In Model United Nations, students have the opportunity to discuss current events and attend conferences.

One assumes the role of a delegate representing a country and must debate with other delegates on a specific topic. In Model UN, a student must be familiar with their country’s domestic policy and consider how possible action either benefits or harms their country. They must also consider how action can be taken with agreement from other nations. 

I had the opportunity to attend the virtual Best Delegate Model UN conference on Saturday, April 23, 2022. I represented the Philippines, and the committee was focused on the topic of “Reducing Poverty.” First, I researched how the Philippines has been dealing with poverty through actions such as increasing taxes for the rich and funding homeless shelters for the poor. I found the agricultural infrastructure particularly interesting, as there are various factors that influence crop growth and hindrances that prevent distribution. At the conference, I wanted to contribute the importance of climate change to the discussion, as the Philippines is located in an area prone to severe storms.

There was a variety of other perspectives from other countries that were essential to reducing poverty, and attending the conference reminded me of the importance of cooperation between countries to solve world issues. Global poverty is an extremely vast issue to tackle, but the United Nations relies on countries to work together and pass resolutions that can at least help the problem, if not eliminate it.