GSUMUN is the upcoming conference for Model UN, and a member of the club was interviewed to talk about it.
Model United Nations is a simulation of what happens at a real UN conference. At an actual UN conference, each Member State is involved in a big debate on two current topics (current issues that pertain to that committee). Each conference contains a certain number of committees. Each committee is made up of every participating country of the UN and is represented by delegates (students), one from each state of the conference.
This club is meant to engage students and allow them to develop a deeper understanding of current world issues. Elva, a student in MUN, was asked about her committee and topics for the upcoming conference.
According to Elva, “the most interesting thing I have seen at a conference is the time a delegation passed a plan [(plans are organized documents meant to solve the issues at hand)] called ‘The Sugma Plan.’”
She is in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) committee. The mission of UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States.
The topics of this committee are addressing the challenges to the usage of cleaner energy alternatives and addressing Member States’ capacity for waste and e-waste management. Her country is Sweden; she thinks that Sweden should direct budgeting and NGOs into researching the adaptation of cleaner energy alternatives. For topic two, she feels that thoroughly discussing the need for waste and e-waste management is critical. Through many protocols and new laws, Sweden and every other Member State can reliably dispose of all types of waste. MUN is an exciting club. It is not for everyone, but for those who like debate, this is the club for you.