MUNITY-East

By HoJai Yoon, Concordia International School Shanghai 

Close your eyes, and slowly count how many MUN conferences you have been to. How many can you count? How far have you roamed the world for MUN?

Art by Christine Lin American School in Taichung

The history of Model United Nations dates back to the 1920s. Today, with its growing popularity, there are an estimated 400 MUN conferences held worldwide. As the development of transportation and communication makes the modern world a global village without boundaries, various MUN conferences around the globe attract an ever-growing number of participants.

Among various renowned and respected conferences, THIMUN firmly stands as a gateway for high school students to enter the broader spectrum of MUN conferences. Since its establishment in 1981, THIMUN has continually broadened its boundaries from the Hague to Singapore, and now even to Qatar. Janie Jang from Concordia International School, the delegate of the Republic of Korea in the Special Conference on Crime and Punishment at 2011 THIMUN-Qatar, applauds this conference, because “it offers various committees that I could not experience before in Singapore.” Besides THIMUN, a great number of larger conferences allow students to experience a greater diversity of cultures and opinions. Iris Kong from Nagoya International School, the delegate of Singapore in General Assembly 5, comments that she enjoyed BEIMUN because of “its leniency in allowing follow-ups that help each delegate discuss issues in depth.”

However, quantity does not always equal quality. Smaller conferences around the world can offer students with more chances to directly involve themselves in the debating process and communicate more deeply with delegates. Justina Huang from Shanghai American School-Puxi, delegate of Lebanon in the Security Council, says, “SHAMUN, a conference annually held at my school, offers a variety of committee options despite its small size. Furthermore, it is very concentrated in that it allows students to directly involve themselves in both debates and the administration of MUN itself.”

Each MUN conference around the world has its unique style. In order to assist MUN-ers with information regarding the diverse conferences options, a splendid website, www.bestdelegate.com, provides maps for MUN all over the world. The website provides visitors with not only lists of MUN conferences, but also with national and international rankings of MUN teams, strategies to win MUN debates, and recently updated information regarding MUN conferences.

Therefore, delegates must remember that there are various MUN options, because each conference give participants new learning experiences. Regardless of its size, each conference provides a valuable experience for participants to promote global awareness and meet with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. With a little guidance from www.bestdelegate.com, participants will be able to expand their scope of MUN experiences.

By Chrsitine Choi, Korea International School 

Photo credit: Judy Park of International School of Beijing

Kevin Chen (American School in Taichung), the Deputy President of the Security Council (SC) announced “Are there any

delegates who wish to volunteer? Seeing none, India—you have been recognized.” The alarmed expression of the delegate of India brought an echo of light laughter in the middle of the serious exchange of ideas running back and forth among the students.

The Security Council is responsible for discussing global issues such as foreign aid programs and tourism. “Its primary objective is to propose solutions that are ideally agreed upon by different countries,” added Seung Yeon Kim (Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies), the delegate of the United Kingdom. Agreement is complicated when five countries—China, U.K., France, Russia, and the U.S.—have the power to veto.

Sitting on opposite sides, two groups of delegates were sharing their countries’ stances on providing South Sudan with financial

support. The debate was getting hotter when William Chen (Shanghai American School – Puxi ), the delegate of Lebanon, claimed that providing free health check-ups is unreasonable since MRIs are too expensivethese days; his statement was challenged by another delegate, who argued that his example was too specific. When Chen seemed to admit the minor flaw in his rhetoric, the harsh atmosphere in the room suddenly disappeared, and students began to chuckle in friendly camaraderie.

It is certainly easy for participants to get tense when they have to voice their countries’ beliefs in front of many other people.

However, small glitches during the conference helped them to loosen up and relieve their fear. For example, when the Deputy President realized that not all countries voted for a clause,he had to address each country individually; this gave some time for the delegates to take a rest from their long talks. Similarly, when asked if there were other memorable moments during the conference, many students replied that it was entertaining to watch Aaron Willis (German European School), the delegate of the Russian Federation, accidentally refer to Confucius as an example of a British quote. Although many participants were afraid of making trivial mistakes, these blunders actually made the delegates feel more comfortable amid the heated debates.

Humorous and memorable happenings set aside, the delegates of the Security Council worked hard to solve many international problems. For the remaining days of THIMUN Singapore, they will continue solving problems to build a better 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.

Article by Ho Jai Yoon of Concordia Intl. School of Shanghai

At eight A.M. on November 16th, highly passionate students attending the 2012 THIMUN Singapore conference filled the Hwa Chong Institution with a vibe of passion and zeal. However, before the participants dive themselves into the feverishly hot atmosphere, they must first understand the purpose of MUN. Why do MUN debates and rebuttals allure participants? What is so fascinating about MUN that it attracts participants to the annual conference after long hours of flights?

Art by Joo Yeon Lim of CheongShim Intl. Academy

According to Swathi Bhat (Anderson Junior College Singapore), delegate of Cameroon in the General Assembly 1, MUN provides a “nice forum for youth, who usually [have] no seat in politics to discuss global problems and worldly issues.” For youth, who are usually excluded from the political world, MUN is a wonderful opportunity in which they can voice their thoughts. Thoughts expressed by the young generation may be idealistic; however, the true purpose of MUN lies in assisting the fresh and innovative words of youth to be voiced to the world. Julia Choi (Beijing International School), the delegate of Guatemala in General Assembly 3, further strengthens the idea by commenting that MUN gives students a “chance to talk with people they normally cannot meet, and it also allows participants to explore future careers and discover who they really are.”

On the other hand, some participants find that the useful skills and knowledge acquired from MUN can be applied to our daily lives. William Chen (Shanghai American School), the delegate of Lebanon in the Security Council, said, “Issues discussed in MUN are not just political or conceptual, but are actually very practical in that, for example, learning from discussions on humanitarian affairs can also be applied to our daily service club activities.” Those participants believe the purpose of MUN is not to simply earn certificate of participation, but to learn and apply great ideas shared during conference to daily lives.

However, despite the great purposes which allured participants to join MUN, Tiffany Wang, deputy president of ECOSOC, worries that sometimes debates and rebuttals become so aggressive that the “purpose of MUN turns into bashing others and picking on every single punctuation mistakes, rather than looking at the whole meanings behind resolutions.” Sometimes, participants are tempted to debase others’ opinions, rather than to cooperate and come up with better terms and ideas. Yet, there is no winning or losing in MUN. It has its purpose in connecting youth from all over the world and providing them an opportunity to collaborate with each other.

Therefore, all delegates must not forget the reasons why they chose to participate in MUN. Raising objections can result in fruitful debate in that it helps participants to think critically; however, denunciation only creates chasm among delegates. Therefore, before participants choose to criticize others, they must remember they joined MUN to accept diversity and spread their voices.