MUN at Magdalen College School

Wychwood Girls at the United Nations

This weekend of saw the (Model) United Nations come to Magdalen College School in Oxford and Wychwood girls were there. There were 13 Wychwood delegates at the UN from the Inters up to the Upper Transits making our delegation by far the youngest one there. This didn’t put the girls off though as they lobbied, moved resolutions, asked questions and voted for and against on a whole range of topics. Wychwood girls represented Indonesia, Rwanda and Japan. There were about 250 delegates in all from schools far and wide including Headington, Abingdon and Cheney schools nearby and Westminster, Hampton and Alleyn’s schools from afar.

We arrived on Friday evening and after a keynote speech from diplomatic expert Dr Andrew Rathmell the girls got down to lobbying for resolutions they had previously prepared to see which would be debated the next day. Each delegate was assigned a committee (Environment and Health, Human Rights, Political, Middle East, Historical) and the resolutions agreed for discussion were debated all day Saturday and Sunday morning by each committee. This certainly was not a picnic! The girls acquitted themselves very well and thoroughly earned their lunches!

There was a General Assembly meeting on Sunday afternoon when all delegates came together to discuss an emergency resolution. In front of the 250 delegates Sophia (Upper Transits) stood up and made her contribution both clearly and well.

At the final closing ceremony, awards were given and Jasmine (Inters) won the award for best young delegate in the Middle East committee – well done Jasmine!

The girls returned to school on Sunday tired but buzzing from the excitement of engaging with so many other young people, discussing issues important to our world.

They will have a chance to do it all over again when Wychwood goes to Haberdashers Aske’s school on 16^th March for the next Model United Nations.