BEIMUN 2009
March 24th, 2009
The recent MUN trip to Beijing was a fitting finale for our seniors Erica Jang, Ching Lin and Alex Hsu. Held at the newly built 5-star Crown Royal hotel the ninth annual BEIMUN conference was our school’s first MUN conference in mainland China. So to capitalize on the opportunity, the students, Pamela and I took in the rich historical and cultural sites that the Chinese capital has to offer. We scaled the Great Wall, descended into the Ming Dynasty tomb of Emperor Shenzong and, of course, filled up on Northern-style hot pot and crispy duck.
The conference was well-run and provided the perfect venue for our students to show off their stuff. Erica represented the World Food Program and spoke out in her committee about the vital need for agricultural development in the developing world. Alex represented the well-known NGO Greenpeace and tackled the problem of fossil fuel dependency. Ching, as Rwanda, spoke out in support of the right to euthanasia, as well as the need to protect human rights in conflict zones. Our 10th grade duo Antony and Derek also came ready to grab the torch that will be passed to them after our seniors graduate in June. Antony represented Rwanda in the special conference on food security and focused on providing solutions to land-locked countries in need of access to water. Derek gave a fiery opening speech about the conflict in Palestine-Israel and continued with his enthusiastic participation throughout the three day conference.
As our school seeks out the best MUN conferences around the globe, it is nice to know that there is one just across the strait. I can’t think of a better way to foster a positive future between our island and the mainland, than to send our brightest young minds over there to look around and engage in discussion with their brightest young minds. Now, our last conference of the year is rapidly approaching. It will be just down the freeway in Taizhong. I, for one, can’t wait to see my seniors give their final MUN speeches alongside my underclassmen as they give their first.