SJBHS Model United Nations (MUN)

On October 19 th , a flurry of students entered St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, eager to go towards their committees and fight for the causes assigned to them. SJBHS MUN has been a long-standing tradition which provides students all over the city a chance to engage in diplomacy and world affairs.
The opening ceremony for SJBHSMUN 2022 was a vibrant event, with a theme centred on climate change and other issues faced globally. A dance drama was performed by the ISC students and the ISC choir performed their rendition of ‘Let Your Light Shine on Us’. The MUN trailer was followed by a brief speech on the history of SJBHS MUN. After which, the Principal, Fr Sunil Fernandes SJ, welcomed the dignitaries, participants, guests and well- wishers.
The occasion was graced by the presence of Achim Burkhart, the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany as the Chief Guest. He was felicitated by Father Principal. Mr Burkhart delivered an informative and inspirational speech which was followed by the introduction of each board member. The Secretary General, Aditya Vijaykumar then addressed the gathering present with much vigour and eloquency!

On day 1, the 6 committees, namely, SOCHUM, OPEC+, FATF, Lok Sabha, CCC and UNSC began their proceedings with immense motivation, knowledge and utmost respect for the chair persons.

The newer delegates were briefed about the rules and procedures of Model United Nations while the older, more experienced delegates spent this time, adding the finishing touches to their opening speeches. All the committees dealt with agendas that tapped into various aspects, in both a geographical and sectoral sense. The Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee dealt with the concept of climate refugees, which is a part of the climate crisis which is often relegated to the footnotes. The Lok Sabha on the other hand was tasked with a much more widely discussed topic - sedition. In the divisive and politically charged atmosphere we live in, it remains pertinent that we understand the complex issues that grip our country. The OPEC+ dealt with the economics of the Oil and Petroleum markets, debating the sustainability of countries reliant on these fossil fuels and possible shifts to more sustainable methods. The CCC looked at terrorism from a different lens, one of the perpetrator. The intention and aim of this committee was purely to understand the problem to a greater degree and to give participants the perspective that would act as a result. The FATF had an extremely nuanced agenda, blockchain technology with regards to terror financing. This required a supreme understanding of the necessary concepts to even have rudimentary discussions and the delegates did not disappoint. The UNSC is the highlight of any conference and the delegates in this committee dealt with debt traps and financing of underdeveloped nations.

On day 2 specifically, delegates of all committees delved deeper into their agendas as they were presenting with a multitude of crisis. Displaying their ability to think on their feet delegates solved these crises with creative and effective solutions. These solutions were solved through the process of passing professional documentation, giving delegates a much needed insight into the legal process of policy and decision making.

On day 3, the committees started their proceedings as soon as they could. Each committee was engaged in intense conversation of agendas and resolutions. The delegates were challenged by one another and every part of the organising committee was working as efficiently as they could to ensure smooth working till the very end of MUN. Each committee concluded their sessions by 4PM and the closing ceremony commenced immediately after. A heartfelt song recorded in-house by our ISC students called, 'Under The Sun’ , was played to accentuate the theme for the year 2022.
A video that encapsulated the experiences of MUN during the course of the 3 days was played and a trailer to our upcoming cultural fest was shown.
The executive board members of each committee were then felicitated by the dignitaries, including the Vice Principal, Mr Brian Mckertish; OBA President, Dr Praveen Rodrigues, OBA Secretary, KT Lazar; PTA Secretary, Mr Clifton Pinhero; Secretary General, Mr Aditya Vijaykumar and Head of Press, Rohan Prasad.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Kisna Shetty and Adesh David Naidu on behalf of the student body which was followed by the prize distribution. The overall winning delegation was awarded to Kumaran’s.
There is no doubt that each of the 217 participants left the gates of St Joseph’s Boys’ High School carrying along with them, some of the best memories of MUN during their school years.
They carry the hope in them that they will stand for solutions to global issues in the same manner when they are called to do so in the near future, as citizens of the world. The closing ceremony was held on October 21st at 4pm, after all the committees for SJBHSMUN had concluded their sessions after three whole days. The MCs were Riyah Arshad from class 12A and Tia Pemmaiah from class 12B.
The closing ceremony began with a prayer delivered by Nicole Thea Michael, a student of class 12A, followed by a video of a song recorded in-house by our ISC students called ‘Under The Sun’.
The song addressed the many issues faced globally and how we must come together in order to solve them as one community.
A video was then presented on the experiences of the past 3 days of MUN that took place which was then followed by a trailer for our upcoming cultural fest, Phenomenon.
The Secretary General, Aditya Vijaykumar then addressed the gathering and spoke of how important it is to learn from every experience and how MUN helps students to gather their courage and their opinions in a more informed manner. He expressed how impressed he was with each delegate and how they must never shy away from other opportunities to sharpen their MUN skills.
The Vice Principal, Mr Brian Mckertish then felicitated the Secretary general and the Head of Press, Rohan Prasad. The other dignitaries include OBA President, Dr Praveen Rodriguez, OBA Secretary, Mr KT Lazar, PTA Secretary, Mr Clifton Pinhero and the Secretary General as well as the Head of Press. Each of them felicitated the executive board members of the six committees.
The vote of thanks was then delivered by Kisna Shetty and Adesh David Naidu, the executive board members of the OPEC+ committee which was then followed by the prize distribution. The executive board members distributed the prizes for their respective committees and the overall winning delegation was the Kumarans team.

Riyah Arshad, 12A