KIST Students at SIS MUN

On the early morning of September 27, we made our way to Seisen International School, speeches in hand and diplomacy in our hearts, ready to represent Canada and China in the ECOSOC committee (Economic and Social Council). The topic of matter was: “The international response in after-math of war” and it marked our first ever experience participating in an advanced MUN committee, so we were both very nervous for what waited ahead. During the conference, the diplomatic discussions were fierce, and the en- tire committee was engaged in passionately discussing various issues regarding state sovereignty, refugee resettlement and long-term peacebuilding initiatives.

What shocked us the most was the sheer amount of energy in the committee, with there being a constant bombardment of POIs (Point of Information) and continuous clashes between opposing opinions to reach the best resolution toward the issue. It was an honor to be able to participate in such intense debate as we gained valuable knowledge from being engaged in the clashes and raising motion or POIs of our own to voice our nation’s stance. Our advanced committee was the only committee to extend its committee time into lunch break as we were so captivated by the complex resolutions being discussed. The session ended with all three proposed resolutions passing. Following the intense debate from the morning was an even more thrilling crisis committee where all members of the conference came together to discuss the fall of North Korea.

I was representing the People’s Republic of China, and it was certainly chal- lenging to take a stance especially during the crisis, not to mention the delegate of Russia was bringing suspicion on China for being involved with the collapse of North Korea. After finding a loophole in the delegates false accusations, I was able to defend China’s stance by cornering the delegate of Russia with my POI after their speech.

We can still recall our first ever MUN experience when we were in G7, back in 2021, both anxious and clueless. Joanne and I were among the few students who had joined MUN back in 2021 out of pure curiosity when we were still in 7th grade. It was at Senzoku Gakuen, where we were thrown into our first conference, with some background research done, and our simple opening speeches. During the en- tirety of the conference, we barely gave any speeches, even hesitating to raise our placards to be added onto the speaker’s list just to say our opening speeches.

Even though I was perplexed, I focused hard; studying the mannerisms of the other delegates, the speeches they gave, the tone of their voice. Everyone was intensely engaging in discussions and put as much effort into resolving the given issue as if we were in an actual United Nations conference. This experience had truly awakened my passion towards public speaking, solving complex global problems, and interacting with fellow delegates from other schools. Now looking back, I am proud for the both of us that we have come such a long way, and now participating in the advanced committee, tackling a difficult topic that is an extremely relevant topic, concerning the current economic, political, and social scene of the world today.

At the end of the Seisen conference, Joanne with her outstanding representation of China, especially in the crisis about North Korea and nuclear war heads, was able to win the title of Honorable Mention. But most importantly, this conference had made both of our MUN adrenaline spike, and we are more than excited for the upcoming conferences this season, including the KIST MUN that will be held this November where we will be chairing.