SIMUN’s opening ceremony (photo from Piedro Sambuy).
Over 400 delegates from local and overseas international schools congregated to the French School of Singapore (Lycée Francais de Singapour) for the Eleventh Annual Singapore International Model United Nations Conference (SIMUN).
The conference organizers Mr. Sellar and Mr. Grant encourage students to take initiatives and control and therefore pass on all responsibilities onto the Secretaries Generals and the student officer team so as to make SIMUN a student run conference. It benefits from the international setting of Singapore and therefore attracts multicultural and multilingual delegates
Delegate asking a point of information in the Environment Committee (photo by Florent Corchia).
SIMUN encourages all students to participate and to benefit from the didactic objectives of the conference. Therefore, younger students who wish to participate in the conference in the near future are welcomed as securitaries. They are organized and taken care of by the Head Securitary Alexis Millereux and his Deputy Maylis Shwaar Leblanc.
They are guided through debate by the highly experienced and knowledgeable student officers. SIMUN also has a press corp which is comprised of talented and energetic editors and photographers. They are guided by a Victoria Langwallner and Valentin Hoyez and head of press Chloe Villaret.
SMUN has invested its efforts into creating a friendly and non competitive atmosphere and the Secretaries General and Student Officers are always delighted by the delegates efforts to generate a high level of lively and constructive debate though also taking the opportunity to make friends and learn about different points of view. We consider SIMUN to be a learning experience for everyone so the atmosphere at SIMUN is one of mutual respect and eagerness to participate.
Delegates merging and lobbying in the ECOSOC Committee (photo by Florent Corchia).
The first day of the SIMUN conference begins with the opening ceremony where students and participants are welcomed by Mr Sellar, the SIMUN coordinator, the principal of the French school – Mr. Pujol, and the French ambassador Mr. Dubertret and Mr. Pang, as well as the Secretaries Generals. The first day comprises of high quality opening speeches and dynamic lobbying and fruitful merging. The following day committee debates resume and carry on late till the third day.
Secretaries General, Ariane Lo and Aurelie Ducrot with guest speaker Camille Bigot. (photo by Florent Corchia).
As SIMUN is a mainly student run conference, we were given much freedom to experiment ideas and changes to bring to the conference so as to allow delegates to enjoy more debate time and as a result we no longer entertain a Plenary session. We invited SIMUN alumnae as guest speakers: Camille Bigot and Opportune Simon visited committees and Press Corps to share their experience of MUN at university level.
We hope to make this a tradition, where delegates can meet former SIMUN participants and benefit from their first-hand advice. As per tradition, we held the much-anticipated SIMUN cocktail at the end of the closing ceremony, where the French School Sodexo staff and cook prepare mini-eclairs, fruit tarts, curry pies, and many other succulent pastries for delegates to enjoy. It is, of course, also an opportunity for delegates to meet new friends, network and relax at the end of the conference.
Next year, the French School of Singapore will have finished its expansions and is ready to welcome hundreds of new participants. After having experimented with the Security Council, we hope to make SIMUN an E-conference, that is to say a paper-free and eco-friendly conference.
This year’s SIMUN was an incredible learning experience, and we are very grateful to all the delegates, student officers, securitaries and press members for making SIMUN the memorable conference that it is. We are excited to follow SIMUN’s growth in the international MUN community, and hope to return to visit participants in years to come. For all the SIMUN delegates, hold on to your precious memories until the excitement of next March!
For more information about SIMUN, check out their website. Their next conference is scheduled for June 8-12, 2015.
(This Conference Recap was provided by Ariane Lo and Aurelie Ducrot, Secretaries-General of SIMUN XI)
