by Jeffrey Troyer
One of the most popular Model UN Conferences here in Manila for so many years has been the “MUN Assembly”. Traditionally hosted by the Rotary Club of Makati, it was set to return to the grandeur of the UN’s Own WHO building for the first time since 2019. And it did not disappoint! On Saturday February 17thth and Sunday the 18th, a hearty and well-prepared group of IB1 and 2 GESM students along with four students from LFM, were treated to such highlights as a keynote speech by Dr. Tamas Landesz, WHO Manila Director, and some of the most challenging and important world topics of the day like the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Embracing the theme of “Reimagining Diplomacy for Global Peace and Adherence to International Law”, eight IBDP students including Shagorika Kar (Gr.12), Ryan Weick (Gr.11) , Navya Sharma (Gr. 11), Hannah Seo (Gr. 11), Ayaana Singh (Gr.11), Interim Secretary General Cassandra Capinpin (Gr. 11), Reeja Subramanian (Gr.11) and Nathania “Jia” Chiu (Gr.11), proudly represented GESM as conference delegates. They were joined by four student-delegates from Lycee Francais Manille, thus marking an important goal: to join forces with our sister school to present a European International School MUN contingent at a Model UN Conference. To top it off, the conference was blessed with the presence of 28 public high school students from around the Philippines, due to the collaborative efforts of the Philippine Department of Education and the Rotary Club of Makati. Much of the credit for this achievement goes to the seven GESM students who graciously and patiently taught the core MUN training modules weeks prior to these students.
Overall, our GESM student-delegates were treated to a well-run conference at a wonderful facility and managed to garner three awards! Outgoing Secretary General Shagorika Kar, once again shined brightly in the UNESCO committee taking home recognition for “Excellence in Diplomacy and Leadership” in her role as an Australian ambassador. Reeja Subramanian did superbly as the Syrian delegation in the UNESCO committee as well. For Reeja’s efforts, she was also recognized for “Excellence in Diplomacy and Leadership”. Finally, “Jia” Chu working with the UN Security Council was awarded with “Excellence in Communication and Communication for her roll as the Chinese delegation. However, each and every one of those that participated in the return of Model UN Assembly this year are winners in contributing to a great Model United Nations conference!
Looking ahead and building on our experiences, GESM’s Model UN Club is excited to participate at XMUN in a couple of weeks at Xavier School in San Juan, Manila. See you there!
Photos from the Rotary Club of Makati Facebook page