, and a much higher poverty rate than the rest of the population. This year, OAS will address these challenging and complex issues, which are nonetheless crucial to sustain the region’s economic development and progress towards political stability.

I have no doubt that you will be able to tackle the issues at hand and I look forward to hearing your ideas and solutions during the conference. I want to wish you the best of luck as you begin your research, and I look forward to seeing each of you at ILMUNC!

All the best,

Ana Rosa Giannareas

Chair, Organization of American States

Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVI