CIS bags awards at CO-MUN
View(s):Colombo International School (CIS) emerged champions at this year’s Colombo Operated Model United Nations which concluded recently, taking home multiple awards for Best Delegate and Best Foreign Policy Statement amongst others. The 20th CO-MUN session was themed under ‘Equitable Justice’.
CIS has proved their mettle at the Model UN conferences, both at those in Colombo (CO-MUN) and at the Sri Lanka Model United Nations. The country’s MUN culture is gaining momentum fast, with over a 2000 students from around Sri Lanka taking part in local and international MUN conferences every year. The Overseas School of Colombo first introduced its MUN programme in 1994, and this was followed in 2008 by Sri Lanka Model UN (SLMUN) founded by R.L.Ellawala.
CIS has been a keen participant in both conferences, winning the coveted Best School award multiple times. At this year’s CO-MUN, CIS was awarded the highest number of Best Delegate accolades. After three intense days of debate, consensus building and drafting resolutions, Eran Fernando, Imadh Bahudeen and Nishad Gunawardena were awarded for their performances in the Security Council, International Court of Justice and General Assembly, respectively.
Students are encouraged to get involved in a multitude of MUN activities every year, says Faculty Advisor Jehan Mendis. “We believe it provides them with the necessary tools to resolve conflict with reasoned discussion and cooperation, instead of resorting to negativity. MUN also provides our students the opportunity to interact with like-minded students from other schools and share their views and experiences.”
In addition to the three Best Delegate awards the CIS delegation also received several others, including Best Foreign Policy Statement (Ashanee Kottage), four Higher Commendations (Pravin Steele, Rahal Wijewardena, Praveen Musafer, Maria Akbarally), one Honorary Mention (Birendra Siriwardena) and two Best Administration Staff awards (Tae Hun Kim and Sasri Dedigama).