MUN attends Harvard conference
Group represents Nepal in international Model UN conference
February 22, 2012
Knox joined a group of over 3,000 students from around 30 different countries in Boston this weekend to attempt to solve a wide range of global issues during the Harvard National Model United Nations Conference.
Eight students spent four days representing Nepal in a variety of committees, from sexual minority rights to historic model UN simulations looking at the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
The group has been researching their topics and the positions of Nepal since the end of fall term, when they were given their committee assignments.
“It’s really interesting seeing how people are basically given a country,” senior Yumna Rathore said. “So you represent that country no matter what your belief is about that country. Whether you agree or disagree does not matter. You are given a point and you stick to it.”
As with any diverse group of nations, solutions were not easy to come by. Some committees struggled to come to any agreement on resolutions before the weekend was up.
While sometimes international students had trouble speaking during the conference, many were just as engaged and eager to speak in front of the committees.
“They were so willing to get up and talk in front of all these people that are more fluent in English than they are,” senior Martin Yeager said. “A lot of South Americans and Europeans were big players in my committee at least.”
The most surprising thing for Yeager was the ability for small countries to have a larger than average voice because countries focused on topics and positions more than powers.
“Ultimately it’s a democratic process and ultimately they need that majority vote. If you don’t have any input on it, you have no reason to vote for it,” Yeager said. “So they try to get everyone together as much as possible.”
The experience gave many students vital knowledge and experience in relation to their studies.
“The main reason why I do Model UN and I like doing Model UN is because I see myself working in the UN some day, I hope to at least,” junior Tarere Eyimina said.
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