Leading the World Today
Our very own senior STCMUN delegation proudly represented the Republic of Benin and the Kingdom of Morocco in Concordia International Shanghai School’s 7th annual Model United Nations (MUN) Conference last week. With 13 members in 8 different committees, STC’s presence at the three-day simulation was, indeed, noticeable.
Well-prepared and highly enthused, the delegation arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport early in the morning, ready to put their diplomatic skills to the test. Hosted at Concordia International Shanghai School’s spacious campus, the January 15-17 simulation allowed them to discuss, debate and collaborate with over 800 students from all across the globe.
“It was truly a remarkable experience to be able to debate and interact with so many different people from different schools with similar interests, and at such an international level, with visiting schools from Fiji to Dubai,” said Benin-representative Sonia Chui.
The conference was an epoch for budding statesmen in the delegation. “You, who are gathered here today, are not the leaders of tomorrow. You are the leaders of today,” said Mr Eric Paulson, Director of CISSMUN VII. From seemingly trivial matters such as the prevention of road traffic accidents to topical global issues such as combating ISIS tyranny, the topics that the MUN’ers had to deal with were certainly on par with those of “real” politicians.
At CISSMUN 2016! pic.twitter.com/iUvvijTpaa
— Henry Lui (@HenryLui8) January 16, 2016
Professionals and experts in the field from multi-national corporations, such as IBM, also attended the conference in hopes of educating delegates on how the “information revolution” is aiding the United Nations in reaching their development goals. “I feel that the integration of real-life aspects in the conference made the CISSMUN experience an unique and memorable one,” said Martha Chow, Junior Liaison Officer. “The conference also tried to shape us into better human beings by telling us how we can contribute to making Earth a better home for us all.”
It was not just all work and no play, however. The delegates also had the opportunity to explore the culturally-rich international metropolis that is Shanghai, visiting some of the most famous historical landmarks of the city, including the Bund River, the French Concession, and the Yu Garden. With plenty of time to unwind after hours of intense debate, they definitely had a blast taking team photographs in their newly printed black hoodies and devouring delicious Shanghainese dishes in local restaurants.
The team huddles up before their late-night tour of Shanghai. Photo: Henry Lui
The trip was also a somewhat bitter-sweet occasion for some as it was the last overseas MUN conference that they attended together. With 10 of the 16 members of the delegation embarking onto their IB Diploma and several others moving overseas, only few will remain a part of the “Elite Delegation” in the next academic year. In the words of Head Delegate Cedric Li “The CISSMUN conference really tied my entire experience as a STCMUN delegate together. I’m proud to have been part of this community.”
The delegation would like to thank Mrs. May and Mr. George for their kind efforts in making their trip to Shanghai such an extraordinary one!
Martha Chow, 10X1
