On the morning of January 31st, St. Mary’s hosted its annual Model United Nations conference. The conference gathered more than 100 students from 8 schools across the entirety of Tokyo, including other KPASS schools such as American School In Japan (ASIJ) and St. Maur’s, which have their own prestigious MUN programs. These individuals were able to able to showcase their diplomacy and analytical skills on a public speaking stage through the lens of a real United Nations delegate representing their country. Debating on topics ranging from weapons disarmament to religious discrimination, these delegates were given the duty of representing their assigned country as it would be in a real UN convention and grouping with other countries to create a bloc, draft a resolution to solve these issues and have it be compared and voted on against another resolution created by an opposing bloc.
The conference saw many immensely dedicated delegates across all levels of proficiency in debating, especially from speakers from St. Mary’s. In the beginner committee, ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations,) Eddie (’29) achieved an amazing milestone by receiving the Best Delegate award, displaying his prowess as a beginner. In the intermediate committee of UNCSW (United Nations Commission on the Status of Women), Jonathan (’29), another freshman, was able to achieve the Best Delegate award, establishing his skill as an intermediate delegate. Hirohisa (’27), a junior, also attained an Honourable Mention in a crisis committee, one of the most fast-paced and intense settings for an MUN. However, the importance of judges (or chairs as the official term) were not lost on the organizers of this conference. This is seen through the fact that Michal (’26) was recognised for his commitment by receiving a Best Chair award for his immense leadership and assessment abilities in a crisis committee in his very last conference before graduating. Shota (’27) also received an Outstanding Chair award for chairing UNCSW as he was one of the most dedicated helpers in organising the conference in the first place.
St. Mary’s Model United Nations club has many more conferences to attend before the year comes to a close, including the MUN conference in the American School In Japan and the annual international MUN conference, that will take the selected delegates to Singapore this year. If you see any of the mentioned students across the hallway, congratulate them for their achievements!
