The Inaugural Ivy League Model United Nations Conference – China (ILMUNC China) Is a Big Success

This recap was provided by Jeffrey Nadel, Business Director for ILMUNC and a Director at ILMUNC China

Having established its international presence over the last few years by holding a sub-conference of the WEMUN Expo in Beijing, the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference has now become a permanent fixture in China. Under the leadership of 2011 University of Pennsylvania graduate Brittany Elliott as Secretary-General and in coordination with WELAND International, seven Penn students traveled to Shanghai in the first week of March to host the first annual ILMUNC-China.

ILMUNC China hosted nearly 700 Chinese high-school students across seven committees for four days of exhilarating debate.  Both faculty advisors and delegates enjoyed the conference, with faculty advisors commenting that ILMUNC China was a great introduction to the world of Model UN for new delegates while still providing a competitive experience for those students who have debated before.

The chairs of ILMUNC China were universally impressed with the level of diplomacy showcased in committee and commended delegates on their ability and willingness to merge ideas with the aim of crafting comprehensive and widely palatable solutions to the world’s most pressing quandaries. The wide array of committees offered at ILMUNC-China included committees from all four organs to provide a committee for every type of delegate.  The committees offered at ILMUNC were SOCHUM, SPECPOL, Legal, UNHCR, UNDP, CSW, and UNSC.

In each committee, the Director (one of the seven Penn students) worked with a team of two to four Assistant Directors, who were Chinese high school students selected from a group of over 100 applicants for their outstanding abilities and impressive experience. Aside from the dais staff, the ILMUNC China team would like to thank an unbelievably dedicated cadre of local volunteers, who assisted with critical logistical needs.

Delegates’ activities certainly did not end with each session’s final gavel. Students availed themselves of the conference’s many opportunities, from participating in the Global Village culture fair and attending Delegate Dance to watching Committee Directors perform a choreographed, traditional dance. Groups of delegates had the opportunity to represent different national cultures; they donned traditional clothing, assembled props and intricate displays, and served food from their assigned countries.

The process was not only one of cultural immersion for delegates and Penn students, but it was indeed one of cross-border synergy. All agreed that the experience of hosting and attending the conference mirrored the lofty ambitions of the United Nations itself: to foster international cooperation, encourage cross-cultural understanding, and provide the tools for diplomacy.

The ILMUNC leadership team, both in the United States and in China, eagerly looks forward to continuing the conference’s successful tradition of hosting one of the highest-caliber high-school Model UN conferences in the United States and around the world.

Check out the ILMUNC Closing Ceremonies video below:

The delegation awards were as follows:

Best Large Delegation: Shanghai High School International Division
Outstanding Large Delegation: Shanghai Pinghe Bilingual School

Best Small Delegation: Pudong Foreign Language School, SISU
Outstanding Small Delegation: Cambridge International Center of Shanghai Normal University

Once again, we’d like to thank the delegates for their hard work and spirited debate, and hope to see them all back next year!