After surviving the morning traffic, we registered and congregated as a group. With three other schools in attendance, there was a welcome talk from a very competent General Secretary (a Year 13 student at Caroline Chisholm) for the event followed by an overview of the United Nations by Andrew Lawday who has worked for the European Union for over three decades.

Delegates then headed off to their committee rooms to present their country’s perspective and position on a range of given topics, including: the effectiveness of the international development aid in reducing poverty; the ethical and medical frameworks for euthanasia in global healthcare systems; strengthening international cooperation to combat transnational terrorism and violent extremism and protecting freedom of expression in the digital age: balancing security, misinformation, and civil liberties. Our students were asked to represent the following countries: the United States of America; Nigeria; Japan and the United Kingdom. It was an intense process to say the least.

With delegates representing over thirteen countries, students’ wealth of knowledge revealed sound research. Presenting in front of complete strangers is never easy so I was really impressed by all students. Students had to work alone in these sessions. They presented their ideas with clarity and were genuinely engaged in the whole process. After hearing other views, students were able to discuss their stance with other delegates, hoping to learn more, form alliances and negotiate their positions. Students took to this task freely and, even when the break came, the students continued to converse with their peers for the vast majority of the time. After the break, delegates were able to further elaborate on their stance and face questions. I was lucky enough to hear Verity, Patricia, Rachel and Sehrish in this part of the process. The students were phenomenal, clearly enjoying the challenge of the process. I found it fascinating to see our students cross-question each other, genuinely making them think hard to overcome some very challenging scenarios. Having established allies with different countries, students worked in smaller caucuses to adapt proposed resolutions. It was great to hear students discussing the intricacies of their ideas and finely tune them in order to establish credibility. This was not debate but discussion and careful deliberation over the complexities of the issues. Each room then presented their resolutions before facing scrutiny from those in opposition. Voting then took place to decide if resolutions would be passed.

The event culminated in assessment of the work covered throughout the day by Andrew Lawday, which was both meticulous, helpful and insightful. His suggestions revealed how different countries must work hard to represent their countries but also be mindful of the needs of different nations, too. Diplomacy is not easy by all accounts.

The theme for the event encouraged delegates to explore how diplomacy, cooperation, and innovative thinking can be used to resolve global challenges. Students considered the importance of balancing peacekeeping efforts with sustainable development, as well as fostering progress to maintain stability in an ever-changing world. This was an exciting

opportunity to explore a range of diverse subjects and to work with their peers in a competitive environment. Special mention should go to all the students who won awards, especially Benji in Year 11 who was exceptional in his ability as he competed against students in Years 12 and 13. Everyone had a great experience, and we are very much looking forward to next year’s event. We wish to thank everyone at Caroline Chisholm for inviting us to such a superb event and making us all feel so very welcome.