IB Global Politics

From 29 May to 1 June, our IB Global Politics Class ventured to Cranbrook School at Bellevue Hill to participate in the Harvard Model United Nations Conference (HMUN). The aim of HMUN is to provide ‘delegates’ with insight into the workings of the United Nations and the dynamics of international relations by assuming the roles of world leaders and international decision-makers. HMUN is a challenging opportunity for young leaders to debate the most pressing issues of the day and to draft innovative, creative solutions. We spent our four days discussing global issues in our committees, networking with other delegates, balancing national interests with the interests of the international community, negotiating and collaborating with each other in order to write draft resolutions, and finally, voting them into “international law”. 

• Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC): Paige, Marceline and Caitlin explored ‘Terrorism in the Age of the Internet’.  Paige represented the views of Argentina, while Marceline represented Turkiye and Caitlin represented Switzerland.  The focus of this committee was the global security implications of end-to-end encryptions, how education could be a long-term solution to end global terrorism, how the creation of a UN-run watchdog for monitoring terrorism could improve the safety of vulnerable internet users, and the broader implications of internet security for the world. 

• Legal Committee:  The discussion revolved around ‘Human Rights Obligations of Multinational Tech Corporations in Supply Chain Sourcing’. While advocating for Greece, Carol discussed the exploitation of labour by multinational corporations in developing countries and how the creation of an international body to hold the corporations accountable would be essential in order to mitigate this. 

• United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP):  Julianna argued for the ‘Sustainable Use of Oceans, Seas, and Marine Resources’ on behalf of France. The committee explored how pressing issues such as climate change and the abuse of marine resources such as overfishing, bottom trawling and the breach of Exclusive Economic Zones have negatively affected and depleted our oceans.  A range of sustainable solutions in order to fight these problems was presented. 

Overall, the conference was challenging, exhausting and fun – a great way for our girls to practice their Global Politics knowledge and think critically about the global issues that face our world today.

Tanya Perrit
HSIE Teacher