Fifth Model United Nations Conference at the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa

The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa held its fifth annual Model United Nations (MUN) Conference on 26 September, 2011. The MUN Conference simulates the working of the United Nations and allows students to participate as delegates in debates on major world issues.

The Academy holds a Model UN Conference annually to prepare students for the South Africa Conference held in October and the Geneva Conference held in December each year. It is also used to prepare those attending the Nairobi Conferences held in January (Middle School MUN) and February (East African MUN) of the following year.

The Academy’s Conference was officially opened by the East African MUN (EAMUN) Patron, Zubair Kassam, and was attended by Rob Burrough, the Head of the Academy. Naheed Bardai (MUN Clubs Patron) praised the students for their depth of understanding of world issues. He also challenged them to be mindful of the foreign policies of the countries they were representing as they debated the various resolutions. Mary Nyandieka, Co-Patron of the Middle School MUN, was also in attendance.

The judges for the Conference were David Ochieng (Patron, Middle School MUN) and Safiya Jetha. The judges commended the students for the quality of their debates and the relevance of their resolutions. The resolutions this year covered issues related to human rights, environment, security and health.

The Best Resolution Award for the Middle School MUN (11–14 year-olds) went to Qatar, which was represented by Shivam Vyas and Malcolm Cameron. In the EAMUN category (16–19 year-olds) the award went to Iran, represented by Julia Soares and Valentina Solinas.

Other awards included Top Speaker, Best Country Representative and Best New Participant. For the Middle School MUN, the awards were given to Shivam Vyas, Caleb Cameron and Kumayl Jacksi respectively. At the EAMUN level the Top Speaker was Amsal Lakhani, the Best Country Representative was Alim Alarakhia, and the Best New Participant was Sohail Shariff. Farhana Jiwa received an Honorable Mention for her notable contribution as a first time MUN Club member.

As part of the process of developing intercultural awareness, the MUN Conference is an ideal way to engage students in debating significant issues and in learning to understand the perspectives of people around the world.