MUNITY-East

By Melody Lai, International Bilingual School at Hsinchu

Among sporadic bursts of creativity in General Assembly 2, there was one particular analogy that caught everyone’s attention: “This resolution is like a unicorn. It is superficially beautiful but there are serious flaws.” GA2 was, clearly, extremely exuberant and forthcoming in their discussions of controversial issues concerning agriculture development, food security, promotion of ecotourism for protection of the environment, protection of coral reefs, and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Despite the serious nature of these issues, however, delegates were able to find outlets for their innovative ideas and displayed passion and commitment in attempting to form flawless resolutions.

Delegates were especially enthusiastic in getting into character with their respective countries: David Tao, delegate of DPR Korea from the Western Academy of Beijing, brought forth fervor with his proclamations of “Kim Jung Il Mansae (Hurray)!” at the end of every speech. Although the chairs were quick to subdue the laughter and bring the court back to order, his remarks were a stark reminder of the serious palpability of these modern day issues. Despite the liveliness of delegate speeches, delegates were more than enthusiastic to produce plausible resolutions, waving their placards for a chance to speak like hungry sharks fighting for a single, delectable fish. Their sharp eyes flickered back and forth between speakers, determined to nitpick any possible flaw and lambaste the issue to smithereens while hammering out the best resolution possible to solve major world issues. The Chair of GA2, Amay Bhojani of Dubai International Academy, said, “GA2 provides insightful solutions on economic and financial issues and has been extremely successful in passing resolutions.” With this sort of avidity, a successful conference is definitely guaranteed.

Chairs:

By Sekheena Deslorieux, Mont’ Kiara International School

The Opening Ceremony on the first day of the conference set the stage for the rest of the week. The master of ceremonies was Jerry Wang, President of the General Assembly (ISB). After a brief introduction, the ceremony began with Ms. Frances Laughlin, a member of the Board of Directors of the THIMUN Foundation, giving an engaging speech relating Confucius to Model United Nations. “Ms Laughlin’s link between Confucius and the past, the Millennium Development Goals and THIMUN Singapore was intriguing,” said Heather Shepherd, the MUN Director from Mont’ Kiara International School.

Photo cred: Mars Huang of Intl. Bilingual School at Hsinchu

The keynote speaker, Lionel Yee, the Director-General of the International Affairs Division in the Attorney-General’s Chamber, encouraged delegates to listen to different people and work together as a team to produce pragmatic and innovative resolutions. He believes that the delegates of the conference today will be the members of the United Nations tomorrow, and wished all the delegates a very productive conference.

With another expert introduction by Jerry Wang, the Hwa Chong String Quartet graced us with a performance of Ode to Joy and Canon in D. After their performance, the Secretary General of THIMUN Singapore, Nina Kamaruddin (Mon’t Kiara International School), gave her speech. She advised delegates to be constructive, not critical in debates. She urged them to make new friends, use this experience for social networking, and seize this chance to make a difference in the world and make this week worthy of remembrance.

Kamaruddin—who has friends from MUN all over the world, from Curacao to Turkey,—was very happy with her speech. Nervous at first, yet confident on stage, she thought that the content related well with her audience, especially in the final line in which she quoted “You’ve got to ignite the light because you’re a firework” from the popular song by Katy Perry. Kamaruddin had written the speech the same day she was appointed Secretary General during the summer holidays, as she was so excited about her position that she could not wait to begin preparing for the conference!

To end the ceremony, Mr. Yee drew Cuba as the delegation to make opening speeches the following day of the conference.

The audience at the Opening Ceremony felt that it had gone very well. Paul Wu (American School in Tai Chong), the delegate of Thailand in General Assembly 2, noted that the ceremony was full of enjoyable speeches. Floris Akkermaans (Shanghai Rego International School), the delegate of Belarus in GA2 said that Mr. Yee’s speech had made such an impact on him that he now considered really working for the UN in the future!

By Regan Plekenpol, Photographs by Judy Wan

Sick and tired of all the black, grey, and button-downs, the press team decided to scout out some fashion outliers.

These delegates impressed us with a unique flair and an uncanny ability to dress with modesty and style. After interviewing the top four “Fashion Winners,” we have uncovered some secrets of their success.

#1: Claudette Van Maarschalkerweerel, Delegate for China, GA6, from Overseas Family School in Singapore.

Modesty, in Claudette’s opinion, is not difficult. “You don’t have to show everything to look cool,” she voiced as she posed in her simple navy dress and cheetah print flats. “You can be modest and stylish at the same time. I love what I’m wearing, and it’s so comfortable!” Claudette completed her look by adding a matching bag and shoes to show her mixed, spontaneous personality.

#2: Justine Huang, Delegate for Lebanon, Security Council, from Shanghai American School Puxi. 

“MUN is about “60% comfort, 40% style” to Justine, who caught our eye with a striking green top and a unique ‘carrousel’ necklace, which exhibited her fun-loving personality. She believes that, though delegates have to look professional,

stressful conferences make comfort another critical factor.

#3: Mikaela Zimmermann, Delegate for Libya, GA6, from Saigon Southern International School in Vietnam. 

Mikaela’s bright dress was certainly eye-catching. Like Austin, she believes that comfort is crucial in long conferences. She noted that her dress displayed her personality because, though it is not overly extravagant, it still shows her bright, confident temperament.

#4: Austin Gillette, Delegate for Afghanistan, GA2, from International School of Phnom Penh. 

Austin had a laid-back disposition—a simple black suit and striking tie. He noted that, because he “looks good most of the time anyway,” comfort was his main priority in the conference. To show his individualism, he wears a personal necklace, and un-tucks his shirt whenever he can.

So, delegates, you should use these examples to help you add some spice to your outfits! Remember that it’s not impossible to keep your style in check at THIMUN.

By. Jessica Chang, Korea International School

Art by Christine Lin, Ameriacn School of Taichung

Songs and arts inspire people. But MUN-ers think differently, live differently, and strive differently. Therefore, the THIMUN-Singapore Press team set out to get the gist of delegates’ and chairs’ opinions on songs about humanity and how they actually relate to MUN.

“Les Enfoires”

Les Enfoires is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for a French charitable organization. Sophie Barbier, the delegate of UNCDF, could not think of any specific songs that were related to humanity, but she remembered this humanitarian group. People who go to the concerts automatically learn the need of other countries. Therefore, this group not only helps needy people, but also increases awareness of poverty for people around the world.

“We Are The World” by Michael Jackson

“The song inspires me to seriously consider the problems of the world today,” said Sheng Hua Lin (Tianjin International School), the delegate of Fiji from GA2. Listening to these songs, MUN-ers are bound to think about humanities as they are engrossed in subjects like these. The chorus, “We are the world. We are the children. We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving,” increases awareness for people globally that they are not alone in poverty and that there are brothers and sisters out there to help them recover. By unifying multiple races into one, the song alleviates social discrimination and negligence.

“Black or White” by Michael Jackson

Aman Puri, the Chair of GA6 from Dubai International Academy, enjoys listening to “Black or White” because it insinuates that race does not matter when it comes to making friends. The song’s chorus notes, “It don’t matter if you’re black or white…I had to tell them I ain’t second to none.” Michael Jackson allows global citizens to recognize that race does not matter when it comes to equality. Just as correlation does not mean causation, unskilled people in poor countries are not uneducated because they are minorities. Therefore, we must pull minorities back up on their feet and realize that we are all equal.

By Christine Choi, Korea International School

Photo cred: Mars Huang of Intl. Bilingual School at Hsinchu

A bright, sun-drenched day. Buildings bustling with students from all over the world. An atmosphere mixed with excitement and anxiety. This is the very scene witnessed upon arriving at the Hwa Chong Institution.

Half past eight in the morning, the main entrance of the school was already packed with students, teachers, advisors, and administration staff. Due to the warm Singapore weather, most of the girls were dressed up in skirts or dresses. Guys wearing their layers of dark suits, on the other hand, seemed to be sweating, even with their sleeves pulled up.

Waiting to be appointed to their rooms, students from the same schools circled around and received their name tags. A couple of participants recognized familiar faces from past conferences, and they greeted each other with welcoming smiles. Some students had dark circles under their eyes from preparing their clauses and resolutions the night before, and some were still exhausted from the plane ride. Danny Kim, an ECOSOC delegate representing Nicaragua, commented in an exhausted voice, “I’m kind of worn out right now because I slept late yesterday.” Others seemed to be more relaxed, chatting away with their friends and laughing out loud. With some time left, numerous people were flicking through the pages of the Munity-East paper.

Confidence comes naturally with experience. Unlike those attending the conference for the first time, the MUN veterans did not show any signs of uneasiness. “I’m actually more thrilled than worried, since this isn’t my first time at a conference. I’m looking forward to debating and meeting new people for the next few days,” said Eun Hwa Lee, a delegate from GA6 representing Poland.

Of course, there were a few people who arrived late, and they began rushing around the campus as soon as they hopped off the buses. Amid the bustling, Luigi Marshall, a GA6 delegate representing Cameroon, took the time to note, “This is my first time attending THIMUN, so I’m quite anxious right now. I’m hoping that I make new friends today.” After responding, he quickly walked across the hallway to his designated room. Others were not late, but simply had trouble finding where to go.

With the rooms jammed with participants, some students had to wait until they could be seated. “I like how Hwa Chong is so well-equipped with different facilities and how everyone here is really ambitious. Since there are so many people in each room, it is a bit frightening. However, I’m still glad to be here to learn about the different perspectives that students from different countries have,” commented Ang Wei Jia, a delegate representing Sierra Leone in GA2. She added, “I hope everything goes well today.”

The hectic morning soon passed by, and students across the campus began to settle down. They entered their rooms, got in their seats, and the chairs initiated the conference by running some brief introductory presentations. All participants are now ready to take their next steps into this four-day journey.