High school students step into brave new world at GU-Q MUN

During the same weekend that world leaders convened at the Doha Forum to address critical global issues, hundreds of high school students convened in the meeting rooms of QF partner Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) for the 17th annual Model United

Nations (MUN) conference under the theme 'Building Back Better: Stepping into a Brave New World'. 385 students from local schools and 100 students joining virtually from schools around the world took on roles of UN ambassadors to have a dialogue, debate and negotiate resolutions for real-world issues on the UN agenda. The opening ceremony was held in the GU-Q auditorium with a livestream for the virtual participants, featuring a keynote address from Janhvi M Kanoria, director of the Innovation Development Directorate (IDD) at Education Above All (EAA) Foundation. "We were honoured that Kanoria agreed to join us for our annual conference. Her commitment to protecting the right to education for the most marginalised communities is inspiring a generation of future leaders to work towards a better world," said InternationalAffairs major Safoura Usmani (GU-Q '23), who served as MUN secretary-general and led the organisation of the conference. This year, 87 university students volunteered their time and effort in various leadership roles, making it one of the largest mobilisations of MUN volunteers at GU-Q.This is the university’s first hybrid conference with virtual committees specifically designed for hybrid (onsite and online) participants, an innovative approach that went beyond setting up a camera in the in-person meeting rooms, said Jibin Koshy, Educational Enrichment manager at GU-Q. “The MUN programme is a valuable hands-on learning experience for students, and we didn’t want international students who may still face travel restrictions to miss out on the opportunity to practise diplomacy, improve their soft skills and create lasting friendships and personal networks that they carry with them well beyond the conference.”Some of the topics of this year's conference are refugees and migrants, safeguarding healthcare and protecting journalists in conflict zones, gender-based violence, and women's workplace equality. As a school of international relations, added Koshy, GU-Q offers aunique MUN experience that extends the expertise of the university’s globally ranked foreign affairs curriculum and the insights of top tier scholars, who provide academic preparation. "GU-Q students did an amazing job this year in designing a conference that reflects the shifting dynamics of the world right now, challenging the next generation of leaders and thinkers who will be able to address those challenges in the years ahead,” said Koshy.