Guest column: My trip to The Netherlands to debate in The Hague International Model United Nations

In this article, 17-year-old high school student Russel John Evans describes his experience traveling to The Netherlands to debate with the Online Model United Nations team at The Hague.

From an early age, I have always been interested in politics. I enjoy following global happenings involving poverty, economics, war, and humanitarian efforts to help those in need, as well as numerous other issues that affect the well-being of each and every human regardless of race, gender, or religion.

To strengthen my knowledge of political systems, I joined a group called the Online Model United Nations (O-MUN) in March 2012. It is a Model United Nations (MUN) program where high school students discuss and debate global issues that affect us all.

For my first O-MUN debate, I was assigned to represent Switzerland on issues surrounding Syria. My job was to debate with other member countries and vote on the resolution put before us. Shortly after assuming this role, I was named the Executive Administrative Officer for the United States to aid in expanding O-MUN in North America. We regularly hold online debates that resemble the functions of the long-established United Nations.

Recently O-MUN travelled to The Netherlands to participate in The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN). I arrived in Amsterdam on the morning of January 26th and met up with other members of O-MUN to board a shuttle to The Hague, which is roughly 40 minutes from Amsterdam.

Our delegation was the most multi-faceted group at THIMUN. Whereas other delegations were comprised of students from one high school, O-MUN is a completely free online MUN program that allows students from all over the world to debate multiple times. For me, participating in O-MUN was the only way that I could have attended THIMUN, as my school’s MUN program is relatively unknown and does not operate during the first part of the year.  

Being an online program, the students involved in O-MUN are as varied as the THIMUN conference itself. Our delegation had students from the United States (myself, McKenna Tucker, and Omar Naguib), the United Kingdom (Chris Bishop), Singapore (Rameez Remsudeen), Israel (Salam Keadan), Lebanon (Hasan Shami), Jordan (Nadine Fattaleh), and Taiwan (Nick Yeh). Together we had to represent the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC), an intergovernmental organization of twelve oil-exporting nations that coordinates the petroleum policies of its member countries. In addition to O-MUN’s diverse group of THIMUN delegates, Audrey and Thas - our wonderful chaperones - came from the U.S. and Hong Kong, respectively. Our delegation director, O-MUN founder Lisa Martin, came from her current home of Amman, Jordan.

Over 4,000 students from across the globe attended THIMUN, the largest MUN conference in the world. The event is all about encouraging diplomacy and cooperation in tomorrow’s leaders. MUN is essentially a simulation of the United Nations in which students are assigned a country to debate pressing global issues. At most MUN conferences, and especially THIMUN, diversity is to be expected. For example, sitting next to me in the committee room was a student from India and another student from China who is currently living in The Netherlands.

The week of debating began on Monday, January 28th and went through Friday, February 1st. Among the topics discussed were renewable energy in developing nations, access to public transportation, and globalization. Most of the delegations present supported a "hyper expansion of renewable energy." However, because OPEC is an organization that represents oil-rich countries, we took the opposite stance on this issue. My job was to sway the opinions of delegates to support OPEC’s point of view. Despite my best efforts, however, the resolution supporting renewable energy for developing countries passed.

Of course, my own view on renewable energy is that developed nations should be moving away from fossil fuels and toward alternative sources of energy as quickly as possible, as they are the largest polluters and have the financial resources to implement renewable energy programs. Developing countries should also begin to develop new energy sources, though the rate of this expansion could be hindered by financial constraints and the state of the global economy. So part of me was nevertheless encouraged to see the resolution pass.

On Thursday and Friday, O-MUN held demonstration debates for students and directors to examine the program. As the first online MUN program ever invited to a THIMUN conference, it was important for us to debate at a first-rate level and demonstrate the caliber of our program to the largest MUN conference in the world. In the end, three of our delegates passed resolutions in their committees.

As a high school senior, I am both saddened and thrilled to say that THIMUN will be my second and last high school MUN conference. Saddened because I will not be able to debate all of the issues for next year’s conference as I will no longer be a high school student; thrilled because I’ve ended my high school MUN career attending the most prominent international MUN conference.

Our week in The Netherlands was one that I will always cherish, and the friendships that I made there will be long-lasting. The other great aspect was seeing how MUN can bring people from diverse backgrounds together. Students from Lebanon, Israel, India, Pakistan, and elsewhere overlooked their national, ethnic, and political differences and attempted to find feasible solutions to global challenges. And while the solutions we adopted will not immediately change anything in the real world, they are being contemplated and deliberated by the next generation of leaders and will certainly have an impact in the very near future.

O-MUN, and MUN in general, is something that all high school students should consider trying. By gaining an appreciation for global affairs, students become better citizens of the world. Through O-MUN, students are able to practice their public speaking and debating skills in a pressure-free environment, which not only helps us perform well at the MUN conferences, but also trains us to enter professions such as law and politics where strong public speaking skills are required. I highly recommend this valuable program to any high school student who is interested in politics and world affairs.