Two days in the life of a first timer at SydMUN
Honestly, I didn't think there was any other way to initiate myself into the world of MUN other than at a national event. Here I am writing about the first two days of my experience. A ‘MUN’, for those who don't know, is a Model of a United Nations Conference. These competitions include several committees ranging from the European Union Council to DISEC, as well as, negotiation and intense debates. For this conference, I was given the role of Delegate for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). If I wasn't already worried about my first competition, I was now, knowing I had to commit to the reality of Brexit.
Day 1:
6:30am – What screams ‘university student’ more than fitting in a subsidised interstate conference between work? While some QUT delegates flew down or began their road trip on Thursday, some of us (including me) left bright and early Friday morning.
11am – Caffeine.
12pm – After checking in at our accomodation and somehow navigating the University of Sydney campus; I was at registration. Being a first time ‘Munner’ my ears pricked to any mention of the EU in hopes of find other members of my committee.
2pm – All delegates were truly lucky to have been in the audience of His Excellency Dr Jose Ramos-Horta at the Opening Ceremony. To describe His Excellency’s first impression on the group I must quote a line from his speech. “The greatest quality of a leader is humility and compassion” – this came from a highly successful dignitary who had experienced various leadership roles within his own country, and within the United Nations. And also, from a humble person who spoke so highly of anyone, and everyone who had impacted his life. If I was to continue writing about His Excellency’s frank, honest and slightly spicy speech I would fill the blog post. Instead, I urge you to read about his journey, and if you get a chance to hear him speak take full opportunity of it!
3:30pm – First Committee Meetings! Each committee met and headed to their delegation room. Discussion began, and we were off. The EU Council began their discussions on European Energy Security.
6:00pm – At this point I was no longer nervous about the MUN. I had already met other truly great students. Many studying politics, law or international relations. Some just had a keen interest in United Nations’ work. Either way we headed to our Committee dinner in fits of laughter.
Day 2:
5:50am – Day light savings was not an issue for me, but my inability to remember if a Saturday was a weekday or weekend was a challenge. In simpler terms – I did not set an alarm and was lucky I woke.
8:00am – I began my journey to the University.
8:05am – Caffeine.
8:54am – Realised I am lost on the University’s campus (its huge).
9:02am - I made it to Mr Kel Gleeson’s guest speech. I am so happy that I stayed committed to finding my way, because Mr Gleeson showed a view on the United Nations very few others do. I admire anyone who can recognise flaws, and this was something he spoke quite frankly about. He spoke about what they should have done. About what they could have done. And also, he spoke about what he could have done during certain events of his UN career. The entire audience was challenged by Mr Gleeson to be better and to do better. He applauded our obvious intentions to better the world by simply being present at this MUN. Mr Gleeson further challenged the room to invest in knowledge by bettering our negotiating and debating skills. Knowledge is the way we will better the world according to Mr Gleeson. Something I am in support of.
9:45am – Committee Session 2 began for the various committees. This was the beginning of a very long but enjoyable day. Within the EU Council, we continued our discussion on European Energy Security. Discussions focused in particular on Eastern-European conflict and tensions. This is particularly important when speaking about Energy Security, as much of Europe currently rely on Russian natural resources.
12:30pm – Lunch and caffeine.
1:30pm – Discussions continued within committees. The EU Council’s overall solution to European Energy Security was to diversify energy sources within Europe. Other committees worked through their topics. Some produced ‘working papers’ and even a ‘draft resolution’.
5:30pm – Debate finished and many delegates anticipated the Fashion Disaster theme for Club Night. I, on the other hand, got back to my room and fell asleep. Long day you think?
Sometime during discussions on Day 2, I was offered to be the delegate for Poland to heat up the EU Council’s discussion on refugee quotas during committee on Day 3-4. So as I frantically research Poland’s refugee policy you will be reading this! I think I can confirm, Poland has a zero tolerance for refugees, so this should be interesting.
Keep watching QUT UNSA’s Facebook page for further updates on the fun of SydMUN 2018!
