An outstanding day of debate at The Queen's School

230 students from 15 schools across the North West, and one from Jersey, descended on The Queen’s School in Chester for a day of debate on geopolitics and international diplomacy.

QMUN 3 is the third student-led Model United Nations conference held at Queen’s and the event was opened by executive coach, moderator, advisor and geopolitical expert, Xenia Wickett, who delivered a keynote speech on the conference theme of progress. She has worked in the White House, where she led on South Asia policy and helped set up Homeland Security after 9/11.

Xenia began her speech saying: “At a meeting in the US last week I was in a room with some of the smartest people in the world today – former and current presidents, prime ministers, diplomats and academics. Today, I’m again in a room with some of the smartest people in the world today – you. I think today’s is the more important meeting.”

The students tackled topics as varied as the use of Ozempic for weight loss, youth progression into gangs and the repatriation of cultural property, in committees ranging from the Security Council to Human Rights and Health.

MUN is a virtually entirely student-led and student-run activity, and this year more than ever before, organisation of the conference was in the hands of the QMUN Secretariat, made up of Queen’s most experienced MUNers.

Dr Jochen Scherer supports and mentors the pupils throughout the process, he said: “I am so proud of all the pupils who have been involved in organising and hosting what was an outstanding event. Their job started months ago with selecting topics for debate and writing briefing papers and skeleton resolutions. They handled communications with participating schools, managed the application process for guest-chairing positions, completed all the admin associated with allocating countries to schools and, crucially, developed the Crisis scenario revealed on the day of the conference. MUN provides a unique opportunity to develop so many skills from debating and public speaking, to research, confidence, and leadership and each and every one of our pupils went above and beyond to deliver a conference to remember.”

The event provides a range of opportunities for students to get involved in addition to being a delegate or, for senior MUNers, a position as a chair. The Press Team was led by Scarlett in Year 13 and included students from Years 8-10 who recorded the briefing video for the Crisis, and produced a newsletter and video of the conference, both being published in time for the Closing Ceremony using footage collected and shot on the day.

They demonstrated their ability to grasp a brief, get themselves organised as a team, and deliver to a tight deadline. And no MUN conference would be complete without the team of ‘runners’, who tirelessly helped with various logistical aspects of the day and, most importantly, with collecting and delivering the diplomatic notes delegates were sending to each other.

A particular highlight of this year’s conference was the introduction of QMUN-branded cotton tote bags, which were given as prizes to all winners of awards at the Closing Ceremony!

At the end of the day, QMUN Secretary General, Anoushka in Year 13, brought her gavel down on the sounding block to close what was an energising day that will, hopefully, inspire the pupils to venture forth to be agents of change in the world.