Model UN marvels

Taking place at St Paul’s School in London, our ten boys formed two delegations, representing Morocco and Norway. While it was the first Model UN conference for seven of our group, this didn’t hold our boys back, with both Daniele (Year 11) and Oscar (Year 10) making their debut and winning a prize for their performance. Both boys are pictured, below.

Oscar explained: “I acted as the delegate for Morocco – we debated solutions to foreign electoral interference, nuclear testing on celestial bodies, and the question of decolonisation in Western Sahara, an issue which proved most difficult when representing Morocco. The two days focused on writing, amending and debating written proposals (called resolutions) on solutions to these complex issues. We argued vehemently for what we believe our country would want, and debated others’ suggestions on their merits or, often, on obscure technicalities if our country was on the wrong side ethically.

“As the conference drew to a close, prizes were announced and Wetherby Senior had a good showing. Both awards received were for our efforts in SPECPOL, with Norway’s delegate receiving a prize for arguing positions most closely aligned with the views of the country and Morocco (myself) for being the best speaker in the committee.

Mrs Deedat, Head of our Sixth Form, accompanied our boys on one of the days and said: “This was a great experience for our young people, with five from Year 10, two from Year 11 and three from Year 12 taking part in the Model UN conference.

“I’d like to express my thanks to Ms Smith, Head of our Geography Department, for encouraging, and motivating our Model UN team, and for arranging for our boys to take part in such a rewarding event. Praise should also go to Ben D and Edward P in Year 12, who have been supporting our boys by leading some of our Model UN preparation sessions.”

Oscar added: “Our Model UN conference was a fantastic experience – it was fun, with awesome opportunities to meet new people, and also a real eye-opener, forcing us to delve deep into the foreign policy of our countries as well as (sometimes obscure) international issues.”

Model UN is an educational simulation in which young people learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the UN, while building valuable skills like research, public speaking, debating, and writing. At a Model UN conference, participants work as the representative of a country, organisation or person to solve a problem with other delegates from around the world.