Written by Vishan Nigam, Vice President of the Princeton International Relations Council and a member of the Secretariat of PMUNC 2016.
Delegates hear from human rights expert Martin S. Flaherty
At Opening Ceremonies, PMUNC Secretary-General Emily Chen and Charge d’Affaires Alis Yoo welcomed the delegates to the conference, some of whom came from as far away as Italy, Turkey, India, and China. Before beginning debate, the delegates and staff were honored to hear from Martin S. Flaherty, the Leitner Family Professor of Law at Fordham Law School and a Visiting Professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Professor Flaherty spoke about the importance of international institutions like the United Nations in the face of modern conflicts, and the duty that all delegates had to understand the system and work towards better human rights around the world.
After that, it was time to debate! Delegates broke into 21 committees, divided into General Assembly, Specialized, and Crisis committees. The large General Assemblies considered significant global problems, ranging from the Kashmir conflict to Human Trafficking to Police Brutality. The Specialized committees simulated smaller groups of countries and more precise topics—OPEC debated price controls in the aftermath of the global oil market crash, and the Chinese Politburo debated control of the media within China itself.
As usual, PMUNC included an innovative group of modern and historical crisis committees, ranging from the UN Security Council to the High Council of Tsar Nicholas II. The hallmark of this year’s conference was the JCC: 1971 East Pakistan Crisis, in which delegates role-played members of the Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi governments. For the first time, PMUNC also included two Novice Committees, the Polish Cabinet and NATO, which allowed new delegates to quickly adjust to the pace of debate.
All in all, it was a successful conference, and the Secretariat looks forward to welcoming (and welcoming back) delegates from all over the world to PMUNC 2017!
Best Large Delegation: University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
Outstanding Large Delegation: The Dalton School
Best Small Delegation: West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Outstanding Small Delegation: South Brunswick High School
Delegates in the UNHCR
Crisis staffers coordinate the JCC: 1971 East Pakistan Crisis from the War Room
