The United Nations University — MERIT in Partnership with the School of Public Policy at Central European University (Budapest, Hungary)

Please note this competition will take place at the United Nations University in Maastricht, Netherlands. 

Your Site Leader: Diego Salama: Communications Officer, UNU-MERIT

Your Technical Leader: Julieta Marotta: Academic Programme Director of the Master Public Policy and Human Development Programme, UNU-MERIT

Introducing your Site Judges:
  • Dr. Martin Kahanec: Professor and Head of the School of Public Policy at the Central European University in Budapest
  • Dr. Lutz Krebs: Assistant Professor, United Nations University – UNU-MERIT
  • Dr Valerie Graw: Senior Researcher, University of Bonn
  • Fourth Judge – TBD 

Please find below pertinent information about the student networking session on February 22, travel and lodging

IMPORTANT: please remember to bring your own laptop computers to the competition. You must have GOOGLE CHROME installed. This is the only browser compatible with the simulation. Tablets are NOT compatible with the simulation. 

February 22 Student Networking Event:UNU-MERIT and SPP CEU will host a reception at UNU-MERIT at 18:00 for judges and students and support staff where there will be words of welcome by Dr. Julieta Marotta (UNU-MERIT/MGSoG), Dr Martin Kahanec(CEU), and Laurel McFarland, NASPAA Executive Director. In addition, there will be a discussion on Migration with Dr Michaella Vanore, who is a Research Fellow and lecturer on migration and development.

Hotel Accommodations Near UNU-MERIT:

Maastricht offers a wide variety of Hotels which accommodate all budgets. These hotels offer competitive prices and are in walking distance of UNU-MERIT. They do sell-out quickly, so we strongly recommend booking your stay as soon as your participation is confirmed.

Preferred Hotel: UNU-MERIT has a preferred agreement with The Bastion Hotel which is in front of our campus. We have a preferential rate of 81 Euros per night with breakfast included. We will host our visiting judge there and we recommend the staff of CEU to stay there as well. We can make reservations in advance to ensure availability.

Other Hotels in the Area: StayOkay Maastricht:The Stayokay hostels are housed in separate buildings and offer a wide variety of rooms. This is perfect for students as it is affordable and within walking distance of UNU-MERIT Townhouse.

Designhotel Maastricht Townhouse is situated in historic Maastricht and has been awarded the Green Key eco-label. This unique design hotel features free Wi-Fi and a lounge combining modern elements with vintage style.

The Hotel Botticelli is located in an early 18th-century building and decorated with many authentic elements, such as the staircase, mantelpieces and ornamented ceilings. Wake up each morning with an extensive breakfast buffet in the bright breakfast room Colazione.

Location and Transit:

Maastricht is surrounded by airports on all sides: there are 10 airports in three countries within less than 4 hours of travel from Maastricht. Fortunately, finding the best connection is not tricky: Matrix Airfare Search allows you to search for connections to any of the airports simultaneously.

Please view more details on how to use this site. Don’t get stuck overnight! Whether you arrive by plane, train or bus, be aware of the departure time of the last connections so that you do not find yourself spending the night at an abandoned bus or train station. If you are delayed and stuck somewhere, it is usually cheaper and easier to find a hostel, B&B or hotel than to arrange alternative transport by taxi or rental car, which can be very expensive.