Model United Nations, an academic simulation of the United Nations in New York, is an activity that Ermitage has been participating in for about 15 years. While Model UN is common to most schools in the United States and Great Britain, it remains relatively rare in the French system. Ermitage has been somewhat of a pioneer in this very challenging and rewarding activity.

 

Model UN places students at the center of contemporary global challenges and conflicts. Every Wednesday, students develop their debating, negotiating and public speaking skills, which are then displayed at the international conferences in which Ermitage participates. We even won the prize for Best High School Delegation in 2019 at the WIMUN Conference at the United Nations in New York City. Ermitage is also working on its second annual conference which will take place at the end of November.

 

 

So, despite the challenges we have faced due to the pandemic, the Model UN group of Ermitage continues to be very active at the lycée. This year we have focused on topics such as LGBTQ rights in the world, the geopolitical tensions regarding Taiwan and most recently, the question of tax avoidance surrounding the Pandora Papers. As has always been the case, the work we do is done in English but the group is open to all students, and we encourage anyone who might be interested to contact us for more information.