The bi-yearly edition of Asian University for Women International Model United Nations (AUWIMUN) was hosted by the Asian University for Women Model United Nations (AUWMUN) Club from February 21 to 24, 2018 at the university premises in Chittagong. As many as 130 delegates participated in seven committees of the conference. The committees were WFP, UNCSW, Intermediate- UNEP, WTO, IOC, Advanced- IAEA and UNSC-CTC. In the committee session, the participants talked about a fixed agenda. UNCSW talked about addressing the effects of violence on women's health status and quality of life; UNSC-CTC's agenda was Qatar-Gulf crisis. UNEP prepared a resolution paper on combating ocean pollution and re-looking at regional maritime affairs. All of these resolution papers were presented in front of all the committees, and the present delegates passed their resolution papers by upholding their placards as a sign of seconding and defending the resolution keeping in the mind that they are the delegates of the country and they follow the country's resolution.
This was also the fourth edition of MUNs hosted by the club so far. With delegates and executive board members coming in from countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and host Bangladesh to take part in the conference, the event was one of the most diverse ones in the country. The secretariat comprised of club members from over 12 Asian countries. With the hope to make people 'fall in love with MUNs again' and keeping in mind the recent trends in the MUN circuit of the country, the organisers are continuing its legacy of hosting an event with the most diverse, all-women's secretariat body in the region.
When talking about what her expectations were in the days leading to the conference, the Secretary General Insiya Khan mentioned, "We had a number of things in mind. When we were planning the event, our goal was not just to work on developing issues but also to develop ourselves personally. Considering the challenging and intriguing agendas that we had come up with to debate on, we expected our respected executive board members to be the best mentors, and they gave their best in guiding the delegates through the intense four days of committee sessions. We always hoped that youths would learn, grow, and develop from this conference. I personally wished that people would learn to love MUNs all over again by the end of the conference something which I believe we have been able to achieve. As a result of which, I thoroughly believe, this resulted in the success of our conference."
The Plenary President, Samiha Sahel, who was also the Secretary General of the last year's edition of the conference, commented, "It was beautiful to watch the organisers' motto of ‘making people fall in love with MUN’ transforming into reality. For this there are list of people who are to be applauded for, the very competent executive body members, the diligent delegates and the most dedicated secretariat members. Being a part of the conference since day one, it was amazing to watch the enthusiastic and dynamic delegates cracking down the agendas so constructively. Another interesting aspect was having the new comers perform fantastically during the sessions. And for the side factors, such as organising the first ever carnival themed socials in Bangladesh, conducting a very diverse global village and finishing with a pumped up gala dinner, these added to the valuable experience, delegates managed to pick up from this conference. We hope the participants will take part in more conferences and keep loving the real essence, that is to gain knowledge and build networking, of MUN's more."
Through organising the event, the whole team gained an enriching learning experience. Sharing that, the Secretary General said, "When I look back, dealing with so many people was definitely a challenge for the whole organising body. Attending to different people with their numerous issues and queries has definitely been a learning experience. Even on a personal level, I have learnt endurance and its value through every step of the organising process-- something which, not just me, but every single member of the team will cherish for a very long time."
The writer is currently studying in the final year, major in PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) at Asian University for Women (AUW). She can be reached at raisa.ashraf@auw.edu.bd