Making a Mark at the London YouthMUN

Each delegate represented a specific country on one of the 20 committees at the conference, and over the weekend they spent over ten hours debating, negotiating, and attempting to find common ground with the other delegates. I was delighted to find out at the end of the last session on Sunday that every one of our committees (the Arab League, the African Union, the EU Council, the UN Peacebuilding Council, NATO, and the Committee for the Peaceful Use of Outer Space [COPUOS]) had managed to agree on a resolution. This is not a given at MUN conferences, where tensions can run high and opposed national interests can prove irreconcilable!

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure to observe every committee in action. This included a powerful speech from our delegates from Greece in favour of equitable reparations for states that have committed war crimes; the delegate from Senegal arguing for a new African currency; the delegate from Denmark urging other European leaders to face up to the new security situation that they are faced with after the election of Trump; and the delegate from Palestine urging that other Arab League members get serious about investing in human rights programmes. One Esher delegate, Yammi—who represented South Africa at COPUOS—received special recognition from the secretariat for her work on a detailed draft resolution on reforming the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and was given an honourable mention in the closing ceremony.

The conference has given all of us renewed enthusiasm for Model UN, and even though the Complimentary Study will end at Easter, we look forward to taking it forward into the summer term with the Esher Student MUN Society!

 

Reports from individual delegates

The weekend was a thrilling insight into the world of the UN. Exploring the theme of the reassessing the outer space treaty in COPUOS got me thinking about the world’s future. Initially, I was intimidated by the topic because I have never really cared for space but, by the end of the weekend, I became passionate about current issues from the increasing amount of space debris to the growing popularity of dual-use satellites.

As the delegate of South Africa (a growing space power), I had to act in accordance with my country’s public position, which is in favour of the equitable and sustainable use of space and against the exploitation of its resources – especially by leading space powers.

My fellow delegates were keen to present their ideas, and everyone wanted theirs to be passed as official resolutions which led to our committee having four working papers (a draft of the draft resolution) on our final day of meeting. One bloc of countries wanted to create a global fund to boost underdeveloped space agencies whilst another bloc was more focused on adding new technologies to the list of banned weapons in space. Ultimately, we narrowed the four papers down to two draft resolutions, one of which I co-sponsored with Australia. The other was a collaboration between the authors of three of the working papers and so it was no surprise when it passed.

Even though my draft resolution wasn’t passed, my work did not go unnoticed, and Australia and I were each awarded honourable mention certificates by our chairs, and I am extremely grateful for getting the opportunity to go to an event that is usually so exclusive.

Yammi, representing South Africa at COPUOS

 

One of the highlights was introducing a new African currency, Umoja (Swahili for “unity”), symbolising the African Union Peace and Security Council’s (AUPSC) push for economic independence from neo-colonial influences. Beyond the diplomatic challenges, I made incredible friendships and connected with like-minded individuals who share my aspirations in international relations. This conference gave me a much clearer insight into the workings of the AUPSC, making it a truly invaluable experience.

Mohamed

I was given Palestine in the Arab League on the topic of ‘Addressing Measures for the Protection and Inclusion of Ethnic Minorities within the MENA Region’. We had two full committee sessions focused on policy discussions, economic implications, and sanctions. We engaged in several moderated and unmoderated caucuses, allowing for structured debate and informal negotiations. Delegates formed blocs, exchanged ideas, and drafted potential solutions, leading to productive discussions. By the end of the day, we had a clearer direction for our final resolution.

Hiba

I was the delegate for Sierra Leone and although initially I was on the fence between which bloc to join, I joined the Western Bloc on the second day due to their willingness to threaten Myanmar with sanctions if the resolution put in place was attacked, which was one of Sierra Leone’s interests. By the end of the weekend, the western bloc’s resolution was passed, providing aid and peace to both countries, with the long-term goal of democracy to be introduced.

Rufus

I represented the Czech Republic and it was interesting to address the most important concern of the EU council, strengthening European defence and security in terms of Transatlantic uncertainty! It was interesting to see the different proposals the delegates of the other countries came up with such as forming an EU army, a French nuclear umbrella as well as forming battle groups.  We had to engage in intense negotiations to reach a resolution everyone would agree with.

Abhinav