Alleyn's Hosts 2021 Model United Nations

Alleyn’s Model United Nations 2021 (AMUN) marked our first in-person conference since the pandemic.  It brought together six different schools, Alleyn’s included, with over 100 delegates representing a total of 24 countries. The visiting schools were Dartford Grammar School, Dulwich College, Epsom College, Lingfield College, Royal Hospital School and St. Paul’s School. It was great to see everyone involved and the competition for prizes was fierce!

The day began with our opening ceremony with a fascinating and inspiring talk from Dr Paul Chambers, a senior civil servant with significant experience on international climate policy. The talk discussed the future of climate policy and energy sources and even the science of climate change itself. Many delegates left the talk inspired to consider the importance of compromise when representing their countries on various committees.

The conference was split into five committees: Security Council, Human Rights Council, Special Political Committee, Historical Council and the World Health Organisation. Throughout the day, different committees discussed a range of prominent international issues, ranging from the Mexican Drug War and the abolition of the death penalty to the Vietnam War on the Historical Council. Many interesting solutions were proposed indicating the impressive research many delegates carried out and it elevated the quality of debate massively!

In a fictional crisis during the General Assembly, the lost city of Atlantis emerged from the ocean to threaten nuclear war and demand compensation for years of plastic pollution. This fictitious scenario was a welcome change of pace from some of the more serious aspects of Model UN and many speeches were made advocating international nuclear disarmament and the crisis linked well to a recurring theme of environmental action during the day!

Every delegate participating did a fantastic job at representing their nations, and the chairs found awarding prizes particularly difficult. Incredibly, five participants from Alleyn’s were given awards, and the delegations of China and the United Kingdom took home the prizes for Highly Commended and Best Delegation!

The enthusiasm and hard work of everyone participating was impressive, and we would like to extend our thanks to delegates, chairs, co-chairs, and all members of staff involved in making the day such a success!

By Kate and Erika 13TS