On Tuesday 7 October, Bede’s welcomed 162 students from 16 schools for the 3rd annual Bede’s Model United Nations conference. (Bede’s MUN III). This was a lot more students than last year, representing 31 delegations from the USA to Tuvalu and taking part in seven different committees as well as a crisis general assembly.
By 09:00, the number of people was very noticeable in the packed and buzzing recital room full of delegates ready for our opening ceremony. Whilst tucking into some delicious breakfast pastries, we heard speeches from our MUN Coordinator Mr McIntosh, our Headmaster Mr Goodyer, and our Secretary-General Pippa, all of which built anticipation for the banging of the gavel, which signalled the start of Bede’s MUN III. The theme for the conference was “2030 Under Threat? Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals”, with those goals being 17 aims for 2030 set by the United Nations in 2015. Whether it be Ending Poverty (SDG 1) or Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), the SDGs attempt to achieve "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests.
Across the seven committees, we debated topics such as The Question of Child, Early and Forced Marriage (SDG 5.3) in the Special Committee on the Status of Women and The Question of Reducing Infant and Child Mortality in LEDCs (SDG 3.2) in the Health Committee. Although this was the majority of delegates' first Model UN experience, meaning the chairs had to manage explaining the complex format of MUN and running the debate, almost all committees passed around three well-debated resolutions over the course of the morning. In Immy’s committee (Committee on the Status of Women) we saw every single delegate in the room speak at least once over the morning, and it goes without saying that variety in a MUN committee is infinitely more valuable and enjoyable than the skill of one delegate. This was felt across all committees, with the chairs applauding delegates for going outside of their comfort zones and noting the amount of collaborative amendments across all committees.
After lunch, we split into two larger committees in the Recital Room and Miles Studio for the General Assembly, where the chairs revealed the first crisis video: Donald Trump had invaded Greenland to build golf courses. After the peals of laughter and expressions of admiration for the acting prodigies subsided, the GA settled into crafting resolutions aiming to combat Trump’s rash actions. After fruitful and passionate debate, the chairs released the second crisis video (NATO had declared war on the USA) and then, in time, the third (China had invaded Taiwan whilst the world was distracted). Both GAs formed and passed at least one resolution across the afternoon, but more importantly, both groups saw full and vibrant debates with many fervent speeches and threats to leave NATO.
After a busy day of speech writing, resolution reading and POI making, the delegates were ready to sit back and enjoy the closing ceremony. One chair from each committee made a concluding speech, giving an overview of their morning and handing out Commended and Highly Commended awards to the delegates they deemed the most successful. Following this, we heard speeches about both GAs and Commended delegations awards were presented to the four Member States who spoke the best in the afternoon. Finally, we heard closing remarks from Pippa and Mr McIntosh, and the gavel was once again banged to signal the conclusion of Bede’s MUN III.
The day was a definite success, with teachers around school commenting on the ‘buzz’ and one delegate telling me that our GA was “the most fun GA she had ever been in”. Of course, it goes without saying that BEDE’S MUN III would not have been possible without the hard work of Mr McIntosh and Mrs Webster, our SecGen Pippa, all the chairs and the entire estates team at Bede’s, so a huge thank you goes out to them. Next stop, Bede’s MUN IV!
