Harvard MUN 2022 Blog Post

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This past weekend, Dartmouth's Model United Nations Team, consisting of Eric Leung '24, Tyler Chen '24, Madeleine Shaw '25, Kavya Nivarthy '25, and Liam Conner '25 traveled to Boston to compete in the 68th Annual Harvard Model UN. The young and relatively small team made a forceful impact during their time at the conference, passing original resolutions and amendments in committee, collaborating with college students from around the world, and presenting speeches on relevant global issues.

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Leung and Shaw ultimately came away with the Diplomatic Commendation Award as co-delegates for Switzerland in the Special Political and Decolonization Committee.

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Our time in Boston was eye-opening and engaging. Through committee work, we researched and debated relevant global topics, from depopulation and development in East Asia, to Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, to Latin American conflicts. Chen '24 competed in the signature crisis committee of Model UN (Ad-Hoc), having to respond on his feet to threatening global scenarios like nuclear war and humanitarian emergencies. In debating these issues, submitting working papers, draft resolutions, amendments, and ultimately resolution papers, we explored the myriad solutions to highly relevant global conflicts—like UN humanitarian aid, the creation of regional and interest-based blocs, and development through private institutions like NGOs. The competitive spirit of Model UN was balanced with a necessity for collaboration; in order to produce our written work, we had to form blocs with other delegates and make compromises, while accurately representing the desires and attitudes of our countries.

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We found the strong international presence at the conference to be particularly rewarding, as it afforded us the chance to work and debate with students from as far as Indonesia, Venezuela, Peru, and Colombia. Our intense work in committees over the four days helped foster meaningful relationships with students from various backgrounds, all passionate about international issues

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Our trip did not go without its share of fun and adventure, as we spent time exploring Boston and enjoying delicious meals—from hot pot and dumplings to famous Boston cannolis. We returned to Hanover on Sunday evening truly fulfilled with our exciting and memorable trip, and look forward to growing Dartmouth's Model UN Team and competing at other conferences.

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