Once again, this year's World MUN conference proved to be the highlight of my semester. The conference brought to light what I have learned about in the classroom, allowing me to witness and partake in diplomacy and foreign policy mock initiatives. For one week, I was able to interact with intelligent students from around the globe, tackling real-world problems, and engaging in friendly discussion.

I was in the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. This year we confronted the topic of xenophobia and immigration in South Africa. This is an extremely pertinent issue because of the upcoming World Cup and the threat it poses to regional stability in Africa. This was also an extremely relevant issue for the country we were representing, Botswana. As one of the most successful countries in Africa, Botswana also has a large immigrant problem. Recently, Botswana has experienced an influx of illegal immigrants from Namibia and Zimbabwe, which has helped stir widespread xenophobic sentiment. Once lauded for its open immigration policy, Botswana has begun an aggressive strategy of deportation and border control.

In confronting the topic, I tried to re-center the debate towards the larger Africa region by looking at the root causes of immigration. Any resolution that dealt solely with security and repatriation would provide only a topical remedy to a deep-rooted problem. The inherent cause of immigration, lack of employment opportunities in the countries from which these immigrants hail, needed to be addressed. Thus, in creating a resolution, we looked to implement a comprehensive solution including repatriation policies, anti-corruption and security measures, and education and economic development initiatives, which would stem the tide of immigrants and diffuse xenophobia by educating local populaces.

This year's committee proved to be quite challenging because it was a very large double delegation committee. As a single delegation, it was difficult to partake in both the resolution writing and the more formal debate. As such, I had to leverage my time and power strategically. I forged a strong alliance with other African countries, and we consolidated our ideas into a resolution sponsored by the African block.

On a personal level, the conference also had a profound impact on me. I was extremely impressed by all the delegates from other countries who were able to debate and speak at such high levels in a non-native tongue. I was also inspired by the level of compromise and team-work I saw throughout the conference. All in all, the conference reaffirmed my belief in the value and potential of diplomacy in decision-making.

The best part of World MUN is always the amazing people you get to meet from around the world. It helps renew the sense that you are a citizen of the world and that a strong commonality exists among us all, despite our origins.

The World Model UN conference is truly an amazing opportunity, which provides personal growth and shapes future leaders in the international realm.

Comments

Name *
Code   
ChronoComments by Joomla Professional Solutions

Submit Comment