ACS Students shine at Model United Nations

ACS Egham students make their voices heard at St. Andrew’s International Model UN.

Students from ACS Egham International School joined 800 peers in Dublin to experience the Model United Nations (MUN) conference hosted by St Andrew’s College. The conference is a simulation of a real meeting of the UN with students representing member states and taking part in mock-ups of UN organisations, such as the International Court of Justice, the General Assembly, the Environment Commission or the Human Rights Commission.

MUN is the largest event of its kind and sees student teams from across the world taking on the different roles of the UN. Four students from ACS Egham acted as the delegation for Sudan. The team included Defne Ozcan, acting as the Sudanese Ambassador, and she was supported by country representatives, Will Bunting, Tina Luecker, Gergo Vadasz and Matyas Goupil. ACS Egham teacher and MUN co-ordinator, Vicky Bradbury, commented:

As part of her role as the Sudanese Ambassador, Defne joined the Security Council for a discussion on the use of drones and other such machinery used in military operations. The group have been preparing for a while, researching the background of Sudan and the position of the country on a variety of issues and spoke eloquently on behalf of their country in their committee rooms.

“This experience enabled our students to develop their powers of persuasion, communication skills, an ability to think on their feet and explain their point of view when on the spot.” Three other students from ACS Egham were selected to join the International Court of Justice: Pablo Fernandez-Trabadelo was picked as a judge and Matheus Mora Machado and Jonas Oswald were selected as advocates for the country of Nauru.

Based on a real case, Matheus and Jonas represented the interests of Nauru over mineral and mining rights brought against Australia. The pair had to call witnesses (students from other schools), prepare opening statements and plead their case to 14 judges. Acting as a judge, Pablo negotiated with 13 other members of the panel to come to a resolution. “The court was set up and acted like a real court which gave the students a fantastic insight into what happens in a courtroom. All three students are looking to study law and this experience has cemented their passion,” adds Vicky.

Earlier this year over twenty students from ACS Hillingdon attended MUN at The Hague, Netherlands, where they represented two countries: Botswana and South Sudan. A number of students participated in a meeting of the General Assembly and debated urgent real-life issues including the question of piracy and maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, strengthening international cooperation to combat tax evasion, and maintaining the Iran Nuclear Deal Framework. ACS Hillingdon also hosted its own inaugural MUN conference for local schools last year and welcomed delegations from Alconbury High School, Lakenheath American High School and Swakeleys School for Girls who all took part in debates.