By Rainne Nocete | September 14, 2023
Students, alumni, and a faculty member of Silliman University (SU) attended the Asia Youth International Model United Nations (AYIMUN) conference on Aug. 12–15 in Malaysia.
“Only 434 delegates were chosen out of the 15,000 applicants,” said Beatriz Ellen Gatanela, a fourth-year entrepreneurship student from the College of Business Administration who participated in the event.
She further noted that all SU delegates are founding members of United Diplomats PH, a national organization that “encourages young people to learn and dive deeper into the world of diplomacy [and] international relations.”
When asked for an overview of the event, she said they had to represent a country in the MUN as a delegate, participate in discussions, and think of ways to tackle global issues.
Gatanela also said that the MUN consisted of two caucuses: moderated and unmoderated.
In a moderated caucus, a delegate could raise an issue related to the topic, and all delegates could share their countries’ stand on the issue through a speech, Gatanela said.
Meanwhile, in an unmoderated caucus, delegates conversed freely with other delegates.
“This is where we write and propose a resolution as a group and get sponsors from the [first-]world countries,” she added.
Other Sillimanians who attended were Heini Borromeo, and Athena Therese Dumaog, third-year social work students; and Princess Jane Capila, a third-year political science student.
Furthermore, Jay Louie Jarbonido and Seth Bariga, alumni from the College of Education, and Jan Cynth L. Palama, a SU Senior High School faculty member, also attended the MUN.
The conference, organized by the International Global Network, is a “platform where youth mentality in leadership, negotiation, and diplomacy will be developed in a Model United Nations,” according to the AYIMUN website.
