Central’s Resolution

by Daniel Schmidt staff writer

Have you ever been seated at a party, and everyone around you was talking animatedly over one another? It was annoying, wasn’t it? While we can allow this to happen while we are with close friends, applying this to a broader scale, such as the UN, reveals many issues. Talks without any consideration of the law would only result in pandemonium.

The Model United Nations program attracts thousands of middle school, high school, and college students from all the world. It requires a high level of research, public speaking, debating, and writing skills, as well as critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership ability. Every step of Model UN is focused on teamwork, whether it’s dividing up research assignments, writing a position paper, or creating a speech. At the conferences, teamwork becomes even more important. “One of the biggest things with Model UN is [that] you follow a strict parliamentary procedure that’s the same as the United Nations,” Brynna Wesley ‘20 explains. Central’s Model UN (MUN) club is always looking for people to sign up and be a part of the diplomatic action. “This club started way back in…the nineties. The 30th anniversary was 2019, so that would’ve been 1999, and we were one of the first schools to do it,” Dr. Bryn Lynch, advisor of the MUN, replies. Developed to give debate governance, MUN procedures ensure that talks are conducted in an honorable and safe manner. After registering for a conference, you are given your country assignment, committee information, and conference theme. The topics are typically introduced in a background guide or topic synopsis, and before attending the first conference, you need to prepare three things: a position paper (also known as a policy statement), an opening speech, and a research binder. The oneor two-page paper known as the position paper effectively serves as a summary of your expertise of the subject and the stance your nation intends to adopt when it enters committee. Typically, it is divided into four sections: the topic’s background, previous international actions, country policy, and potential solutions. Normally, position papers are due prior to the conference. They will assist you in getting started by having you participate in your first MUN conference, but as you get more experience, you will want to go deeper. “So I would say, just getting started with the organization was a little tricky. If you’ve never done modeling before, there’s certain rules you have to follow once you get there, [and] ways you have to speak,” Wesley explains. “You have to follow some weird rules that they follow in the UN. And then [there’s] a learning curve with figuring out how to do research if you’re researching the right things, and you have to write papers. So I think it was hard getting started,” she recalls.

The opening speech, which is the first speech made to the committee, normally lasts one to one and half minutes. “The greatest skill I [learned was] really good public speaking skills. I wasn’t too afraid of public speaking before I started, but it definitely made me more confident,” Wesley admits. This point in the conference is the best chance to discuss your nation’s policy and the major concerns you want the committee to pay attention to at this point. It is crucial to create a speech that expresses this because opening speeches are the primary means through which nations choose the partners they want to collaborate with. There are various guidelines and tactics for giving an opening speech, but when you first start out, utilize your position paper as a guide and speak up for yourself. Binders for research are optional but highly recommended, especially since many conferences prohibit the use of technology in committee. During the conference, an organized Research Binder will be your go-to resource as new terms and acronyms, previous resolutions and treaties, and potential solutions are mentioned. Together with representatives from other nations, delegates draft a document known as a resolution in committee. Although it’s crucial to understand the structure and language of resolutions, most conferences forbid prewritten resolutions since they want nations to work together in the committee. There are various roles in a MUN conference such as delegates, secretary-generals, committee staffs, committee chairs and press corp. “There [are] 5 committees for each country, and I’m representing the special political for the country South Korea. In the special political committee we have certain agenda topics we need to solve in that small committee,” Henry Swanson, Central MUN member, explains.

While many high school students who travel to MUN conferences end up enjoying their time, recruiting students willing to participate is important. The goal of the MUN is to offer a hands-on learning opportunity that teaches about the United Nations in an engaging and fun way. Participants get a chance to learn about the workings of the diplomatic process, which is the process of international discussion and negotiation. In the post-Cold War era, when global independence was increasing quickly, simulations of diplomatic processes were crucial. “In my junior year of high school, some of my friends were doing it, and I really wanted to do it just because I thought it sounded interesting, and I thought I wanted to go into political science or something. So, I joined for that reason,” Wesley shares. MUN cultivates informed global citizens who comprehend not only the decisions made by their country but also how those decisions affect politics locally, regionally, and internationally in today’s independent world. “I just guide students more or less. It’s one of those things that it’s hard to understand what happens during the conference until you’ve been [there],” Lynch remarks.

Should you join Model UN? If you have enough time in your schedule and are at all interested in international relations, politics, debating, or public speaking, then Model UN can be a great extracurricular to get involved in. It includes a lot of hands-on, relevant work and can be a strong addition to college applications. If you’re still unsure, drop by a meeting at Central to get a sense of what joining the club would be like.

“I just think it’s really unique for students to experience learning outside the classroom,” Lynch concludes. //