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| Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) |
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The Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) is a unique platform for delegates to gain an insight into the workings of the United Nations and the dynamics of international relations. They assume the roles of UN representatives of different countries and members of other international bodies and national cabinets.
During the conference, delegates learn the importance of balancing national interests with the needs of the international community. They aspire to reach viable resolutions on complex global issues including international peace and security and economic and social progress.
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HMUN has assumed a prominent position in the school calendar since our first delegation attended the conference in 1995. Our delegates have done us proud at HMUN winning the coveted 'Best International Delegation' award four times in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. In the past four years alone, two of our students have been adjudged 'Best Delegate' in 2000 and 2002, while eleven have secured 'Honourable Mention'.
HMUN continues to attract the most promising students from our school enabling them not only to gain a holistic view of the powers and limitations of international negotiation and diplomacy but also to sharpen their inter-personal skills. |
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| Teens at the global forefront |
| Debating at the Model United Nations conference was an enriching experience |
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To what extent should the World Bank fund the food crisis in Zimbabwe? Should Turkey be accepted as a member of the European Union? What is the internationally recognised definition of terrorism? These are only few of the larger-than-life questions that are answered by teenagers at a Model United Nations conference. Model UN or MUN is a simulation of the United Nations Organisation and has emerged somewhat as a phenomenon amongst the youth of today.
MUNs usually continue for three to five days over the course of which adolescents dressed in blazers furiously type away at their laptops formulating resolutions while grappling with complex issues in official UN jargon. Each delegate is assigned to a particular country in a UN committee like the Security Council, DISEC, SPECPOL, ECOFIN, ASEAN etc. Through MUNs, students get a taste of diplomacy, politics and a chance to see what it would be like if the fate of the world rested in their hands.
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For over a decade, the Cathedral and John Connon School has been sending a delegation of students every year to Boston to attend the Harvard Model United Nations hosted (as the name suggests) by Harvard University.
Last December, I attended the 56th session of HMUN as a delegate of the Press Corps along with 18 other Cathedralites. Most of the (approximately) 3000 delegates were from schools from all over the USA. HMUN 2008 was a melting pot of social and cultural variety. Over the 4 days, our perceptions of the myriad different-looking and -sounding people that surround us have undergone radical transformations.
The quality and scale of the conference was overwhelming and the thrill and pride we felt to be a part of this prestigious MUN is inexplicable. It was an exhilarating experience to walk through the corridors and conference rooms of the Sheraton and the old yard at Harvard University with a ton of important work to do.
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I thoroughly enjoyed the enriching discussions I listened to at the conference and the article I wrote. I cherish even the memories of the excruciatingly cold weather, the long walks and tube journeys, the jetlag, the meals at Au Bon Pain, the Cheesecake Factory, Dunkin Donuts and PF Chang’s, our late night delegation bonding sessions and the unending series of humorous incidents.
Months of research, paperwork, applications, shopping and excitement paid off. Of course, the fact that five Cathedralites won awards is great, but what’s greater is the whole experience and all that each of us learnt from it; whether we learnt about independence and responsibility, or polygamy and the current economic crisis, or wintertime in Boston, or that the best deals on t-shirts are available at Wet Seal or that we could find a second home away from home.
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Sakshi Kapoor
12 C |
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