The United Nations Students Association of Barcelona (UNSA Barcelona) is a really active think tank born in the Pompeu Fabra University in 2004 that tries to move closer to the University community of the city the ideas and positions of the United Nations; also allowing to a group of selected students, after a course, to carry out simulation activities of the United Nations' working through its bo
dies, directed by the United Nations Association of Spain (UNA-Spain), non-governamental association founded in Barcelona in 1963. UNA-Spain is a member of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), created in 1946 as a social and non-political initiative with the main aim of defend and disclose the principles of peace and human rights all over the world. In addition, UNSA Barcelona is constantly organizing meetings, lectures and debate forums where experts of different fields and positions talk about the main topics of the 21st Century related to the United Nations or the current geopolitics. Pablo Pareja Alcaraz, International Relations teacher of the Pompeu Fabra University, runs a course that moves closer to the students the history, principles, functioning and actions of the United Nations. Furthermore, the students must carry out two General Assembly simulations, activity that requires a great knowledge of the institution and country represented, in which the student has to face the challenge of a formal debate next to its partners. The course, since its beginning, has had a great success in its participation as well as the students' training (about 400), also adding the results of the participation in later simulations (70 students in different international simulations). Finally, the course is also useful to prepare the Model United Nations (MUN's) that the selected students attend. UNSA Barcelona organizes trips to attend to 2-3 international simulations every year, one of them in Barcelona and one or two more in other European countries.
