Dealing with the bigger issues SLMUN 2013 gets underway this week
A group of 50 young people will find out soon enough if their six month preparation will stand the test of a three day trial. Either way the organising committee of Sri Lanka Model United Nations know that whatever happens, they’ll have these six months of madness to remind them that even the most daunting of challenges can be overcome as a team.
Sithira and Kemiya
Fifty might seem like a rather large group of people but then again a thousand students from around the country may seem bit of an undertaking as well! Since the first conference at Water’s Edge in 2008, SLMUN has grown by leaps and bounds to become the largest MUN conference in South Asia and one of the largest in the world. We speak to some of the organizing committee members about why one conference inspires such passion within its participants, and what SLMUN plans to bring to the table this year.
The idea is to simulate several major bodies of the United Nations within conference walls. When the three day conference begins on August 5 they’ll be tackling the theme of ‘equality and tolerance’. “We felt that the time was ripe for such a topic to be handled sensitively by a young group of people,” says Kemiya Kodithuwakku, Secretary General for the year 2013. “We’ve heard many different perspectives on the topic-now it’s time for the young people to have their say.” Kemiya is part of a nine-individual Secretariat that heads the Executive Committee under different departments. Overseeing every aspect of the conference can be hard business, says his first-in-command, Deputy Secretary General Sithira Gunasekara, but in the end it’s worth it. “To get every aspect of conference spot on is impossible. There will be minor blips here and there-but we’re going for absolute perfection in whatever way we can conceivably achieve it.”
Kemiya and Sithira together with their six Under-Secretary Generals are responsible for steering their young protégées in the right direction. The Executive Committee for the conference are chosen from among the best at past conferences-to be part of this elite team is an extremely prestigious thing in MUN circles, say the organizers. The Secretariat together with the Executive Committee officers are headed by Charge DAffaires Mr. Rohan Ellawala, the man responsible for the conception of SLMUN in 2005. Initially a simulation SARRC conference, SLMUN became the simulation UN it is today in 2008, when Mr. Ellawala decided to give the opportunity to a wider group of students from across the country. Its predecessor Colombo Model United Nations has a longer track record, and SLMUN expands on that by taking the conference beyond the Colombo city. Today, an annual SLMUN conference sees the participation of over a thousand delegates from all over Sri Lanka and other Asian countries. “It’s a testament to what a good MUN conference can achieve,” say the organizers.
The focus, however, is on the quality and not quantity, says Under-Secretary General Hamza Alibhoy. “Every year we introduce new simulations so it’s never monotonous or predictable.” Every year certain simulations remain a staple, such as the three General Assemblies, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council. But other simulations are rotated or new ones are introduced for versatility. Last year, the conference had simultaneous simulations of three Security Councils-one each for the past, present and the future, set 20 years from now. This year the Futuristic Security Council will return, together with the sought after Crisis Committee-generally formed during the opening ceremony of a conference, Crisis tackles an issue of urgent importance with severe consequences. “You can do MUN for years and not tire of it,” smiles Sithira.
Several former alumni (with such years of experience) have gone on to achieve great things at college level MUNs and beyond. Former Executive Committee members as well as delegates are now winning awards at Harvard MUNs and have even chaired committees in international conferences. Former SLMUN Secretary General Kithmina Hewage is in the running to be heading the Johns Hopkins University MUN next year, while Yohan Senarath, another alumni, is steadily making his progress up the diplomacy ladder. “Not all MUN alumni go into foreign service,” says Kemiya. “Some choose different career paths-for example we have last year’s SG studying Engineering at the University of Peradeniya. But they’ll all tell you that MUN is one of the most important things they’ve done.”
This is why, for the organizing committee, it’s an exciting task to be involved in facilitating these opportunities for other young students like them. Last week they were in Kandy for a workshop and this week they hope to travel to Kilinochchi for another. It’s not just about the glamour and excitement of a three day conference for these guys. “We’re looking at sustainability,” says Sithira. “You can’t just do that over three days.” This is why they’re one of the few, if not only MUNs in the world with their own community service wing.
Since its inception in 2011 the One World Volunteers have raised over One Million for charity and engages the direct involvement of young students in volunteering with the community. Come next Monday, the stage will be set for the opening ceremony and the committee will have wrapped up last minute details, having set out for perfection-and a thousand young hopefuls will fill the Waters Edge grand ballroom, awaiting the beginning of yet another SLMUN conference. Keep up with the debate on www.slmun.org
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