This year from the 30th of March and the 2nd of April, 20 students from the Model United Nation club travelled to Holland to attend the Haarlem Model United Nations 2023 conference. The MUN program has been running at the Ermitage International School for almost 20 years, where it has been very successful. In an academic United Nations simulation, it offers students the opportunity to play the role of delegates from different countries and to discuss contemporary world issues.

During the Haarlem conference, two of our 20 students had the opportunity to play the role of Chairperson. This prestigious position allowed them to lead their own committee discussions around the theme “Power: What makes the world turn around?”

Milo C., a 1ère BFI student at the Ermitage International School, shares with us the experience he lived during this trip, full of discovery and debates:

Along with our MUN Director Mr. Hager, Mr. Wall and Karim, we arrived in Amsterdam on the morning of the 30^th and immediately started walking and exploring the beautiful city. Between friends we were able to enjoy local delicacies, and all together we had the chance to visit the Rijksmuseum. Students were also able to visit the once in a lifetime Vermeer exhibition, considered by many to be the most important current art exposition.

The next three days were spent in intense debate, allowing each participating student to showcase their individual skills, as well as learn new ones. Incredible displays of eloquence, argumentation, and compromise, stood out during the conference. Student delegates worked together to find solutions to current world problems, be it global warming or the war in Ukraine in a diplomatic manner, proving the efficiency of all countries uniting themselves to fight for a better future. In each committee, certain students distinguished themselves through debate and earned the best delegate award, which two Ermitage students managed to claim: One in the Expert Committee, and the other in the Ecological Committee. Outside of the hours of debate, students stayed with host families who did a great job of making us feel welcome and ensuring that the fun didn’t stop with the debate. We arrived back in Paris on the night of the 2nd. Although I can only speak for myself, I arrived back home extremely content with this incredible experience.

Text from Milo C. (1ère BFI)