Opening Ceremony (Christina Connell speaks at 16 minutes, 15 seconds. Teresa Garcia-Navarro speaks at 2 hours, 4 minutes)
MUN is a simulation of the United Nations (UN), where students are delegates representing the different members of the UN and debate and vote on resolutions in their committees and at the General Assemblies.
After last year’s successful introduction to MUN, Ayalde has once again attended the international conference hosted by Royal Russell School in Croydon.
This year’s conference took place between 17 – 21 October and was attended by 516 students from 43 schools across 15 countries. Ten girls from 1st and 2nd Bachiller attended, accompanied by Nicola Dignum (MUN advisor) and Belen Orbea. Five girls represented Greece, four girls represented Kuwait and one sat on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as a judge.
The students worked very hard preparing for the conference and participated very well. Several students either had their resolutions discussed in their committees or merged it with other delegates. They also managed to make several points of information and speeches at committee level and during the General Assemblies (GA).
After all their hard work, we enjoyed an evening out in London before returning home. With MUN being such a beneficial experience for the students and with it becoming more popular, 15 students will be attending a MUN conference in Prague in April 2016.
Royal Russell´s MUN website>>>
Christina Connell (Kuwait Ambassador)
Christina working in the Crisis Committee
Attending the MUN conference has been the most gratifying experience I’ve had so far. Being part of the Environmental committee has introduced me to problems our nature is suffering from and has made me even more conscious of the urgency to deal with them. I was lucky as well to enter the Crisis Committee which has really shown me how all the States members of the UN work together to solve out problems which may not be directly affecting their country.
It’s been a memorable experience which I cannot entirely express just with words and which I’m extremely thankful for, but I’m gonna try doing it by thanking Nicola, in the first place, and my parents. I’ve learnt tons over different topics as well as developed my skills in debating and English. It has been such an honour and privilege to take part in what will define the future of the world.
Tadea Lopez-Tello (Kuwait)
Christina, Alba and Tadea working in GA
Having been able to attend the MUN conference has been an amazing experience which I´m extremely thankful for. It has been a great opportunity, not only to learn about all the big problems that the UN countries are fighting to solve every day, but also to improve our English and meet new people.
I was in the Ecofin committee where we debated questions like micro-financing and child labour which are problems that a lot of UN countries are suffering from nowadays and we tried to make the best resolution possible for each issue to combat them.
It has been a pleasure to be part of this conference in which for four days we have been the delegates of one of the most important organisation in the World.
Maria Lazaro (Kuwait)
Christina, Alba and Maria in GA
My committee was Disarmament and International Security 1 (DISEC 1) in which many topics that are present in our society were discussed, such as: cyber warfare, preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, immunity for UN peacekeepers breaking local laws and the use of torture in warfare. During the three days of our committees, we presented our resolutions, discussed amendments to the resolutions that had passed the approval panel and finally voted in favour or against them. At the end of the conference, one of two passed resolutions from each committee were selected to be debated at the General Assembly (GA) with the same procedures, except no amendments were allowed.
During the Royal Russell School International Model United Nations (RRS IMUN), I learnt numerous things that could help me in the future. First of all, the English level was extremely high as most of the attending schools came from English speaking countries. Nevertheless, the rest of them also had a vast knowledge of the language as well as the subjects at hand. Speaking in the committees in front of 50 to 70 people was very nerve-racking, practising speech in front of our English classes helped me become more self-confident in that matter. The overall experience of going to England, taking part in an international conference with over 500 students from all over the World and visiting London has been excellent. This has been the highlight of my year and the teachers who put up with us during the duration of the conference (four days) are to thank for having organised the trip and making sure that no one got lost in-between. I highly recommend it to others as great English practice, a good speaking and listening exercise and lots of fun!
Alba Arias (Kuwait)
Alba working in her committee
During the MUN conference I have had the honour of being part of the Specpol 1 committee where four of the most important issues of today´s world were debated: Migration, Piracy at Sea, Libya and Guantanamo Bay.
This conference has been the most rewarding experience I have had. Not only because I have learned a lot of things about many important issues that are affecting our world right now but also because it has give me the opportunity of meeting different people from other parts of the world. In fact, if I had to underline something I would highlight the politeness and kindness of the people specially the members of my committee who make me feel comfortable all the time.
Finally, I would like to thank Nicola for providing us this amazing experience which I think none of us would never forget.
Teresa Garcia-Navarro (Greece Ambassador)
Teresa in her committee
I am Teresa García-Navarro and I took part in the RRS IMUN 2015 as a delegate and the ambassador of Greece. I sat on the special globalisation committee and wrote a resolution about the status of patents on treatments for HIV/AIDS.
It is my second year attending this conference and I find it an amazing and unforgettable experience. Some of the things that impressed me the most were the high level of all the students and the huge effort they all did to prepare the conference. However, what I enjoyed the most was, definitely, meeting so many people from different countries and cultures.
Ane Gil (Greece)
Ane in her committee
Attending MUN has been a memorable experience which I’m very grateful for being able to be there. It made me realize the problems we suffer nowadays which we usually ignore due to the fact we tend to focus only on our problems. It also gave me the insight of how a real UN conference works.
You shouldn’t miss this opportunity.
Sara Pérez (Greece)
Sara, Marina, Sofia and Teresa in GA
Participating in the MUN conference has been a wonderful experience, which I’m very grateful for. Apart from improving our English, it has enabled us to get to know more deeply some of the World’s most important problems and to develop debating and speaking skills. Although it has implied a lot of work and effort, it has definitely worth it, so I recommend every student who is given the opportunity to attend this conference to go through it and to get involved in it as much as possible.
Sofia Sasia Pérez
Sofia in her committee
The MUN conference at Royal Russell has been a very instructive activity. Being part of the SOCHUM 1 committee has made me feel more conscious of problems such as the protection of rights of Roma people or the freedom of religious expression on social media. Moreover, the ability of the students to debate has delighted me and that is why I would like to promote this activity to help the younger grades. However, we also had a social side which has been incredible; meeting knew people from different nationalities and sharing cultures has shown me how little Spain is in comparison to the world and that we should to take a step back and have a more global vision of the world.
Personally, I would like to thank Nicola Dignum for the effort to prepare us and for the opportunity she proposed to the school, also I would like to thank the school for the carrying out of the activity. It has been an extraordinary opportunity to assist to this conference.
Marina Rodriguez (Greece)
Kuwait and Greece delegates: Standing – María Lazaro, Alba Arias, Christina Connell, Marina Rodriguez, Teresa García-Navarro, Sofía Sasia Pérez, Ane Gil, Kneeling – Sara Pérez and Tadea Lopez-Tello
A couple of weeks ago, I have the opportunity of being part of MUN, which means being part of one if the greatest experiences anyone could have in life. I have always wanted to be involved in something big and transcendental, something with the aim and strength to change the world. I joined MUN to get started on that purpose, although I didn´t expect as much as what it has been.
MUN has given me so many things. I have met many people from many different countries thanks to who I have been able to get aware and really concerned about lots of problems in the world we do not pay attention to. Especially within my committee, Special Political and Decolonization 2 (Specpol 2) I have learnt about human rights and the sufferings caused by bad actions of some people. In addition, my fellow delegates have taught me respect, tolerance and determination, the key components necessary to try and change the world. The skills to debate and solve problems and the immense and intense work of all this UN machine was spectacular. I have come back incredibly enriched and I am sure I will carry these days with me all along my life.
Leyre Tejedor (ICJ)
Leyre in the ICJ Judgment reading
This year I went to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at Royal Russell School. In the ICJ, unlike in the MUN committees, we simulate a trial where a case of International law is discussed and judged. Just like in a real case, there is a court, two sets of advocates for the respondent and the applicant respectively, judges and witnesses. The whole ICJ program is run my Mr Stern, an American lawyer that guides us and answers any questions we have about the functioning of International law. I was part of the court this year and the case we had to judge was about the possession and proliferation of nuclear weapons, where the Marshall Islands accused India, Pakistan and the UK.
For me, the ICJ was an incredibly educational experience, and I have learnt a lot about International law, the functioning of a court, debating and what’s going on in the World today. I’ve also met many interesting people from different countries and made lots of friends. Overall, I had an amazing time in the ICJ and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in studying International law.
After the Closing Ceremony
Enjoying Covent Garden, London
Vídeos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l9uzbTgBNo – Opening Ceremony (Christina Connell speaks at 16 minutes, 15 seconds. Teresa Garcia-Navarro speaks at 2 hours, 4 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgFwvHjg5FA – General Assembly in progress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-hZcRGVzjI – General Assembly and Closing Ceremony (Sara Perez makes a Point of Information at 1 hour, 8 minutes, 40 seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWp19KPiLsg – General Assembly, Christina Connell and Sara Perez making Points of Information
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjKeXJd8hFU&feature=youtu.be – Christina Connell making a Point of Information in General Assembly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HqW-eHCx_U&feature=youtu.be – Christina Connell making a speech against a resolution in General Assembly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgdohiGDZAQ&feature=youtu.be – Marina Rodriguez making a Point of Information in General Assembly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlsxIdrMv2M&feature=youtu.be – Ane Gil making a Point of Information in General Assembly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l5hI0v7ZP0 – Alba Arias speaking in favour of a resolution in committee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNT8Zs6dvk0&feature=youtu.be – Ane Gil presenting her Policy Statement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmi9e7DHvS4&feature=youtu.be – Marina Rodriguez presenting her Policy Statement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQdKFnK3C_k&feature=youtu.be – Teresa Garcia Navarro presenting her Policy Statement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2ikMr3rlY8 – Leyre Tejedor asking a question in the ICJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9oJrah8wVM – Leyre Tejedor asking a second question in the ICJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXr4wYrXSBA – ICJ Judgment Reading