High school students from California, Arizona, Washington and Mexico donned their suits and created solutions for international problems at the 17th Annual Los Angeles Model United Nations Conference hosted by UCLA’s chapter this weekend.
About 1,200 delegates represented countries across the world, from Romania to Kenya, and discussed topics such as how to distribute vaccines to children in rural and war-torn areas and the pros and cons of using biofuel as an alternative to fossil fuels.
Members of Model U.N. at UCLA planned and ran the conference. They chose the topics up for debate and acted as moderators during negotiations.
“We host the high school conference as a way to give back to the programs that a lot of us came from,” said Jennifer Patton, secretary general of the high school conference and third-year global studies student. “It also gives us a chance to show high school kids the UCLA campus and how Model United Nations works in college.”
Model U.N. at UCLA also holds a college conference in April and will pair up with the United Nations Association of the USA to host a program geared toward inner city students in the spring.
“Our purpose here on campus is to educate students about diplomacy,” said chief of staff Milagros Villalobos, a third-year political science and Spanish student. “(Model U.N.) has helped me understand different sides of arguments because you have to take on the persona of a country and not just voice your own opinion. You have to know where the country is coming from, know about their religion, background and history.”
At the conference, students presented their views through the lens of an assigned country. They were separated into committees, such as the U.N. General Assembly, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF, and discussed controversial matters ranging from gender inequality to dengue fever. Students then voted on resolutions created by caucuses of countries.
Many committees were borrowed from the real United Nations, and the entire conference closely mirrors the real deal.
“Like the U.N., we try to address world issues by coming up with a comprehensive solution,” Patton said. “We don’t always have the means to enforce that solution, but we try to create dialogue about the topic.”
In addition to current problems, some delegates participated in a simulation of the 1938 Munich Conference, which resulted in Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland.
“The purpose of bringing up a historical topic is to have delegates debate something they might not have been familiar with before,” Patton said. “They can choose to enact any solution. They can pretty much change history.”
Adam Joe, a junior from Huntington Beach High School, was a British diplomat in the Historical Crisis Cabinet.
“World War II is something I’ve always been interested in, and the Munich agreement was pretty pivotal,” Joe said. “(Model U.N.) has helped me meet new people, hone my public-speaking skills and learn about world affairs.”
Other delegates took on the position of a cabinet member from India or China in the two crisis committees. Students responded to hypothetical terrorist attacks on the Indian Parliament House and a Chinese fighter jet company.
Eli Mulvihill, a sophomore from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, acted as India’s chairman of the navy.
“Since the (simulation) is based off real events, it gives you a good overview of the ideas of the countries,” Mulvihill said.
An Pham, the chair of the UNICEF committee and a third-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, hoped all delegates would realize the practical applications of their preparatory research.
“As a chair, I make sure that high school kids know that although it’s mock, their decisions would really affect people back at home,” Pham said. “My goal is for them to learn about diplomacy and realize that every country has a unique perspective.”
Former director of Amnesty International Jack Healey, who now runs the Human Rights Action Center, addressed delegates at the closing ceremonies, and said he wished he had learned about international relations in high school.
“I want to give (delegates) a sense that we live in a big world that needs all the help it can get,” Healey said. “I like the idea very much that young people take the time to see how the U.N. works and learn about negotiation and compromise.”