East African MUN - Voices Of The Youth

Despite the main issue encountered being the instability of connection since the conference was virtually conducted for the first time this year, our delegates rose against all odds to perform to the best of their capacity at the 39th East Africa MUN conference, and have made us proud!

With regard to the Committee of Ecology, ambassador Kristaps had a chance to explore a plethora of environmental issues within the socio-economic context of various countries. “I was an ambassador of Croatia in the Ecology committee. Even though my country was not represented in any of the resolutions, I still debated on a variety of topics that are related to the natural environment. For instance, some of the resolutions debated were about combatting biodiversity loss and desertification in South Africa’s Karoo region, dealing with plastic pollution by producing bricks made from recycled plastic in the Danube River region, as well as initiating a mangrove-planting programme to decrease the effects of climate change on Malaysia’s coastline using Uruguay as an example. My favourite resolution was about implementing a pilot program to combat the disposal and hazardous effects of e-waste in Pakistan because it was incredibly detailed and fully covered all of the relevant aspects pertaining to the topic.”, he recounted.

Concurring with Kristaps, delegate Maria, who also represented our school in this committee and delivered her resolution on reforesting Mangrove forests in Uruguay, stressed the importance of putting oneself together and refrained from being intimidated to get points across throughout the conference.

Regarding the Economic Committee, our school’s delegate, Lara, passionately spoke about her experience at the conference, “My favorite discussions were about a resolution that spoke about South America, the region where I come from. It was interesting to use my personal knowledge applied into a simulated debate where I represented an European country!”

Reflecting upon her journey of pursuing MUN and her achievements from the beginning, Marlene, delegate of Human Rights Committee, said, “There are great moments that I will be sure never to forget. The first achievement is attending this conference. At the beginning of the year, MUN had just been a club that I attended every Thursday afternoon, yet today it has been a journey of growth, having the chance to debate with numerous other people and having the confidence to attend such a highly regarded event. My second proudest moment would be the time during the week in which I was able to learn, debate and experience the 39th conference. Lastly, I would have to say that my proudest moment would be achieving this goal, by pulling through a week of debating. I am relieved of its coming to an end however I am saddened by the fact that the conference is over.”

In addition to being enthralled by the heating debate about the resolution sponsored by Zambia, delegate Neil, who represented the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in the Human Rights Committee, was also excited to be in a formal suit when attending the conference. “Besides debates on resolution, I am also really excited about the fact that I get to look good. I mean I look really good in formal wear. You should see me!”, he said.

The thirst for fruitful debates was also seen in the Political Committee. Delegate Ondrej, when talking about his favorite resolution and debate session, said, “I was probably most fond of China's resolution on Achieving More Transparency on the Governments of Central and South America Through the Implementation of a Bureau Limiting Organized Crime Using Peru as a Pilot Program. The delegate of this resolution, is a very skilled orator. He manages to get all of his points across is certainly not a new person to this conference. He also adheres to basic principles of the United Nations, that some delegates simply forget/not know about, such as Charter of the United Nations article 2 on non-interference on political independence of any state and the state's authority to solve its domestic matters, or the fact that resolutions other than that of the Security Council are not binding, and are treated as recommendations.”. Sophia, representing the Republic of Croatia, also shared that her favorite resolution was about the freedom of speech in Turkey.

Concerning the Special Summit, contentious topics of debate vary across different areas. When asked to provide the upcoming generations of delegates with advice, delegate André, who represented our school in this committee and won the Best Delegate award, said, “Be unshaken in what you say, respectful in how you act, fervent in your speech, resolute in what you do, and most importantly, be confident! And have fun!”.

Adding to André, Lara advised, “Push yourself as much as you can! It may seem terrifying in the beginning, being among dozens of other teenagers that are as eager to speak as you, but if you do not put yourself out there, no one will. Pay attention to every moment, study the given resolutions, propose amendments, try to make alliances with other delegates and trust your skills. Have fun as well, it is an amazing experience.”

Sayyada, delegate of the Political Committee, also shared her experience after representing Malaysia and confidently presenting her own resolution, “Everyone is just as nervous as you and it's okay for your voice to shake as long as you still speak! Also when asked how many points of information, you’re open to say “any and all”. You”ll sound super confident. You might be faking the confidence but you’ll get there.”

Ms. Hazel, coordinator of MUN Team that represents our school at East Africa MUN, witnessed and confirmed a growth in international mindedness at the same time with the bravery to speak up their minds among our delegates when the conference was coming to an end. “During the first morning of the conference, most of our delegates were quiet, and this made me a bit worried. Yet, in the afternoon on the same day, they started speaking up and getting engrossed in lobbying, discussions, etc. They were actually on fire!”, she excitedly recounted.

Ms. Hazel Ndong, Supervisor of the MUN Team at UWCEA

Via this article, we hope you gain a glimpse into Model United Nations Club as well as the potential opportunity to represent our school at the prestigious East Africa Model United Nations Conference, which involves participation of all high schools across Africa and more, at the UN Headquarter in Nairobi, Kenya.