Introduction
Harvard National Model United Nation serves as a forum in which students from high schools and universities around the world can meet to discuss the greatest challenges facing the world today, in fields ranging from international peace and security, to economic and technological progress, to social movements and human rights.
It was such an honour to be invited to participate as delegates in this prestigious conference. Our school Millennium Global International School presented five delegates who were assigned to different committees, countries and topics of debate.
Below is a list of our delegates and their committee allocations:
1. Salima Subira Akilimali and Zoe Wanjiru Githua-double delegation on The United
Mexican States (Mexico)-World Health Organization Committee. (WHO)-Conference
room 3
2. Takunda John Kachambwa-The Republic of Chad-African Union Committee. (AU)-
Conference room 10
3. Jasmine Imani Oyando- The State of Eritrea-African Union Committee (AU)-Conference
room 10
4. Maya Janaki Mwangi-The Federal Republic of Germany-United Nations Commission on
Science and Technology for Development. (UNCSTD)-Conference room 13
DAY 1: 12TH MARCH 2024
Arrival and Registration
We, the delegates, together with our faculty advisor Ms. Stephanie Malika, arrived at the UNON grounds on Tuesday 12th March 2024 at 2:00p.m. Upon arrival, we went through security screening and proceeded for registration and checking into the venue. This process was seamless and since we had arrived on time, we had a moment to take a few photos. After all the delegates had registered, we proceeded to have our lunch at the delegates cafeteria.
HNMUN Training Session
We all proceeded to conference room 2 for the training session on HNMUN. The training
covered a variety of things that would prepare us for the committee sessions that were set to start the following day. Some of the things highlighted include:
1. HNMUN Africa conference policies. HNMUN focuses on sensitivity and diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion. It was really emphasized that we should collaborate with fellow
delegates and ensure a safe MUN Environment and adhere to zero tolerance to any form
of harassment.
2. The conference logistics and schedule
3. The aims of committees and things to flag in committees.
4. Pre-Writing in MUN - Pre-writing is strictly prohibited.
5. How to write resolution papers and sample of a resolution paper.
6. How double delegation works- ‘in-room’ and ‘out-room.’
7. Where to get the necessary resources for the conference. All resources are included in the HNMUN website. The resources include; the conference schedule, background guides,
rules of procedure, position paper guides, delegate evaluation criteria, committee room
locations and the wifi network.
DAY 2: 13TH MARCH 2024
Introduction:
The day started with everyone happy that we would finally get to work. Due to delay in delegate registration, the opening ceremony began at 11:00 AM, 2 hours later than predicted time.
Opening Ceremony
The HNMUN Secretary General gave an opening speech, mentioning and extending gratitude to partners, highlighting some of the leadership programs ran by Harvard University, and officially welcomed the delegates to the conference and expressed the secretariat’s excitement to interact with us in the conference rooms. The HNMUN team, Secretary General: Chukwudi Ilozue, Director General: Oscar Berry, Under-Secretary General of Administration: Christopher Ruaño, Under-Secretary General for Operations: Alexander Junxiang Chen, Under- Secretary General for Committees: Kaleena Roeva, Under-Secretary General for Host Affairs: Patil Djerdjerian, were also introduced to the delegates. The former secretary general for Kenya MUN , Mr.Samuel Muei introduced himself and invited on stage Madam Elizabeth Wathuti, who is an environmental and climate activist. She gave us a speech on the importance of taking care of our environment.
The delegates then broke off to go to their respective committees - African Union: conference room 10, UNCSTD: conference room 13, and WHO in conference room 3.
1. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
The delegates in the WHO committee were Zoe Githua and Salima Akilimali, represented with the tasks of representing The United Mexican States (Mexico) and debating on the topic of ‘A Prescription Pandemic: Addressing Substance Use Disorder’.
Session 1
The session began with a roll call, where delegates stated whether they were present, or present and voting. Mexico was present and voting. A motion to open debate was then proposed and passed, followed by a motion to open speakers’ list.
The committee then took part in moderated caucuses till lunch time.
Session 2
After breaking for an hour, delegates went back to the conference rooms to continue
deliberations with other United Nations member states. Session 2 began with a roll call followed by the proposing and passing of a motion to resume debate.
The committee then engaged in short moderate caucuses before breaking for in-room and outroom sessions (WHO).
Salima was in the in-room and took part in the moderated caucus and Zoe took part in preparing the working papers. Mexico had formed a BLOC with South Africa, India, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Mauritius, Pakistan, Switzerland, Canada, Eritrea, Chile, Haiti, Brazil, Malta, Belgium, Germany, Lebanon, Laos, Equatorial Guinea, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and El Salvador.
2. AFRICAN UNION (AU)
Session 1
The beginning of session 1 began with roll call in which we were present and voting and soon after we were presented with a motion to open debate which was called by Botswana. Our chair called a motion to open the general speakers list and we raised to be part of the list and we presented our opening speeches. Thereafter. a stream of moderated caucuses took place and we participated in one till a motion to end debate was called and the first session ended.
Session 2
The second session started with an un-moderated caucus that called for preparation of draft resolutions in which we proposed various clauses and various blocs were formed with different ideas. The session only had un-moderated caucuses for the remainder of the time and sending of the working papers was sent to the Dias and a call to end debate was called, signaling the end of the day.
3. UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (UNCSTD)
Session 1
The Federal Republic of Germany was present at the first committee meeting for the UNCSTD. After roll call, there was a motion called to open debate. Following that, there was an unmoderated caucus where delegates were allowed to interact with other members and get to know their stances on the topic that was at hand i.e. legal implications on information technology and data protection. It was quite the experience as Germany got to know member states such as Japan and India’s points of view and it eased the pressure for the moderated caucus that took place shortly after. The moderated caucus lasted 45 minutes with each delegate provided with a speaking time of 1 minute 30 seconds. Following that was another unmoderated caucus where further discussions on the matter took place.
The session concluded and Germany met her fellow delegates for lunch at 13:45, we enjoyed pizza, rice and meat with vegetables and caught up, laughed, and unwound before heading back for committee session two. After a break, we reassembled in our respective committee conference rooms and commenced the second committee session at 3pm.
Session 2
During this session, we worked on our working papers. Myself alongside Ethiopia, Finland,
Uganda, Mauritania, Latvia, Russia and China, joined to discuss our interests in what we would like to achieve and formulated proposed resolves. The discussion was lively and it was great hearing various ideologies and opinions.
Following the beginning stages of writing, we had a 50-minute-long unmoderated caucus where we continued to work on the working papers. After this ‘unmod’, we commenced a moderated discussion on AI. We then concluded the committee session with one more unmoderated caucus and submitted our working papers.
Germany then joined her team from Millennium Global International School after engaging with a few of the other delegates in her committee and then we gathered to debrief the day’s work.
DAY 3: 14TH MARCH 2024
The committee sessions started immediately at 9a.m. in their respective conference rooms.
1. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
Session 3
The session began with a roll call, followed by a motion to open debate. The aim of the session was presentation of working papers. Different blocs presented their working papers and answered questions from the committee. Mexico was part of the Border Watch Brigade alongside Denmark, Kiribati, Sweden, Algeria, Mauritius, Pakistan, Finland, Japan, France, India, Israel, New Zealand, Egypt, Morocco, and El Salvador.
The committee then took a 15 minute break before a delegate feedback session, where delegates gave their thoughts and suggestions to the secretariat about the conference. After a roll call and a motion to open debate, the committee discussed working papers that were presented during the first session giving suggestions and criticism. The committee then broke for lunch.
Session 4
As was the usual procedure, the session started with a roll call and a motion to open debate. Shortly thereafter, there was a 15 minutes unmoderated caucus for blocs to plan merges with other blocs. The committee then moved to in-room and out-room sessions. Salima stayed in-room and continued discussions with other delegations while Zoe went out-room and participated in the writing of draft resolutions.
2. AFRICAN UNION (AU)
Session 3
The day began with our chair doing roll call of which we said we were present and voting; the irst action taken was as always, a call to open debate which was called by Burkina Faso. The first motion proposed was an un-moderated caucus to discuss the presentation of the working papers that were made. After the caucus was finished, Chad led the presentation of their draft resolutions and the Q&A session of both our papers where concluded. Another un-moderated caucus was called to discuss the draft resolutions and potentially accommodate other blocs.
Chad took the responsibility to merge her bloc with that of Zambia, Mauritia, and Guinea.
Chad was successful in her pursuit and added an additional three signatures and had their
clauses added to their bloc’s draft resolution. We soon after had two more un-moderated
caucuses to add more clauses to our resolution. Chad implemented two clauses that made sure education centers were built for the Sahrawi people and for the re-structuring of the Polisario Front. Committee session III ended with a call to end suspend debate and resume after lunch which was called by Burundi.
Session 4
The fourth session started with a call to open debate which was called by Angola; a moderate caucus was called with a motion to discuss the implementation of western involvement in Western Sahara that was voted in by the majority. Chad and Eritrea was a speaker on this caucus and voiced their concerns that were well received by other delegates and an unmoderated caucus was again called for further discussion of draft resolutions and refinement of the clauses. The last motion of the day was for a different moderated caucus was called for discussion of funding for the region which Chad and Eritrea spoke in and after a motion to end debate and the final session of the day was ended.
3. UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (UNCSTD)
Session 3
Day three of the HNMUN conference was splendid. It was the day of the International Bazaar. My delegates and I dressed up according to our cultures and painted tribal designs on our faces to embrace the spirit of culture day.
During our first committee session, we presented our working papers and followed up with a Q&A session, Germany was one of the presenters. Then, we played hot seat with our Dias where we could ask them any questions that we had for them. It was really fun as well as inspiring. One of the delegates asked the Dias what their biggest fears were and that sparked a deep and meaningful discussion that allowed us to connect with our Dias beyond the parliamentary aspect.
Two of the chairs, JoJo and Wandia who are members of the KMUN, gave us advice to be
authentic, outgoing and be confident in ourselves. Upon that there was lots of laughter and jokes which eased the pressure of the entire conference. After hot seat, we had a feedback session where one of the Secretary Generals asked for our input on how best they could improve the conference. After that we got feedback from our Dias and Germany consulted each chair on her performance and received excellent feedback. Germany then met up with her fellow delegates for lunch and once again we caught up and relaxed after more smooth-sailing committee sessions.
Session 4
After the lunch break, we discussed mergers. My bloc members and I were proposed a merger by another bloc led by Sri Lanka and Turkey. After much consideration we voted in favor and began working on a new draft resolution. We worked tirelessly under pressure to complete the draft resolutions as we were given a deadline of 18:00hrs and so we split up and worked on different sections within the draft resolution. After lots of work, we finally submitted the draft resolution just seconds before the deadline crossed but all in all due to our collaborative effort, we were able to make it work. Following the end of the committee session we had dinner and attended the international bazaar. Many people were enticed by our face paint and wanted to join in and so I painted their faces. We played a competitive but very fun game of Kahoot. Students coming from Ethiopia performed a dance and many of us joined at the center of the room to cheer them on. After that we enjoyed some delicious dinner of mashed potatoes and chicken and called it a
day.
DAY 4: MARCH 15TH 2024
1. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
Session 5
The goal of this session was to allow blocs to present their draft resolutions to the committee so that delegations could vote for the draft resolutions they supported. This happened after a roll call and a motion to open debate. Bloc A’s draft resolution passed which Mexico was a part of. The committees then took a break and delegates had some refreshments.
Career Fair
All delegates met in conference room 1 for a career fair. During this fair, panelists advised
delegates on the importance of passion, focus, dedication, determination and discipline in life. The session ended with panelists answering questions from the audience.
Session 6
During this session, delegates received their certificates of participation and played gossip girl.
2. AFRICAN UNION (AU)
Session 5
It begun with a vital roll call of which both Chad and Eritrea were present and voting. A call to open debate which was called by Kenya, a call for an un-moderated was called for preparation of presentation of draft papers and Chad was given the role to be part of the Author’s Panel for presentation in which Chad did the introduction. Thereafter, the first bloc presented their Resolution. Thereafter, their Q and A session began in which Chad asked a logistical question for their bloc which was answered by Namibia; a Pros and Cons list came to light and both Chad and Eritrea submitted themselves to the Cons list where they stated their problems with the bloc and after such Chad moved up to present her blocs draft resolution. The time had elapsed for a reasonable time for Q&A to take place so a motion to suspend debate was called and the session ended.
Session 6
The beginning of the session started with a brief Q&A session which was hosted by Chad’s bloc and a Pros and Cons list was opened in which Chad was a speaker for the Pros list and further expressed her confidence in their draft resolution. The brief session ended with a vote for and against each bloc and Chad’s and Eritrea’s blocs lost the vote by a small margin and there after a motion to end debate was called by Angola.
3. UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (UNCSTD)
Session 5
We presented the draft resolutions and followed up with a Q&A session. Then we opened a
moderated caucus to discuss improvements and amendments that could be made to the existing draft resolutions. After that we concluded for lunch and were presented with our certificates of participation. Following that we participated in the careers and opportunities fair. During lunch we enjoyed pizza, wings and potato wedges which were an absolute delight. We then went back to our conference rooms for our final committee session.
Session 6
We entered voting procedure. We began with for and against speeches, then we proceeded to voting. Both resolutions passed. We then ended the session with another round of hot seat and then we signed each other’s placards and took some photos. After that we went for the awards and closing ceremony.
Closing Ceremony
The ceremony began with a video recap of the ceremony. A brief award ceremony came next. The Secretary General then gave a speech and officially closed the conference. Germany received an award for Diplomatic Commendation and made all of us proud. We were so happy being our first ever MUN conference, and this gave us hope to be part of more MUN conferences in future and perform well. After that we took photos and then concluded our time at the UN.
Remarks
It was such an honor to be part of this HNMUN and we are so grateful for the opportunity
accorded to us by our school Millennium Global International School.
Report written by:
Salima Subira, Zoe Githua, Maya Janaki, Takunda John and Jamine Oyando.
Report Compiled by:
Ms. Stephanie Malika
