German Model UN Conference 2017
- 28 Jul 2017
On Friday 23 June, four Year 12 German students slipped into the role of Australian diplomats to discuss the topic "Combating Climate Change: Committing to Global Action".
After registration, the conference was opened by representatives of UNAA Victoria, the Department of Education and the Association of German Teachers Victoria. After a short German video on world-wide climate change issues, Josef Berger, a German teacher, explained the Model UN Conference Protocol and opened the General Assembly.
All assembled countries then presented their position papers. Students had to represent the political position of the country and not their personal views which sometimes caused quite a challenge, especially for McKinnon students who had to represent Australia. Thorough research and following the current daily changes in Australian energy policies made the preparation for our students quite interesting to the last minute. The preparation for this event, which was held entirely in German, was only possible with additional commitment of students in lunchtimes, after school meetings and online collaboration.
After a delicious Morning Tea with traditional German delicacies, the morning continued with a moderated and unmoderated Caucus session, where students keenly debated topical current climate issues representing their allocated countries. Students presented and negotiated amendments with the support of delegates from other countries, all conducted in German.
After lunch, students met in a General Assembly Amendment Session, where changes to the resolution were debated. The entire amended resolution was then put to a vote and the final resolution was passed.
After intense listening all day and using their German communication skills in debates, the General Secretary congratulated the students on their achievements on the day and closed the conference at 3:00pm.
Congratulations to Bridget Schwerdt, Sarah Tritt, Thomas Broadbent and Avinash Thandaoori for their great performance on the day.
Andrea Fowler
Head of Languages
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