In the End, Diplomacy Prevails!

A Few Closing Observations on a Great Conference

Over the last three days, delegates came together from all over the world for the SGMUN Conference 2020 – separated by laptops but united by a shared desire to debate. In five different committees, delegates discussed issues such as the effect of Covid-19 of the environment, the future and possible reform of the Security Council, and the recruitment of terrorists through social media. Under the guidance of the dedicated chairing team, they argued their position, compromised, and persevered to find implementable solutions. And as is the case with any MUN conference, we witnessed plenty of memorable moments. In a refreshing move away from Trump era politics, the USA formed some surprising alliances, among them with Venezuela, Russia, and China (in fact, the USA and China took to referring to each other as “friend” during the WHO debate). However, they also tried to rig a vote, which puts things back into perspective. Perhaps we’ll soon have an electoral college in the UN? In the UNEA, the delegation of Ethiopia harnessed the power of pop culture, and quoted Kermit the Frog to argue that “it’s hard to be green!” As the debate concerning environmental protection proved, it is indeed. Delegates embraced their countries and became charming negotiators, passionate speakers and – in the case of China in one committee – the spitting image of your classic movie supervillain. However, no matter how heated the debate got, the delegates consistently displayed great diplomatic skills, professionality, and respect for each other. And while there may have been many chasms to bridge over, the willingness to understand each other and compromise brought great results.

In the background, the Secretariat worked tirelessly to ensure a memorable experience, settling disputes and dealing with the occasional unavoidable software issues. While the delegates were not able to hang out in person, the creativity of the virtual hangouts  - along with a great turnout – ensured that delegates made fast friends and spent enjoyable evenings playing virtual games together (by the way, what is the English word for Panzer?). Delegates may have disagreed on much these last three days, but it is fair to assume they agreed on one thing: This conference, despite being online, was definitely one for the books!