MEC MUN 2018- A review

The Govt Model Engineering College conducted its second Model United Nations after the success of its maiden one under the banner “A Forum For Change” on October 6th and 7th at AELI Hills, Aluva, Kochi.

Delegates all over the country turned up for the event. There were over 100 participations this with 2 prominent delegations, namely NUALS and MACE.

Behind the Scenes- The Mighty Preparation

Even Though the event took place in October, preparations began since late June. When the Organising Committee was formed and joined for a meeting. The dates were fixed as September 15 and 16. The meeting was headed by our alumni and The SG of MEC MUN 2017 Adarsh John Roy.

The Secretary-General this time was Jishnu Nair, and two Under-Secretary-Generals, Akshay Balakrishnan and ASWIN SHANIL for Delegate Affairs and Marketing respectively.

I took up my work under Publicity, Content and Delegate Affairs heads. The website and social media handling were done by Albert B George. The Design team in charge was Harinarayanan Shaji. It was my first time in OC. Every other MUN I went was as a delegate. So, it was a good experience working under great leadership.

The logo launch was done in July and we had opened up the Executive Board (EB) applications in August. We had our EB all set by August third week until the Great Floods lashed Kerala.

Due to unexpected floods, we had to shift the dates from September to October 6 and 7. The venue was fixed as AELI Hills, Aluva. The OC also fixed the Three committees which we will be holding- UNGA Disarmament and Denuclearisation(DISEC), UN Human Rights Council(UNHRC) and the UN Security Council (UNSC).

The Honourable Chairs were, Akash Nair and Jerin Mathew for DISEC; Akansha Mishra and Anagh for UNHRC; Sayed and Gautham Arun for UNSC.

By September Second week, we had the posters rolling and the website launched. The Much awaited Event Registration was opened. The Delegates can now choose the committee and the country of their choice, depending upon their taste and prior experience. Akshay, Aswin and I were into the allotment work.

Parallelly we had the Publicity team on the field, inviting students for participation to all major schools and colleges across the city of Kochi and suburbs. We also had participation from TKM Kollam, GEC Kannur, Bhavan’s Girinagar, RSET, Govt Law College and lot more.

On September 20, we released the first allotment and opened up the payment portal as well. The majority of the delegates were first-timers. Subsequently, we also completed the allotments as it came up. It was truly a tough job handling them as we had the internal exams till 4th October.

We had over 206 people who had registered from across the country, which was a credible achievement regarding the MUN participation and Online Publicity. The reach of MEC MUN was wide.

We had over 35 participants from MEC itself, mostly first-timers. So, the OC decided to hold an Interactive Orientation Session regarding what to expect at the event, on 4th October. The Session was highly productive with active participation from the first years.

The Event Day

On the morning of 6th October, everyone crawled to the venue. The registrations began at 8 am and went on till 9:30. We had Retired Justice CN Ramachandran to address the gathering for the Inauguration Ceremony along with the presence of The Principal of MEC. Both of them grazed the occasion with their good words and blessings. Later, The SG in his speech declared the MEC MUN 2018 Open!

Just after the conclusion of the ceremony, tea and snacks were served and the Delegates proceeded to their respective committee venue. I was given in charge of UNHRC to look into the smooth functioning of the committee. The agenda was Protection and promotion of human rights of refugees, IDPs in armed conflict zones with special reference to the Middle East.

The DISEC agenda was Establishment of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the MENA Region and the UNSC was the Comprehensive review of the situation in the Middle East and North Africa. The delegates were introduced to basic rules and committee procedures before breaking for Lunch.

After Lunch session went on smoothly with heated debates and valid points raised from all sides. The first timer delegates also had themselves had very much involved in the debate as well. At 6 pm, The First day was concluded and the delegates were made to be a part of Social Event, where we had people showcased their own talents as well. The crowd dispersed for the day. The accommodation for all the delegates requiring it was arranged in the venue.

Next day, everyone gathered by 10 at the respective halls. Being a two-day MUN, the time was a big constraint. So, the delegates now had the very less time to discuss the possible solutions and draft the Resolution which is the ultimate aim of a committee. The delegates were given time to discuss until Lunch.

Post Lunch, the delegates were busy in preparing the D.R. After the DR preparation, there was an informal session of open confessions and games. This was very much needed to break the ice between the delegates once again and something to remain as memories in their minds before they go back. The DRs of each committee requires the 2/3rd majority to pass.

The UNHRC was not able to pass the resolution, so was DISEC. The UNSC had a successful passage of their Resolution. The Day ended with Award ceremony were the best performers evaluated in each committee as per the EB were rewarded and the Other Participating Delegates were given Certificates. Then everyone had a sad time of going back after two memorable days of their life.

Take Aways

It was truly a great time organising the event. The event has collaborated with United Youth Circuit, an International Organisation. So, the event truly has it's on certificate value. Majority of the volunteers were from my own class, so it was a time well spent with them, introducing and guiding them to a totally new concept. I had a good time discussing different issues with Anagh, also taking some insights regarding Chairing MUNs. It was also good meeting my munning friends, after such a long time. The MECians, especially the first-timers put up an awesome performance at the event. They also bagged a couple of prizes and pledged to attend more MUNs in future as well. It was a great time talking to them as well.

The OC also had a good lesson on Organising the event, as well as taking up the challenge of meeting the expectations of each and every delegate. Like any other event, the participants do have their own expectations and opinions on the same. The mixed responses will, of course, be considered for improvement for the next event. The good sides are what we keep in our hearts and the bad side we leave for next year to mend it.

Acknowledgements

My Special thanks to MEC and the Excel team for an awesome opportunity to host an event like this. AELI Hills may not be the ideal place to be in, but it deserves to have an unforgettable place in our minds. My fellow OC members were an awesome team, after all, working day and night tirelessly for the success of the Event. My special thanks to SG and both the USGs for guiding me and the team members. Not to mention the blessings and legacy of Last year SG for the same.

The Executive Board Members were so nice who took time to come here from far away places, especially Anagh and Akansha, with whom I worked with. My biggest love and gratitude is to all the delegates, whom despite their busy Academic Schedule decided to come here and spend time on something like this. Thanks to all the Volunteers, Photography team, Excel team, Venue managers, etc for the all that they have done without whom this event was not a success.

My hearty Congratulations to all the prize winners and participating delegates. Make sure you come for MECMUN 2019!! and Keep Munning!

Also Read:- https://readmedium.com/munning-101-why-you-should-take-part-19938be45703