World Model United Nations 2012 in Vancouver

As part of the UBC host committee team for the World Model United Nations 2012 conference, I have had the pleasure and delight of meeting bright young people and learning about ‘coming together and going beyond.’ Last night was the Opening Ceremony, which took place at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver. I was sitting with my fellow host team members near the front, near VIP guests, like the United Nations Director of Outreach, Maher Nasser, and the Harvard Secretariat.  When I turned around and looked at the massive theatre being filled with 2,000 university delegates from around the world, I just sat there in awe. It was intriguing to see different outfits and flags in the crowd, and to hear languages that I had not even heard before.

We were lucky to have two special guest speakers at the ceremony: Dr. Nasser, Jeremy Kinsman – former Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ambassador. Each of them had unique and inspirational things to say to the global audience, but there was one message in common that I took home. They told us that there are many political, economic, and social issues that affect human beings the same. Without global cooperation and contribution, these issues will remain unresolved. While it can seem challenging to try to tackle such big issues, like climate change and human rights abuse, there is a way to make it less daunting. Mr Kinsman used a very neat analogy to give us some words of encouragement, saying that, instead of considering ourselves as small waves that hit the shoreline and bounce back to nothingness, we should see ourselves as simply being part of the entire ocean. That way, each time we hit a cliff or the coast, we won’t feel like we digress or disappear but like we remain part of something bigger. Their words reminded me of the importance of staying informed about the world and participating in my own ways to contribute to change. Our motto for World MUN 2012 tells us to “come together, go beyond,” echoing the actions of the lively political discussions of POLI333 blogs and of the WorldMUN delegates from 200 countries around the world.