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Aspiring
high Basically a student-run simulation of the actual United Nations, this body has its branches all around the world, with Colombo having its own Model UN as well. Being an annual event, Asian International School was the only Sri Lankan school to be invited, this was an achievement in itself. With 480 students participating from 70 countries from around the world, Sri Lanka along with Kuwait were the only Asian countries on the list. During the three-day conference, the participants had to represent assigned countries, and deal with various vital, relevant and timely issues, while reasoning out and proving their point of view. “The topics were given to us before the event, and we were able to prepare for the sessions. Some of the issues we were asked to deal with were pollution, disarmament, climate change, human rights and environmental concerns,” says Joash Mudalige, adding that while eight members of the Sri Lankan delegation had to represent Russia, the remaining six represented the Czech Republic. Similar to the system in the UN, participants were divided into the First, Second, Third and Fourth Committees, with these committees dealing with various aspects of current international issues. “While the First Committee was the crisis committee, the Second was on environment, specialising on climate. The Third and Fourth dealt with human rights and the Security Council. Different issues related to these areas were then debated and decisions taken, depending on the facts put forward,” says Kaleesha Rajamantri, who was vice-chair of the second committee. There was also a voting procedure, which was followed by various resolutions being passed. According to her, the delegates have to get up from their seat and argue their point out, giving them the confidence to face future life situations. “One of the highlights of the Sri Lankan delegation was having Joash in the International Court of Justice. The way his surname was pronounced was quite entertaining for us!” she adds, on a lighter note. For Ashira Thompson, the experience taught her a great deal regarding diplomatic procedure, and the handling of different crisis situations. “When dealing with these situations, you have to be quick on your feet and come up with a solution. Once you get into the debates, you get highly caught up in them,” she says, explaining what she got out of it. “On the first day we had to discuss the resolution, and then on the third day it was discussed in the general assembly,” says Nikhil Suchitra, who was a part of both the second and fourth committees, and also held the position of vice president of the Security Council. Any memorable events? “During one heated debate, Iran walked out! That was quite interesting, since it reflected the tense opinions regarding the actual political situation.” According to Dr. Mrs. Goolbai Gunasekera, Principal, Asian International School, Sri Lankan students are extremely impressive when looked at in an international context. She goes on to state that the MUN shows the value of globalization, and the fact that every country is a part of the world. “It highlights the folly of countries that try to cut themselves away from the rest of the world.” Ms. Gunasekera added that exposure such as this was extremely beneficial for students in this age category, especially since they would soon be leaving the country for higher studies. “From catching planes, to time management, and realising the value of punctuality, they are learning something new all the time. But Sri Lankan children are extremely street smart and can usually handle almost any situation!” she says with a confident smile. The visit to Netherlands had undoubtedly given these young participants a tremendous amount of exposure, complete with memories galore. “We got a chance of visiting the Peace Palace and the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, and that was one amazing experience,” says Nikhil. “It was really cold, though, and walking around, especially in the night was a challenge. The temperature was as low as two degrees!” says Ashira, talking about probably the only downside of the trip. “But the shopping was great and the visits to the chocolate factory, and watching how cheese is made was very interesting,” adds Kaleesha. And
what plans once school life ends? Preparing to sit for their A/level
examination this June, the sky seems to be the limit for these youngsters.
Most of them are planning on leaving to universities in Australia,
UK, US or Singapore for higher studies. “And after that hopefully
the International Court of Justice or the UN, who knows?”
says Nikhil, with a glimmer in his eye. |
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