Five students from Lutheran Academy participated in the annual session of Bratislava Model United Nations (BRATMUN) from 7-9 November. It was held at the law faculty of the Pan-European University and was attended by students from eight other countries, besides Slovakia.
Three of our students represented South Korea; Michelle Čerkesová served on the Human Rights Council (HRC), Daniel Dulla on the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) and Frederik Schwab on the Security Council (UNSC). The other two were delegates of Mexico; Ivana Krpelanová was on the Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC), while Sabina Šimková joined Michelle on the Human Rights Council. All five students joined in a larger session of the General Assembly.
The topics, as always at student MUNs, were complex. The Human Rights Council dealt with gender inequality, the IBC with genetic enhancements in humans, the UNSC with oil-rig installation in the South China Sea, and DISEC with the proliferation of military drones. The General Assembly – a meeting of all 160 delegates at the conference – attempted to formulate new guidelines on intervention in separatist movements.
The Lutheran Academy delegates were well-prepared beforehand, and understood their countries‘ positions on the issues, despite getting to know what they were only two weeks before the conference.
The conference itself was about achieving the delicate balance between defending your country’s policy and negotiating with others to reach a consensus acceptable to all. To do this, you need both formal speaking and debating skills and the ability to discuss informally. Considering that our delegates were among the youngest and least experienced at the conference, they did a fine job and participated enthusiastically throughout. They improved their formal English and, very importantly, made new friends and contacts among the other delegates.
This is only the second MUN conference our school has participated in. We hope to attend more, including at least one more during this school year. We also have several targets to improve the qality of our participation. Firstly, we would like to involve more students, possibly including first-years. Secondly, those at BRATMUN identified some ways in which they themselves could become better delegates; by applying their new understanding of the rules of UN procedure and by being more active in the General Assembly (they feel they are already very active in the smaller committees).
There was not much free-time during the conference, but the evenings were enjoyable, especially Saturday, when we walked up to Bratislava Castle and had a perfect night-time view of the city.
Overall, BRATMUN was a very fine event, combining hard work with enjoyment. Our five delegates were excellent representatives, not only of their countries but also of our school.
Leaders of today, leaders of tomorrow! You give us hope and confidence as you soar in your education in the classroom and in life. Thanks for sharing about your experience with BRATMUN!