Emma Narvaez
On December 9th, four Saint Maur MUN delegates attended an enriching conference held at The British School in Tokyo. It was the first ever conference BST held since the pandemic, which meant it was the first one for many of the attending delegates, including Saint Maur’s. Thus, the event was a significant learning experience that allowed students to understand the logistics of Model United Nations while exercising skills of debate, communication, and collaborative problem-solving with other schools.
Saint Maur delegates at BST
The conference commenced in the General Assembly room at 9:00AM, and opened with the keynote speaker Leo Lewis, the Asia Business Editor at the Financial Times. Drawing on his experiences interviewing diplomats and writing about global events, he highlighted the importance of international of international relations in today’s interconnected world.
Keynote speaker presenting in General Assembly room
Once the clock struck 9:30, it was time for the delegates to convene in their respective committee sessions. There, they presented their opening speeches and discussed clauses with other delegates to form a resolution regarding the central issue. Both of these elements were prepared during the weekly MUN meetings at school. Mr. White, one of the MUN supervisors, emphasized that MUN conferences allow students to “see where their time and energy in preparing for the conference can have the greatest impact.”
In the committee rooms, new delegates learned how to communicate and debate with other individuals before everyone gathered in the General Assembly room at the end to discuss an emergency situation. One complication delegate Carol (G12) faced in the Environmental Committee was that as a delegate of Saudi Arabia, “most people expected [her] to be against the maximization of renewable energies”, which was the topic of discussion. However, Carol was taking an alternative position, which asserted that Saudi Arabia “is highly dependable right now on non-renewable energy resources, but they’re trying to change that, and they have implemented multiple things in their government to do so.” Carol highlighted a challenging situation with one delegate, stating, “One delegate kept on telling me that I was wrong when it was my position in my country.” However, Carol explained that she was able to overcome the situation by effectively communicating her point of view.
Saudi Arabia delegate in Environmental Committee
After two rounds of committee sessions, all delegates gathered in the General Assembly room, where an urgent situation of international importance was presented through a fictional briefing video. The emergency situation involved an attack and spill of oil tanks in a commerce route close to the country of Malaysia. For Aiden and Hanson (G9), who represented the United Kingdom, the most memorable moment during the conference was when a group of delegates proposed a clause that would divide Malaysia into 12 different nations to maintain the security and safety of the Malaysian people, in exchange for stereotypical resources given by each of the colonizing countries. Hanson found the proposal to be “absolutely absurd”; however, the rather unconventional scheme allowed delegates to witness and engage in productive debates. As for Carol, a particular highlight from the event when she and her partner, Emma (G12) passed a clause “by unanimous vote.” This accomplishment highlighted their effective teamwork to construct and present a purposeful clause.
United Kingdom delegates in General Assembly session
Overall, the BST conference proved to be a pivotal learning experience for Saint Maur’s Model United Nations delegates. Mr. White expressed that he was “impressed by the delegates’ willingness to take risks, to be thoughtful about their responsibilities and to work hard to contribute to the debate.” The conference not only honed diplomatic skills but also facilitated global perspectives and valuable debates, leaving delegates eager for more conferences in the near future.
Emma Narvaez