From March 13 to 18, nineteen students from the SIS Model United Nations (MUN), along with their advisors Mr. Ames and Ms. De-La-O, traveled to Beijing to attend the twenty-fifth session of the annual Beijing Model United Nations (BEIMUN) sponsored by the International School of Beijing (ISB). After spending two days of visiting several historical sites such as the Great Wall and the Winter Palace, the MUN team conferenced from March 15 to 18.
The first two days were spent touring the city of Beijing. The MUN members visited famous historical sites such as Tiananmen, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Jing Shan Park, and Hutongs; at night, they shopped at Wangfujing shopping street. Through this trip, students were able to have a palatable food experience. They ate authentic Beijing duck, shanghai styled dumplings, and sweet street food.
“It was a great opportunity to build stronger relationships with my fellow MUN teammates,” said Curtis Lee, MUN member. “As a chair for this year’s conference, I encountered a completely new experience in that I played a larger role during the conference. Unlike the previous years, this year’s BEIMUN had a different itinerary, which gave it more excitement and glee among me and my fellow members.”
However, in terms of the conference itself, the theme for this year was Justice and Equity in the Age of Globalization, which was set in the context of rapid technological development. The procedure of BEIMUN debate was similar to the basis for the procedures of conferences SIS MUN members regularly attend, such as Seoul Model United Nations (SEOMUN) and The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN). However, as one of the largest conferences for Asian international students, BEIMUN offered a more competitive atmosphere.
“The debates were extremely intense this year, which is expected for high-level conferences,” said Arit Sharma (11), MUN member. “I believe it was a great learning experience for many of the delegates as the smaller-than-average space and relative prestige of the BEIMUN conference yielded far improved experiences compared to other large, prestigious conferences, where it was far less common to speak or get involved in the debate.”
At the closing ceremony of the conference, Michelle Ahn (11) and Arit Sharma (11) were recognized as best delegates for the debates. Overall, SIS did extremely well, including the freshmen and sophomores. The next conference, SEOMUN, will take place in Seoul next fall.