Auburn High School Hosts Third Annual Model UN Conference

Earlier this month Auburn Model UN hosted its Third Annual Model United Nations Conference (AMUN).

Model UN is a student-run organization that gives students the opportunity to role-play the work of the United Nations through debate and diplomacy. This was entirely a student-created and student-run conference. Students began meeting in the fall of 2022 to begin the prep work necessary to pull off a complex and engaging simulation. They picked an incredibly complex topic: examining what the UN should do to address the humanitarian crisis within Afghanistan. The topic involved discussions on women’s rights to education, children’s welfare, and political instability.

Acting as the UN Security Council, the participants engaged in lively discussion and collaborated to develop possible solutions within the framework allowed by the United Nations Charter. Students were assigned countries in advance and typically do a great deal of research and writing prior to attending any Model UN Conference. They must not only understand the nuances of the topic, but also understand how their assigned country has dealt with the issue in the past and how they would potentially respond to it during the conference.

The club’s current board – Jessica Perez-Ferman, Ruth Mathew, Eshal Sameer, and Jeffrey Mathew – moderated the conference and facilitated some of the best debate heard at any conference, let alone a beginner conference like this one.

They recognized the following students with awards:

• Muaz Ahmed - Best Position Paper
• Cecelia Fumo - Honorable Mention
• Henry Piefer - Outstanding Delegate
• Luke Snyder - Best Delegate

Everyone had an amazing time over the course of the eight-hour conference and they look forward to continuing the tradition next year.

Auburn Model UN meets weekly and is the only high school Model UN in the region to host their own conference.

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Rebecca Roth

Rebecca Roth is a social studies teacher at Auburn High School and the advisor for Auburn Model UN.