On Saturday 5 October a group of pupils from our Model United Nations (MUN) Society were invited to Alleyn's School for a MUN conference. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to join peers from other schools to discuss a range of global issues.
The opening speech was delivered by Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles who spoke about the conflict in the Middle East, offering a great opportunity to learn about the Israel-Gaza-Lebanon-Iran conflict from an expert.
Year 11 pupil Ariyanna shares an account of her experience:
Pupils of the MUN Society recently attended AMUN at Alleyn’s School in London. As a group, we were assigned Russia and Saudi Arabia. In the World Health Organisation, they discussed reproductive rights and the security of health care; in the Human Rights Council, they discussed exploitative labour and extrajudicial killing, and in the Security Council, we discussed the Sovereignty of Taiwan. In the Security Council, despite the five veto powers at play, we passed both resolutions discussed. As Russia, I managed to receive 10 signatories on my resolution during lobbying - allowing it to be entertained first. Due to Russia’s diplomatic relations with China, my resolution emphasized non-interference from external actors, the maintenance of the status quo regarding arms trade, and the affirmation of the One-China policy. Two amendments were passed resulting in an almost unanimous vote for my resolution. China’s resolution was also passed - with several P5 discussions resulting in fruitful negotiations. After formal debate, we entered the General Assembly. We were posed with a crisis; the internet had been stolen and to regain it, communism had to be reinstated within our states. As the Russian Federation, we remained indifferent, whilst maintaining our diplomatic relations with China and Belarus. It was a spontaneous and productive debate which truly encapsulated the instinctive nature of MUN. Overall, it was an enjoyable day with several of our first timers gaining a great first experience.
'Overall, it was an enjoyable day with several of our first timers gaining a great first experience.'
Ariyanna (Year 11)
