Model United Nations

Southbank sent a delegation of students to the Model United Nations in Paris in December.

On these MUN trips students simulate the acting and workings of the United Nations General Assembly and its Committees. It gives them the opportunity to get to know the world of diplomacy, lobbying and negotiation when they become representatives, or delegates, of the countries they have been assigned to. Usually they discuss current issues on the actual agenda of the UN together with the other delegates from schools all around the world.

During Southbank's MUN club on Mondays, students from Grades 10-12 had been given the opportunity to prepare themselves for the event. The theme of this year's conference was ‘Dependence, Independence and Interdependence' and some of the issues that were to be debated in the different committees were Measures to mitigate the "brain drain" from developing to developed nations and Drafting an African Common Market treaty.

To prepare themselves for the debates, the delegates focus on their positions towards a certain issue from the point of view of their assigned country. They write opening speeches, plot strategies and negotiations with supporters and adversaries. For this, they need to familiarise themselves with the history, geography, culture, economics and society of the countries they represent.

Once the MUN session has been officially opened, delegates get the opportunity to negotiate with supporters and adversaries about the issues on the agenda. The debates are led by experienced MUN students from various schools who also force the delegates to use the appropriate and formal UN language: ‘Does the honourable delegate of Guatemala not agree that.....' or ‘I am open to two questions from the floor.'

Participation in the MUN conferences gives our students of course the opportunity to meet students from all over the world - in the case of the Paris MUN in the actual UNESCO Headquarters with a lovely view of the Eiffel tower from the lunch room. Together the representatives gain a deeper understanding of current world affairs. But the preparation and the actual conference also give them an incredibly useful learning experience. Researching and analyzing, writing, public speaking, problem solving, leadership, cooperation and compromise - all of these skills fit perfectly into the IB Learner Profile and will be useful to the students not only during their education but throughout their lives.