When Year 10 voted to tackle the global refugee crisis as the topic for their Model United Nations General Assembly, no one anticipated that by the time of MUNGA a further 10 million refugees and internally displaced persons would have been added to the global total following the start of war in Ukraine.
The situation in Ukraine added a note of urgency to the students’ preparations for their off-timetable day on March 24th. Not only was the situation changing rapidly, we were also able to see the UN in action, with a highly unusual emergency session in progress in New York which we could follow live. In addition, we were very aware that the teams for Ukraine and the Russian Federation – particularly the latter – had a difficult path to tread, and these teams met and discussed their approach beforehand. If only things could be arranged this way in the real world.
Year 10 MUNGA was an excellent day: the country teams were very knowledgeable and prepared to adapt and respond as the debate carried on. We also discussed the situation in the South China Sea, another hot topic to which there is no easy solution. Australia brought a shark, North Korea a photograph of their dear leader, and there were crepes from France and cakes from Lebanon to sustain the delegates. Several constructive resolutions to help with the refugee crisis were passed. It was also lots of fun! Very well done to all who took part.
