MODEL UNITED NATIONS ASSEMBLY FOR YOUTH:
In late 1994, the Rotary Club of Adliya, District 2450, met to consider how their branch of Rotary International might best honour the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. One of the proposed ideas was to host a Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) which would bring high school students together to debate contemporary world issues. The task appeared daunting as nothing of this sort had been held in Bahrain before. But armed with enthusiasm and dedication to see this project succeed, Rotary Club of Adliya members and school directors set to work – the result in April 1995 was Bahrain’s first Model United Nations. Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Education, 45 delegates met to discuss the Question of Aids and the Question of the Storage and Disposal of Toxic Waste.
Upon conclusion of the three-day event, little thought had been given by the organising committee as to whether there would be a Model UN (MUN) the following year. At the closing ceremony, the students in effect made their own decision – so great was the interest and enthusiasm for an MUN the following year that what is now known as “Rotary Model United Nations” (ROTMUN) was born.
The following year, ROTMUN II grew to 71 countries and organisations and debated the issues of population growth and sustainable economic development and the function of the UN Security Council into the twenty-first century. ROTMUN III in 1997 witnessed not only an expansion in delegates to 90 but also the creation of a student press corps and participation by our first overseas delegation from Ankara, Turkey. Working with the Bahrain Tribune, the student press corps, composed of both government and private school students, reported on all aspects of delegate activity such as lobbying, merging and formal and informal debate. Their incisive interviews aptly demonstrated that their knowledge of the issues was as good as that of the delegates themselves. The press corps even had its own political cartoonist! The Ankara American High School of Ankara, Turkey was the first off-island participant and began the growth of ROTMUN as a regional model UN. The issues debated at ROTMUN III were the world debt crisis and the Middle East peace process. The year 1997 also marked the appearance of the programme booklet in both English and Arabic.
The 90 countries and intergovernmental organisations at ROTMUN IV in 1998 debated nuclear, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction and the economic, social and political rights of women. The regional stature of ROTMUN continued to grow with the return of Ankara American School and the addition of the American School of Doha.
ROTMUN V, held under the patronage of the Undersecretary of Labour and Social Affairs, debated the issues of child labour and water rights. Besides welcoming a new off-island school, the American Community School of Beirut, the press corps expanded to include an Arabic language delegation to cover MUN deliberations for the Arabic news media. Finally, ROTMUN V included the addition of a Security Council which debated “real world” threats to international peace and security.
The General Assembly at this sixth session of ROTMUN will be debating the Question of the Return or Restitution of Cultural Properties to their Countries of Origin and the Question of Restructuring the Rules of Warfare / Rules of Engagement Regarding Advanced Military Technology. The Security Council will continue to debate issues affecting international peace and security, none of which are amenable to simple or quick solutions. In order to increase student opportunities to participate in ROTMUN, this session includes the addition of the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Several new schools joined ROTMUN this year: Al-Hekma International Model School in Bahrain and Port Said American School from Cairo, Egypt.
AIMS OF MUNA
A model United Nations assembly simulates the process of negotiation, discussion, diplomacy and sometimes lively debate which is the corner stone of United Nations activity. In ROTMUN, secondary school students represent a specific country, delineate their own national interests, engage in debate on vital issues and come to a deeper understanding of world affairs. Through the process of reaching consensus, young people make friendships and learn the importance of trust and commitment.
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