11/04/2018Our annual regional Model United Nations Conference, "LAMUN" (April 2018)
From April 20 to 22, the British Schools & our school cohosted an international MUN Conference (Model United Nations)
Students in the Conference represent countries as if they were UN delegates. They must interact in English with other delegates from Latin American schools. The Conference is organised by our school and The British Schools. It has the endorsement of THIMUN, an international organisation in The Hague dedicated to such Conferences.
Reaffirming an already long-standing tradition of inter-school partnership, our principal, Mrs. Patricia Ponce de León, addressed all participants at the opening ceremony (April 20) at the British Schools, and so did the Principal of the British Schools, Mr. Mark Rosevear, at the closing ceremony (April 22), which was in turn held at our school. The ambassador of the United Kingdom, Mr. Ian Duddy, who also addressed the audience at the opening ceremony, offered a very insightful perspective on the work of diplomatic officials - this enouraged students to fully engage in the task at hand.
It certainly was a challenging and enriching experience. Students put into practice public speaking and writing skills, and interacted with other students in order to reach negotiated solutions for the issues proposed by the Conference. Other students played other roles, such as administrative and press staff. The most seasoned ones acted as Student Officers, presiding the forums.
The issues debated included the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the protection of world heritage sites, urban sustainability, the fight against HIV, the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, the rise of nationalism in Europe, the question of the Kurds and the situation in North Korea. More than 200 students from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay participated. Everyone enjoyed a MUN party on Saturday night. The Conference concluded on Sunday with the plenary session of the General Assembly and the closing ceremony.
