Students participate in Model United Nations Sessions

Environment Minister the Hon Earl Deveaux addresses the Model United Nations Sessions held at the Police Conference Centre on April 26. (Photo by Azaleta Ishmael-Newry)

The Eleuthera team was made up of four Preston Albury High School students: Gequahn Colebrooke, Jermaine Sands, Oceanna Carey and Carleen Etienne and two Advisers/Coaches: Mrs. Anna Horton and Ms. Nicole Evans - thanks to the support of The Rotary Club of Eleuthera and Pineapple Fields.

(Nassau, Bahamas, BIS)-- Forty-seven students representing 13 high schools from throughout The Bahamas participated in the 13th Model United Nations Sessions (MUNS) held on April 26.

MUNS is a simulation of the United Nations within an academic platform. The objective of the sessions is to educate and train the participants in matters relating to civics, issues of globalization, communication and diplomacy.

Four students from each school are assigned a country and participate in a simulated session of an intergovernmental organization. The students take on the role of diplomats of the representative countries of the United Nations.

Environment Minister the Hon Earl Deveaux presented remarks on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs the Hon Brent Symonette before the sessions began.  

The topics selected were “significant” to the role of the United Nations in the 21st century in the areas of technological advancement and free trade respectively, as “industrialized countries play an increasingly important role in the transference of technological expertise to smaller, less developed states,” Mr Deveaux said.

“The principles of free trade will continue to eliminate borders and stimulate the implementation of policies which promote national development and economic sustainability,” he added.

The Minister congratulated the students and their advisors for their efforts and long hours of research and preparation and also thanked the Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas for partnering with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to host the event.
The students participated in debates during two sessions. The topic for the morning session was “Is the United Nations meeting the needs of all its Member States in order to benefit from the exponential expansion of technological advances already evident in the beginning of the 21st Century?”
The topic for the afternoon session was "In a rapidly globalizing world, does ‘Free Trade’ contribute to development for all countries? Are the benefits of globalization evenly distributed?”
 

The judges included His Excellency Jose Luis Ponce Caraballo, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to The Bahamas; Dr Carlton Watson, from The College of The Bahamas; Dr Llewellyn Curling, COB; Caldwell Pratt, Deputy Director, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport; Raymond Winder, Managing Partner, Deloitte & Touch and Philip Simon, Executive Director, The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce.  

The winners will receive an all expense paid trip to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 65th Session during (end September/early October 2010). 

They will hear the Hon Brent Symonette deliver remarks to the Assembly. Second place winners received laptops and all winners received trophies. All participants received certificates and prizes.

The winners are: Queen’s College High School representing Japan; 2nd place: St. Andrew’s High School representing Singapore and 3rd place: New Age Academy, from Turks and Caicos Islands representing Chile.