By Hank Bartholomew, Jessica A. Dennehy
Williamsville East dominated this year’s annual University at Buffalo’s Model U.N. conference hosted by the International Institute of Buffalo, winning the first and second place awards for “Best Overall Delegation,” the special-merit award for fourth overall delegation, and multiple “Best in Committee” awards. The 20th anniversary of UB’s Model U.N. conference included a record-breaking 832 participants from over 40 Western New York high schools, including over 40 students from East. This year, led by Dr. Redmond, East put forward delegations from the Republic of Iraq, the United States of America, the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of Rwanda, with a great deal of success. Every group was assigned two to three issues that would be discussed in one of seven committees:
- Economic and Finance (EcoFin)
- Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian (SocCult)
- Ad Hoc Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian (AdHocSocCult)
- Special Political (SpPoli)
- Ad Hoc Special Political (AdHocSpPoli)
- Political and Security (PoliSec)
- Ad Hoc Political and Security (AdHocPoliSec)
Ranging from maritime security to preventing the spread of HIV-AIDS, participants were asked to research, present, and defend their respective nation’s stance on assigned issues to their committees, some consisting of nearly fifty nations and over one-hundred student participants. It sounds fairly simple… until you’re Iraq discussing the effect of oil on global warming or China discussing cyber-terrorism. However, many of our own students were eager to rise to the occasion.
Iraq
The delegation of Iraq, represented by East, placed first place overall and won the award for best overall delegation. Students were tasked with understanding the political and economic power of OPEC and oil, especially in Iraq. They also had to account for Iraq’s minimal coastline, previous and current ongoing conflicts, and how Islam affects Iraqi foreign policy. The Iraqi delegation was incredibly successful in expressing accurate positions of issues and outside knowledge and research relevant to all their issues.
China
East’s China delegation won second best overall, with each of the teams (one for each set of issues) contributing to the success. For the Chinese delegation, students were required to learn the procedures and policies of the semi-isolationist nation. Many of China’s delegations were put under pressure when it came to topics regarding the environment, cyber-security, and border disputes, but all were successfully able to defend and promote what their nation stood for. To successfully compete, students needed to be able to grasp the beliefs of a country halfway across the world.
Rwanda
East’s Rwanda delegation placed fourth overall, winning the special-merit award for fourth place. The delegation was put in a difficult situation, as many larger powers actually sponsored resolutions regarding intervention in Africa when it came to HIV-AIDS, economic instability, and water shortages, despite not truly having Africa’s best interests at heart. However, the Rwandan delegation was able to take charge and successfully express the best interests of their nation, which included the promotion of gender-equality and environmental rehabilitation.
America
The American delegation faced the unique challenge of having an incredibly strong involvement and role in global affairs. On economic policies, security concerns, or humanitarian issues, many nations looked to the U.S. for guidance. East’s delegation had to not only learn what many American policies were, but also the policies of other nations that would look to America for advice, assistance, and/or support. The American delegation was forced to juggle promoting their personal interests while also cooperating with allies and enemies alike for the common good.
Best in Committee Awards
- Sophomores Maisie Cohan, Mariam Abd-Elhamid, and Anjali Barkowski won EcoFin Best in Committee representing Iraq
- Seniors Alexander Liang, Noah Meyer, and Eric Liu won SpPoli Best in Committee representing China
- Sophomores Clara Bartholomew and Evania Ernest won AdHocSpPoli Best in Committee representing China
- Sophomores Jessica Dennehy and Spandana Cheruvu won PoliSec Best in Committee representing Iraq.
When asked what she would attribute East’s success this year to, club Co-President Clara Bartholomew noted, “this year, our club members were very willing to put in a lot of time and effort to prepare for this conference . . . we also saw a record number of East attendees at this conference.” The club provides an opportunity for students to employ diplomatic strategies and “improve understanding of negotiations and alliances, as well as World issues.”
Co-President Evania Ernest, when asked about how M.U.N. helped her enhance her skills, answered, “Model UN helps develop public speaking skills and diplomacy incredibly well, and one of my favorite things about conferences is seeing people come out of their shell and grow more confident in themselves and their skills. MUN is also a lot of cooperation and negotiation, and you learn how to be convincing and to take other peoples’ feedback and opinions in order to succeed, which can be incredibly hard to do. . . .You also gain a greater appreciation of the world and about [its] political and cultural dynamics, and since I’ve acted as so many countries now in Model UN, I understand what’s going on in the world in greater depth and the factors that played into so many of the decisions made by the UN and other countries of the world. . . . Model UN also requires you to do lots of research surrounding topics, and making sure you have accurate sources is essential for success. Those are only a few of the many skills . . . you develop, and you get to grow in an engaging, exciting way!”
Treasurer Armita Rohani responded to the dramatic improvement in placement of East’s team, saying, “It’s remarkable to see the turnaround from last year, [where] only one country won 10th place at UB versus three out of the four countries taking home first, second, and fourth. It’s pretty great that we’ve performed so well, especially since the majority of the club were first-time delegates.”
East’s team had a fantastic year, and the future looks even brighter. The club is an excellent and competitive way to learn more global political, economic, and social issues. Students have the chance to refine their communication, debate, and research skills in Model U.N. The club is always welcoming new members!
