MIT Goes to World Model UN

April 19, 2008

Over spring break (March 24-28, 2008), MIT Association of International Relations and Model United Nations (AIRMUN) traveled to Mexico to participate in the World Model United Nations Conference (WorldMUN). The MIT AIRMUN delegation was made up of nine people: Nabila Agila '10, Jiaqi (Jean) Cui '09, Mingwei Gu '10, Cankutan Hasar '10, Amrita Karambelkar '11, Sophia Lee ‘08, Heather McDonald '11, Grace Montesano ‘10, and Laila Shabir '09.

The Conference

WorldMUN is held every year in a different location through a joint collaboration between Harvard's Model United Nations and a local university in the host city. This year, WorldMUN was in the historic city of Puebla, Mexico and was co-hosted by the Benemérita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla.

At WorldMUN, most of the MIT delegation represented Switzerland in committees as varied as the Disarmament and International Security Committee, the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Committee, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

Heather McDonald, a first time delegate to WorldMUN, was a member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She comments, “From the very first day, my committee was filled with interesting and detailed debate about what to do with the Afghan Refugee Crisis. Because MIT represented Switzerland, I was able to play a major role, mediating between the blocks that began to form after our first session. By the end of the week, we were able to pass a great resolution that encompassed all of the in-depth debates that had taken place throughout the week.”

Also speaking about his first World Model UN experience, Cankutan Hasar said, "As a member of the Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee, we had 2 topics to debate: the situation in Myanmar and also preserving Iraq's cultural heritage. It was great to be part of 1,600 extremely motivated students who arrived in Puebla with the goal of changing the world. After long hours of debate, and the exchange of ideas, experiences and opinions, we were able to develop resolutions that have the potential to be implemented."

Cankutan continued, "The best part of the conference is the strong friendships formed in committee sessions and social events The conference is a great opportunity for the people who want to increase their awareness of the world's problems, and do more than just read the news."

Exploring Mexico

Outside of committee, the MIT AIRMUN delegation made time to explore Mexican cultural and historical sites such as the city of Puebla and the nearby town of Cholula, famous for its pre-Spanish pyramids and beautiful churches. MIT students even witnessed a magnificent sunset over the Popo volcano.

The hotel too had centuries of history. “Our hotel was converted from a 16th century convent,” said Co-Head Delegate Jean Cui. “The architecture was stunning, with rooms facing multiple courtyards that were framed by a series of arches.”

The delegation also ate local delicacies, such as mole and churros, as well as food from other delegates’ countries at the Mexican Night and Global Village social events organized by WorldMUN.

Overall, the experience at WorldMUN was enlightening and invaluable.

Heather sums up, “Some people think that Model United Nations is about getting dressed, standing in front of a room full of people, and debating internationally important issues. And those people are right, to a certain extent. But it's really about so much more than that. It's going to lunch with two girls from Lebanon and Britain and talking about your favorite sports teams. It's dancing with guys from West Point and Spain. It's sharing tea with some people from Beijing. It's talking about Mechanical Engineering with a guy from Germany. It's really the people you meet through Model UN that makes it all worthwhile.”

Published as MIT Home Page Spotlight on April 19, 2008.

Comments and questions to airmun-exec@mit.edu