Walton Honors student organizing a working group to discuss the implementation of sustainable plastic solutions in Asia-Pacific and African nations.
Author: Isabelle Linkous | Major: Business Economics | Semester: Fall 2022
This month, I had the honor of attending the National Model United Nations (NMUN) 2022 Conference in Washington, DC, where I spent three exciting and fast-paced days acting as a representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). I had the privilege of working with nearly seventy delegates in my committee to combat critical environmental issues such as marine pollution, microplastics, climate change, global warming, ocean acidification, and sustainable fishing. My delegation prepared all semester for this opportunity to work on developing specific and manageable solutions to the world’s climate and ocean issues, and the DPRK rocked it in DC!
The NMUN DC conference was held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott hotel outside Washington, DC. The conference center was located in Virginia, and was just a short Metro ride into the city. I had plenty of time to explore our nation’s capital in between committee sessions and events. This was my first time visiting DC, and I am so grateful for the Honors Conference Grant for allowing me this opportunity. The NMUN DC trip was a perfect balance of historical sight-seeing and rigorous competition!
The NMUN Conference provides a platform for students from all over the world to act as national ambassadors for Member States of the United Nations. The conference is six committee sessions long, each three hours in duration from start to finish, and ends in an award ceremony recognizing the most honorable and outstanding delegations on criteria ranging from acting in character to exemplifying leadership in committee. The National Model UN class with Professor Robert Stapp begins in August with extensive research on the political, social, and economic backgrounds of our selected nations. I spent upwards of ten hours a week researching the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and trying to develop unique and creative solutions to combat two designated issues: Protecting and Restoring Marine Habitats and Incorporating Nature-Based Solutions to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals. The development and research process for this competition is difficult and time-consuming and required me to put all of my initial ideas through a sophisticated revisions and analysis process to make sure that my solutions were attainable, manageable, well-developed, properly funded, and respective of the DPRK’s national policies and political climate. It was an extremely unique and challenging process for North Korea, in particular, but very interesting! The NMUN conference is the last step in this specific research phase and class, where every delegation presents and advocates for their ideas in committee. During the conference, much research and innovation still occurred, as each delegate had to make adjustments to accommodate for the inclusion of various other delegations’ ideas and national concerns. Each student works actively in large groups to conduct further research, negotiate proposals, draft resolutions and amendments, and provide convincing speeches on the selected topics. The goal of the conference is to pass unanimous resolutions (multi-page documents on the proposed topic(s) written by all delegations present at committee). The UNEA passed and adopted, in total, seven resolutions to combat Marine Pollution and Marine Biodiversity highlighting green business initiatives, plastics mitigation, microplastic disposal methods, marine biodiversity and protection laws, oil dumping and clean-up solutions, as well as various other themes. My sub-group’s draft resolution was passed without any amendments!
The NMUN conference was an incredibly successful endeavor for me in regard to my personal and professional development. I had the opportunity to lead and facilitate amazingly innovative discussions between large groups of delegates. I got to practice my ability to delegate tasks, initiate and lead mergers, negotiate with people who had opposing views on the topics, and mediate hostile discussion between delegates. My delegation received the highest level of award at the ceremony, the Outstanding Delegation Award, for our leadership ability and overall performance. While I did not personally get the chance to speak officially in my committee, I was still able to make important announcements and compelling speeches within my working group. I received many compliments on my composure, mediation, and leadership ability from other delegates. I also appreciated the opportunity to network with international undergraduate and graduate students and make long-lasting professional connections with university students from various countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. This conference was a significant step in my personal and professional development, as I now feel more confident and comfortable leading large groups and communicating quickly and effectively within large divisions. NMUN allowed me to present my ideas and debate issues of importance in a high-intensity environment. The fast-paced format forced me to adapt and evolve my time management skills and overall efficiency. I learned, through presenting my work and negotiating with others, how to be more inclusive of opposing opinions while still allowing my ideas to drive conversation and establish future goals. I believe this experience has made me a better, more respectful leader and has helped me develop my personal leadership style. I look forward to continuing this progression and development in the future by participating in more programs like NMUN.
NMUN conferences are a fantastic opportunity for any student who desires to improve their public speaking abilities, practice debate and negotiation, and develop confidence and leadership skills. Based on my experience, I would advise future delegates to prepare as thoroughly as possible, keep an open mind, and be inclusive and respectful of others above all else. Nothing is more important than collaboration and teamwork during these events! Each and every one of my classmates and I are passionate about this experience and are actively looking for new recruits for next year as well as additional opportunities to attend more conferences this year. This was a powerful event for so many of us, and we are looking into any opportunity to expand on these skills and compete at a higher level to demonstrate our research and performance abilities! I hope that another National Model United Nations event is on the horizon for me in the near future!