LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL
Hello, Delegates!
Welcome to CIAC XVII! It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to this year’s conference. My name is Liam Chelkowski, and I am honored to serve as your Secretary-General for the Cornell International Affairs Conference. On behalf of myself, the rest of CIAC’s Secretariat, and Cornell’s Model UN community, I am thrilled to invite you to CIAC XVII, taking place from October 22 to October 25, 2026.
I have participated in Model UN for the past eight years, and this is my third year serving on CIAC’s Secretariat. Over that time, I have watched CIAC grow, evolve, and inspire hundreds of delegates. I know that each of you comes to this conference for different reasons, but I hope CIAC will give you even a fraction of what Model UN has given me.
This will almost certainly be my final major experience with the Model UN community, and I have poured my heart into making sure that CIAC is not simply a good conference, but the best one I can help create. Each year has been better than the last, and this year, we are committed to building on that momentum. Our Secretariat has worked hard to incorporate your feedback from last year, because it is through your honest criticism, comments, and support that we continue to improve.
CIAC is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive environment for all delegates. We strive to foster serious discussion, thoughtful collaboration, and creativity across a wide range of issues. As a conference centered primarily around crisis committees, we are excited to give you the opportunity to showcase your creativity and dynamism. At the same time, we are continuing to expand our specialized committee offerings, which allow delegates to engage with issues in a more deliberative and focused way. And for the first time, CIAC will feature a General Assembly committee. For those of you attending CIAC for the first time, welcome—we hope you enjoy the experience and learn from it. To our returning delegates, welcome back—we hope you see the growth and improvement that your feedback helped make possible.
Until October, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or any member of our Secretariat by email. We are eagerly preparing for your arrival and cannot wait to welcome you to campus.
Best Regards,
Liam Chelkowski
Secretary-General, CIAC XVII