CCIP Session A students had quite the journey on June 25, 2010. After a breath-taking campus tour of Columbia University, they made their way to the United Nations Headquarters. As the only freestanding skyscraper in New York City, its tall slim building seemed to dominate the skyline. Cerine (Wing Chu) Lau couldn't help but notice the plethora of flags surrounding it: "All the flags here really illustrate the unity that CCIP helps promote by bringing people of different cultures and backgrounds together."

To add further to the melting pot, the tour guide was from Venezuela and introduced the structure of the United Nations. It is composed of 191 Member States which make up the General Assembly. The "President" of the assembly is Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. As the UN spokesperson, he is responsible for bringing international problems to light and taking the concerns of Member States into consideration. Students were given a chance to visit the General Assembly Hall which is the only conference room with the UN emblem, a world map flanked by olive wreaths. There are rows and rows of seats for representatives from all over the world to discuss internationally relevant problems. A student said, "This gives you an idea of the UN's significance. I can't even imagine seeing that many people in one room trying to solve a problem."

A vital component of the UN is the Security Council. It has five permanent members (China, France, Russia, England and the United States) and ten members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The council holds the important power to maintain international peace and security. It is given the right to make decisions that Member States are obligated to carry out. One topic of interest that was brought up is the use of landmines. The UN is currently pushing for all Member States to cease the use of landmines and revoke existing ones. Peacekeeping Forces have been sent to some countries to rid the roads of these unsuspecting weapons.

Students were fascinated by this and enthusiastically asked questions. After a round of Q and A, they returned to the real world to take some photos to commemorate the visit. As the day concluded, Ollie (Tianzhe) Liu said, "This experience has been surreal. I'm beginning to realize the scope of the UN's role in preserving harmony in society".