On the first day of October half term, a group of 10 Habs Girls arrived at Royal Russel School in South Croydon, to start what would be a challenging but memorable Model United Nations Conference. The first day saw delegates diligently lobbying our resolutions in committees, which provided solutions to a vast array of global issues; from terrorists acquiring weapons to encouraging woman’s representation in global politics. In the evening we sat in our delegations, on tables complete with placards and flags, listening to ambassadors’ speeches from each country. With the conference officially open and discussion finished for the day, we enjoyed our first night at the Halloween themed disco.
The next few days saw some heated debating in committees, with many Habs Girls making speeches, amendments and passing resolutions. Topics of discussion ranged from the question of improving sanitation and access to clean water in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Environment Committee, and the question of preventing foreign interference in national elections in the Social Cultural and Humanitarian Committees. We really enjoyed discussing such a variety of topics, as it gave us an opportunity to further our knowledge about each issue and think creatively about possible solutions, whilst representing our countries’ concerns. Each night, after debating had finished, we had fun spending time with other delegates at themed discos and watching the MUN’s Got Talent show.
After three days of debate, we reconvened in General Assembly, to debate resolutions from other committees with over 300 other delegates. Both our delegations made speeches and points of information on a variety of topics, and one of the delegates of Bulgaria passed a resolution through General Assembly, which was a great achievement. After general assembly, we were excited to hear that Habs Girls won three distinguished delegate awards.
Overall, the conference was a brilliant opportunity to improve our confidence in public speaking, practice working collaboratively and increase our awareness of pressing current affairs.
Anya and Hannah
