International School students explore the future of borders

The students’ attendance at the world’s largest Model United Nations conference was the culmination of months of research and preparation, including an invitation to visit the Chinese Consulate in Düsseldorf in order to further their understanding of China’s domestic, international, and trade policies.

The theme of this year’s conference was ‘The Future of Borders’, and in their various committees, the ISD students lobbied, debated, wrote, and passed resolutions that aimed to address the many border-related problems facing the world today, ranging from disputes over geographical borders, to cross-border trade relations, to the social ‘borders’ between peoples of different faiths and cultures.

In addition to the China Delegation, two ISD students were recruited to the staff of the conference’s online newspaper, ‘MUNITY’, where, as a layout editor and reporter, they not only gained invaluable insights into the running of a daily newspaper, but also contributed several important and thoughtful articles throughout the week.

In addition, one ISD student was appointed Deputy Secretary General; as part of the Executive Team she had the unique opportunity to run this large-scale conference and to speak at the Closing Ceremony, before thousands of students from around the world.

“While it was an intense few months of preparation before the conference, seeing the event come to life was a deeply rewarding experience. My role was to organise the conference goals, schedule, committee chairs, and problem-solve on a daily basis. That meant showing up early, staying late, and a lot of thinking on my feet; but it also meant I got the privilege of dropping in on all the committees and seeing them at work. This has been my third and final THIMUN, but the organisational, public-speaking, and conflict-resolution skills I’ve learned will serve me far into the future!"

Finally, during their week in The Hague, the students were privileged to attend a United Nations war crimes trial, listening to legal testimony on behalf of the accused, and learning about how the trial process works. As the next generation of leaders and problem-solvers, seeing international justice in action made the ISD students’ Model UN experience even richer.

The annual five-day THIMUN event attracts over 3200 students and teachers from approximately 200 schools around the world, representing more than 100 different countries. An academic simulation of the real United Nations, the conference aims to educate students about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy, and the role of the United Nations. This year was the first ‘in person’ conference since the start of the corona pandemic.

The mission of the THIMUN Foundation is to “promote and foster collaborative, solution-oriented discussion to important global issues by instilling a life-long passion in youth to take an engaging role in the future and become more responsible global citizens” – a sentiment wholly embraced by ISD.

Grappling with the issues of the day, students are required to draw on a variety of communication and critical thinking skills – including research, policy analysis, public speaking, negotiating, and conflict resolution – as well as learning about the role and processes of the UN – in order to develop solutions to real-world issues.

By researching and adopting views and attitudes other than their own, students not only gain a deeper insight into the causes of conflict between nations, but also a greater understanding of the interests and motivation of others.

Model United Nations is one of ISD’s after-school activities (ASAs) open to students in grades 10 to 12.