JOIN USA team of 18 students from Bishop Cotton Boys’ School won the ‘Outstanding Delegation’ title at the annual Harvard Model United Nations held in Hyderabad between August 12 and 15. Over 1,200 participants from all over the world, including USA, Japan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, took part in the four-day conference which simulates the United Nations to help students learn about international relations and diplomacy.
The delegation of class 11 and 12 students from the school represented the Russian Federation and was the largest at the conference. They won several individual recognitions to bag the trophy for their delegation.
Srinthan Hampi is a seasoned MUN participant having been to 16 in the city and two in other parts of the country. As part of the Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC) committee, he had to present Russia’s case on why the Syrian government should stay in power.
“It was interesting because I had to set aside my personal opinion and think from the perspective of the country’s foreign policy.” It was not just problems of the present that they had to deal with. Udit Srivastav, had to deliberate on how to save island countries in the Pacific which were getting submerged due to rising sea levels in the year 2025. “We had to keep the foreign policy of our country in mind while we dealt with the problem of climate refugees,” he said.
Sachit Ram described the Harvard MUN as being challenging. “They expect you to come up with new ideas instead of presenting something you read on the web.” A novel solution he suggested for building political capacity in troubled countries got him the award for Best Delegate in his committee. A science student, he wants to take up law and international relations in the future. “MUN has helped me to a great extent to think on my feet and learn about global perspectives from discussions with other delegates.”
Mercy Stanley, head of the History department and faculty coordinator for the MUN, has observed the change MUN has brought in her students. “They are moving out of engineering and medicine to fields like law and international relations because of this platform.”