by Ms Aalya Rebello and Ms Sara DeSa for BISMumbai

Don Bosco International School, Matunga hosted its third Model United Nations student-led conference on August 16 & 17, 2024, with over 160 student delegates from 18 schools across Mumbai and India participating in the event. 

Renowned Indian freelance-journalist Faye D’Souza, the keynote speaker, encouraged the participants to engage in the proceedings with a spirit of openness, dialogue, and empathy – key elements in promoting world peace.

This conference offered student delegates a platform to develop critical and problem-solving skills while discussing issues affecting persons across nations. Discussions that simulated UN procedures addressed global-scale issues under the banner of six committees: World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Women (UNW) for students of Grade VI to VIII; the Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC), Economic and Financial Committee (ECOFIN), United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and the Joint Crisis Committee (JCC) for Grade IX to XII.  

Across a span of five months, students guided by the faculty curated and implemented the entire event through organizing committees – the ‘secretariat’ that attended to designing the programme; and other teams that enrolled participants, attended to logistics and disseminated information.

While for the members of the ‘secretariat,’ the event was an occasion to curate a more finely tuned event, many first-timers in the organizing team and among the delegates shared that the conference helped them to develop skills in teamwork, organizing, leadership, and communication. Overall, it was an engaging and transforming experience geared towards becoming responsible global citizens.