- SLMUN, on the pros for participating delegates
“The tiny seed planted in the mind of our mentor R.L. Ellawala during the year of 2003 materialised as ‘S SAARC’ in 2005. However, slowly but surely the relish about ‘S SAARC’ among students started to spread rapidly. This enthusiasm initiated the establishment of the Sri Lanka Model United Nations (SLMUN) under the theme of ‘An epic venture into the domain of international diplomacy’,” said SLMUN 2021 Conference Protocol Under Secretary General and Security Council President Chandrika Manamendra.
Model United Nations (MUN) is an activity that is discussed among many schools, universities, and youth in general. When the committee of SLMUN 2021 was queried about the relationship between the UN and MUN, they stated: “The UN provides MUN the structure necessary to bring solutions innovated by delegates into the realm of reality. After all, creative solutions are only as valuable as their feasibility.”
SLMUN is about creating a platform which empowers the youth of the nation to speak out about global issues and innovate solutions to those issues by following the framework put in place by the UN. “SLMUN is all about inclusivity and that is part of what makes us truly unique; by participating in SLMUN 2021, you will experience the views of delegates from every corner of the island,” added Manamendra.
There are quite a few pros and depending on whom you ask there is much more, it is learnt. “Certainly it helps with your speaking, social skills, and emotional intelligence but in my opinion, the most important benefit is that it stimulates your critical thinking and forces you to think in terms of solutions. Cons? I suppose MUN does turn you into a bit of an addict,” he said.
Moreover, it is learnt that MUN certainly makes life as a student quite colourful, both in terms of your achievements and the people you meet. It makes one quite empathetic to the plight of people from across the world since the chance to represent one's ideals as a delegate is presented.
“The key difference as I see it is that MUN is grounded in reality,” noted the team behind SLMUN 2021. It was learnt that the very essence of MUN is to “solve global problems” which means one must consider a plethora of real factors when approaching issues. This compels the participant to become more aware of the world around as a delegate.
“Another key difference would be the emphasis on diplomacy. Other platforms that facilitate speakers don’t necessarily place importance on the relationship between individuals – well, not to the extent MUN does it, to say the least. This creates empathetic individuals who are respectful of other people and their views,” the team added.
“What sets us apart from other MUN conferences is not the conference itself, but rather the endeavours we make to uplift the MUN community in its entirety throughout the year. A great example would be our Ambassador Programme, which has allowed a great number of schools from across the island to communicate with each other, thus facilitating training sessions and better relationships. SLMUN also does its utmost to bring the concept of MUN to the entire island; we do this by hosting numerous workshops across many districts and even going so far as to assist in the setting up of conferences in various parts of the country. Our greatest accomplishment in that regard would be spearheading the establishment of the Hill Country MUN conference based in Kandy.” According to the Secretariat and Executive Committee of the upcoming conference, this is why the youth should be a part of SLMUN 2021.
With regard to the Secretariat and Executive Committee, it is learnt that they are a truly dedicated bunch of youth with a great mix of seasoned and upcoming MUN-ers.
“The goal of SLMUN is to encourage youngsters to learn about issues that affect the world and guide them to find peaceful solutions to those problems through diplomacy. Our hope is that this will help ignite the spark and inspire future diplomats while educating the rest about global issues and conflict resolution techniques. The pandemic and the adverse natural disasters that are now plaguing the world are rooted and global problems like poverty, climate change, and uneven access to food, healthcare, and education can only be solved through diplomacy. Negotiation, compromise, and co-operation are the skills we aim to teach young people through these MUN conferences,” said SLMUN Charge D’ Affairs R.L. Ellawala.
Further, the experienced Secretariat and Executive Committee member added: “We as the Secretariat and Executive Committee of SLMUN 2021 are pleased to host the conference this year to provide a platform for the youth of this nation who we believe are ‘Restless for Change’.”
When questioned about the obstacles they faced in terms of organising the conference, they said: “Our aim is to provide the best experience to our delegates and right now the pandemic seems to be the only obstacle that can prevent us from achieving this goal. Everything else that can be considered as obstacles are just negligible inconveniences.”
SLMUN 2021 is scheduled to happen in the month of November and registrations are now open via www.slmun.org, offering further direction and a comprehensive understanding of how you or your school could register for the conference.
The committees at SLMUN 2021 are as follows: General Assembly 1 (Disarmament and International Security), General Assembly 3 (Social and Humanitarian), General Assembly 6 (The Legal Committee), Economic and Social Commission for the Asia and Pacific, UN Environmental Programme, World Health Assembly, International Cricket Council, UN Human Rights Council, Security Council, and International Press Corps.
As a concluding remark, the team at SLMUN 2021 said: “We expect delegates to probe the issues to be discussed in their respective committees with extreme diligence in order to fashion the best possible policy framework to address said issue. Goes without saying, but have loads of fun as well.”
For further details, please visit or contact SLMUN via:
Instagram: @sl-mun
Facebook: Sri Lanka Model United Nations
Twitter: @slmun2021
TikTok: @slmun
Email: cda@slmun.org/pr@slmun.org
Telephone: 071 801 3722/071 444 9694/076 898 9763