International terrorism and the independence of Kosovo – two massive issues that have recently demanded the attention of the international community and which have been topics of contention in governments all over the world.
These two issues were discussed at the inaugural Cardiff University Model United Nations Conference which was held on April 25 at the Welsh Assembly, attended by students from Cardiff University, UWIC, Aberystwyth, Glamorgan, Exeter, Bristol and Swansea.
This conference was the result of many months’ hard preparation by Cardiff Uni students belonging to the Model United Nations Society at Cardiff University, which started this year.
The students who attended the conference had each been assigned a country to represent and in the following debates had to present the arguments of their assigned country on the subject, not their personal opinions.
The Model UN enables students to discuss these issues from a viewpoint that is not their own. The ability to understand an issue from an alternative, and potentially illiberal perspective, is an important skill for tomorrow’s leaders and political participants.
The day opened with a formal meeting in the Assembly building where the group was welcomed by Mari Gooberman of the Welsh Education services and attended by Welsh Assembly member Jenny Randerson.
Dr. Edwin Egede, lecturer at Cardiff University and Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, gave an insightful and interesting talk on international terrorism.
After this, the group broke into two separate Committees; one discussed international terrorism and the other the independence of Kosovo.
Resolutions were put forward, firstly on the controversial issue of the independence of Kosovo. This issue was particularly disputed by the delegates of Russia and Serbia, due to Russia’s continuing problems with the claim of independence by the Chechen region and Serbia’s claims on the Kosovan area.
The states involved in the debate came to the conclusion of recognising Kosovo as an independent state, even though massive fights were put up by Serbia and Russia. Favourite quotes of the day included:
China: “The peace-loving China…”
Germany: “Could you defend your peace loving position?”
China: “We have not been a part of any wars for a long time.”
Chair: “On a vote of 7 to 3 the working paper fails, sorry Serbia…good try.”
Next, international terrorism, which is a volatile subject amongst nations, as they attempt to find a definition which suits their individual world views.
The debate was a lively one in the committee particularly between America, Syria and Pakistan. Accusations flew about the room:
“Please would the honourable delegate of Syria refrain from America bashing, requested by the honourable delegate of Pakistan.”
Syria accused America of creating an “optical illusion” in their view on terrorism!
But all delegates were kept in check by knowledgeable and strict Chairman’s Cosmo Montague and Ahmed Uzair.
After official voting procedures and resolutions being passed or failed, the groups reconvened in the Assembly room and Best Delegates were named for each Council by the Chairs.
On the Kosovo committee Helen Griffiths acting for South Korea, Rosa Abruzzese for Serbia and Rosie Naish for the USA received Best Delegate awards and Adnan Muhammed was named Honourable Delegate for his role as China.
On the International Terrorism committee: Steven Nicholas for Israel, Shamsa Suleman for Syria, and Nicholas Wolfe for Germany were Best Delegates and Rachel Honey-Jones was announced Honourable Delegate.
All were congratulated for their mature and outstanding knowledge of the international situation and standing up for their countries’ views.
Everyone was congratulated on their debating skills and great contributions to the day. The day ended in a successful, if somewhat alcoholic social in Cardiff Bay where many debates continued.
The conference was a massive success, enjoyed by all involved and even managed to establish a definition on what terrorism is, which the actual United Nations has not yet succeeded in doing.
A big thanks to all the delegates, the assistants, the MUN committee and especially Lindsay Clark who did an amazing job in organising the Conference and keeping her head throughout it.
