During the weekend of October 31-November 2, 2008, the Ford Fellows participated in the Washington D.C. Model U.N. simulation. Some 400 students from all over the world including Brazil, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, India, Italy, Russia, South Africa and Vietnam, took part in the final simulation. Our students represented Zambia, Uruguay and the Philippines in the following committees: General Assembly, General Assembly Third Committee, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Human Rights Council and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

These committees discussed world affair topics including terrorist acts and threats to development and stability, migration, development in Africa, poverty, youth in the global economy, transparency of nuclear records of North Korea and Iran, measures to protect against nuclear terrorism, racial discrimination, Human Rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab Territories, the death penalty in Iraq, environmental degradation and its impact on economies, eradicating the coca crops and child malnutrition among others.

During the three day simulation exercise, participants held six committee sessions in which they discussed the issues, had formal debates, caucused for negotiations and mediations, prepared working papers and passed resolutions to address the topics in discussion. Participants also had the opportunity to listen to two outstanding speakers, Elizabeth McKee Gore, executive director of global alliances, United Nations Foundation, and R. Nicholas Burns, former Under Secretary of State for political affairs, U.S. Department of State.

Dr. Shelton Williams, President of The Osgood Center commented, "the Ford Fellows did a fantastic job!"