Aug. 1: World issues, imaginary and real, were at the heart of two Model United Nations (MUN) meets in city schools.

JacoMUN

Three days, nine committees and a flurry of thoughts - JacoMUN 2017 hosted by St. James' School tackled issues ranging from nuclear security to the Iraq war.

The Nuclear Security Summit discussed the possibility of a nuclear weapon-free zone in West Asia. After three days of intense debate, the committee passed a formal resolution fulfilling its goals.

Then came the United Nations Crisis Resolution, which was based in an alternative timeline. Twenty-five delegates, representing leaders from different nations, came together to try and resolve the problems of the New World. The hostile relationship between India, China and Pakistan was discussed at length.

Joint crisis cabinets are always thrilling and Bush's War Cabinet and Iraqi War Cabinet were promising ones. The first aimed at correcting the mistakes made by Bush. A war-centric cabinet, it was ultimately successful in overthrowing dictatorship in Iraq. On the other hand, the Iraqi War Cabinet's main aim was to protect the Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein that was threatened by the US forces.

While the United Nations Historic Security Council had assembled to ensure world peace, the Council of Defence Ministers, 2020, was a futuristic committee set up to counter threats posed by extremists.

The World Media Council, too, had an important role to play. Slipping into the roles of famous journalists across the globe, the students deliberated on various topics related to the media.

Last but not the least were Summit of Financial Leaders, the largest committee, and All India Political Parties' Meet, the only Indian committee. The former tried to come up with an alternative source of earning for West Asia following a post-oil era and the latter focused on two broad topics - external terrorism and demonetisation - and their effect on our country.

It was a tough call for the chairpersons to choose the best delegates and the best and outstanding delegations. Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, received the Best Delegation trophy and Don Bosco School, Park Circus, was adjudged Outstanding Delegation.

A former student of St. James' School and secretary general of the MUN, Andolan Sarkar, was happy with the response. "I have seen this conference evolve over the years. The delegates were extremely well-researched, and it was a brilliant experience for us."

Under secretary general Treenok Guha, Class XII, couldn't agree more. "JacoMUN has always had a special place in my heart. My first Model UN conference was in 2014 and since then I've participated in and chaired over 25 MUNs. JacoMUN is an important stepping stone for me," he said.

Principal T.H. Ireland praised the efforts of the students. "With each passing year, MUNs are becoming increasingly popular. Students get a lot of exposure from these events, and their confidence level also rises," he said.

LMC MUN

The La Martiniere Calcutta Model United Nations conference saw around 400 students from 35 schools across the country engage in a war of words and wit.

The three-day event was held under the leadership of secretary general Akshat Daga and deputy secretary general Rohin Mukherjee, both students of Class XII.

The committees ranged from conventional ones such as the United Nations General Assembly (chaired by Akangsha Biswas and Peshall Madan), The Historic Security Council (chaired by Charisma Josephine Nathan), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (chaired by Prithvi Singh Rai) to offbeat ones such as the Organisation of American States (chaired by Aastha Sahay and Vanshika Kundra), the Colombian Cabinet (chaired by Rohin Mukherjee), The San Francisco Conference (chaired by Kausar Patherya) and the Fuhrer's Reich (chaired by Pratiksha Chaudhuri). All the chairpersons were students of Class XII.

"MUNing has contributed to the growth of students in many different ways. It teaches them to communicate with each other and agree and disagree with each other," said Rupkatha Sarkar, the principal of La Martiniere for Girls.

John Rafi, the principal of La Martiniere for Boys, said students are always eager to get into the circuit from a very young age. "The rich MUNing tradition in the La Martiniere schools was evident in the level of debate that they engaged in and the stellar way in which the chairs managed their committees," he said.

"With the simulation of these committees, some of which the Calcutta MUN circuit is seeing for the very first time, it is safe to say that the conference was a success," secretary general Akshat Daga said.

Pictures by Koushik Saha and Gopal Senapati