Written by: Nitya Khirwar Edited by: Vedika Mandapati Designed by: Aadhaar Agarwal
Model United Nations conferences have been held to simulate global political conferences since 1947, and have long been revered as a method to spread both global awareness and communicative skills among students of all ages. By the 1990s, the MUN had spread to all parts of the world and had no longer been limited by its name: MUNs have come to include historical groups, associations and conferences as well as current political parties specific to each country. Each student is asked to represent a country or individual and form an argument on their committee’s agenda based on the stances held by those they are representing. The detailed research and argumentative skills that go into writing one’s general speech let alone each argument and counterargument, motion and question are enough to make one understand and memorise every political stance, current and historical, about their specific topic. However, no MUN is conducted without regular breaks and social events. It is also true that some enjoy attending conferences just for the sake of these breaks. The problem here, however, is not so much insincerity or competition, but it lies in the question: who are we representing?
In the months that have followed the death of George Floyd and various calls to action against systemic prejudice, ignorance and underlying violence in all parts of the world, it is evident more than ever how severely political structures have failed us. In the Black Lives Matter movement, the strongest voices have been the youngest. Surprisingly, these voices are being raised not to preach or lead, but to understand and question. The global community has learnt how prejudiced the distribution of facts and the delivery of justice have been, and the word on the tip of everyone’s tongues is “educate.” Whether it is supporting black-owned small businesses or delving into the tiresome history of racial prejudice, it is now widely understood that learning, unlearning and relearning is the only way to achieving a social mindset that caters to everyone.
Now we must think about MUNs. The USSR, Donald Trump or even Malala – whichever delegation one is assigned, “success” within an MUN can only be achieved through lobbying and arguing effectively while thoroughly maintaining alignment with the stance held by the delegation – oh, and everything you say is valid as long as it’s from Reuters. Essentially, our stances are pre-decided for us and we are taught to defend unchanged views held by politicians and individuals from all stages in history. Unfortunately, this system allows no space for the perceptive and dynamic discussions that are so needed in a world ruled by connectivity and ever-changing information. Instead of learning how to articulate our own thoughts well and question oppressive systems while also maintaining healthy open-mindedness, we are told to manipulate facts to fit the ideas held by rigid politicians. As a result, we do not become “politically aware” or “global citizens”, instead we strive to mimic leaders ranging from Emmeline Pankhurst to Richard Nixon, and the prize is the same for someone who defends the Watergate scandal well or convinces their committee to allow women the right to vote.
There is one great thing about the MUN, however, and that is the objectivity. Any youth conference must maintain impartiality to be effective. How then can we make the shift from MUNs? I recommend creating a platform for healthy debate where one can express their own opinions on specified topics, and at the end of the conference list three new things – facts or perspectives – that they learnt from their peers and found interesting. This is a simple but
effective way to encourage cooperation and education among the youth – as long as there are awards involved, of course!
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