TASIS – Model United Nations 2017

14 Feb 2017

The TASIS England Model United Nations team, along with MUN Director Mr. Ware and Assistant Director Ms. Covent, participated in the week-long THIMUN conference at the World Forum in The Hague last week. This year the team represented the delegation of Panama.

The TASIS Model United Nations allows students to assume the roles of delegates to the United Nations and to participate in simulated UN committees. For this extracurricular activity, the team met daily for two hours after school from November to January to prepare, learning about the issues to research and the protocol to follow. Along with the preparation and substantial research, students honed their skills in public speaking, debate, writing, critical thinking, collaboration, and leadership.

Thousands of high school students from around the world participated in the conference. A particular highlight was the selection of Ian F. to act as a judge on the Internal Court of Justice (ICJ). With only 15-20 students chosen to sit on the ICJ out of 3,200 conference participants, this was a great moment for the group.

“Our students represented their team and the School extremely well, with many students successfully submitting and debating resolutions on a variety of global issues on behalf of the delegation of Panama,” Ms. Covent commented. “With the positive feedback received from conference staff, committee chairs, and directors from other schools, it’s obvious that the countless hours of student preparation paid off!”

Mr. Ware enthused about the benefits of the conference, saying “At the MUN conference, I heard students from all over the world, from all backgrounds, come together to discuss, debate, and collaborate to find solutions to the problems facing our world. The beauty of the THIMUN conference is that it is not competitive. True to the spirit of the United Nations, there are no winners. The only victory happens when, through consensus building, solutions are developed that everyone can get behind. Overwhelmingly guided by empathy, compassion, and the resolve to fight to make possible a world that matches our lofty ideals, I have hope in what these students will one day achieve.”

Upper School student Femi A. appreciated the opportunity to take part in this special experience. “The week was very enjoyable. There was an equal amount of participation by all of the delegates, which was encouraged by the chair. My resolution was the first to pass in my committee, which was exciting. I was proud to be a part of the TASIS England team.”