On a recent visit to Montreal, The Trent delegation took part in McMUN, a model United Nations conference hosted by McGill at the Sheraton. On the weekend of January 25 to January 27, the delegates worked side by side with delegates coming from as far away as Namibia and France. Working in different committees, participants wrote, sponsored, and argued for or against draft resolutions that could rival those of the UN itself.
Alex Lavasidis worked to implement environmental reform and green energy targets on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), while Aaron Farrell argued for cleaner action and more sustainable practices in Oil and Gas Producers (OGP). Alex McKee lobbied for micro-finance, more transparency surrounding aid to developing nations and spending, ensuring Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) are held accountable when extracting resources in developing countries. The conference, with its 1,400 delegates and 500 staff, left everyone feeling tired but satisfied with the outcome of their efforts by the Sunday’s closing ceremonies.
Looking back upon the weekend, the knowledge surrounding internal economics of developing nations and the problems they face and potential solutions that were proposed, along with the public speaking practice, the many new friends met, and the three days of suiting up and having business-style lunches with committees make this a rare opportunity for students. The Trent Model United Nations Society (TMUNS) challenges Trent students interested in global issues and solutions to look into attending next year’s conference as prospective delegates. For more information on how to get involved, please contact tmuns.time@gmail.com.