Model United Nations is a simulation of the United Nations where the participants play the role of delegates from different countries and attempt to solve real-world issues with the policies and perspectives of their assigned country. The International Relations Committee of IIM Bodhgaya in collaboration with the Envision, the Entrepreneurship Development Cell organized its maiden Model United Nations event. The event was guided by Dr. Medha Srivastava, Chairperson, IRC, and E-Cell. The Organizing Committee consisted of the Secretariat, the Academic Council, the Delegate Affairs, and the International Press.
The MUN was an excellent opportunity for the students to understand the proceedings of the United Nations - drafting resolutions, plotting strategy, and negotiating with allies and adversaries. The participants donned various hats to resolve conflicts, to cope with a natural disaster, or to bring nations together on an issue like climate change.
The agendas set for discussion were “Global Economic Crisis due to Covid-19 Pandemic-How countries can fight this recession due to Covid-19 Pandemic” for the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) and "Realizing the SDGs for Water and Ocean Governance" for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). These agendas aimed to address the present-day critical world issues. The EcoFin was chaired by Prof. Sushil Khanna, Professor of Economics and Strategic Management at IIM Calcutta, and Dr. Tamali Chakraborty, Assistant Professor, IIM Bodhgaya. The UNDP was chaired by Dr. V. Giridhar, Assistant Professor, IIM Bodhgaya along with Dr. Soumyajyoti Banerjee, Chairperson Student Affairs, IIM Bodhgaya.
The MUN was conducted over two days. The first day’s proceedings started with an inaugural speech by the Director of the institute, Dr. Vinita Sahay. Shortly after this, both the committees commenced with their respective sessions. For each of the sessions, the executive team began with a brief introduction to the general notion and voting of delegates on the same. One of the countries was asked to set the agenda for the meet, which was the pre-approved agenda. The discussion began formally with delegates introducing their countries, their stand, and issues regarding the ocean and water governance and reasons for the recession in COVID-19 for UNDP and EcoFin respectively. The executive board recommended the solutions and propositions for the raised issues and post that ended it with a Q&A session by International Press.
The second day started with discussions on different sub agendas presented by countries that were decided and passed through a majority vote. Moderated Caucus was conducted for each sub-agendum, which is a debate format that allows delegates to make short comments on a specific sub-issue which was carried forward with a round of Q&A among the delegates. A discussion was held for the feasible set of solutions for the issues raised in the sub-agendas. For this, a team of four delegates was formed, with one author and three co-authors. The draft resolution with maximum votes was passed and reviewed by the Executive Board. The event was concluded with another Q&A round conducted by the International Press.
The event was organized on the digital platform but made sure to not compromise on the real essence of a MUN event. This event would help enhance the complex problem-solving ability which would help future leaders to fathom the pressing issues of our nation and the world. It was indeed a great experience for the students to understand international diplomacy and relationships.