Club Spotlight: Model United Nations

Halo Nations

​By Kevin Hart
    
    MUN, or Model United Nations to those who are unfamiliar, is a club that revolves around emulating processes of the United Nations. The club attempts to realistically portray the actions and decisions that would be made by countries within the United Nations.
     As of the beginning of January, MUN has had three meetings. The direction of the meetings usually depends on the questions set forth by the student host, speaker, or secretary. These questions can range from specific questions about nations within the United Nations to broad questions in regard to humanitarian aid or aggression.

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​     During each meeting, all nations are given questions to develop a discussion. Then, they have the ability to debate over whether or not to pass certain bills. For example, after an intense debate over the crisis in Syria, the club agreed that the UN should “inspect the Assad regime to see if they are using chemical weapons, and they should send a peacekeeping force to confiscate chemical weapons if necessary.”
     The club revolves around the events that are happening in the world; therefore, nations in the club suggest “bills” in an attempt to curtail a disaster from occurring. In order to get anything productive done, a nation must suggest a bill to be passed and discuss it further (the pros and cons, how it can be implemented, etc.).
    The club is modelled around the General Assembly, and it leaves out the rest of the assemblies such as the Security Council, Economic and Social Council, among others, due to time restraints as well as the fact that the majority of the people within the club would not be able to attend or assist the meetings involving the different councils.
     Isabel Ramirez, one of the members of the club, represents the United Kingdom, and she told us, “Model UN is so much fun! It brings a group of kids interested in current events together and gives us a lighthearted environment to talk about what’s happening in the world.”
    The OBHS community can’t wait to see what else the club has to offer this year. If you are interested in joining the club, you should have an idea of what nation you would like to represent, what actions that nation would take in real-world situations, and what arguments you would take for those actions. MUN is currently open to students who wish to join, so come see what it’s all about!