First Online THIMUN 2020
From the 16th to the 20th of November 2020, students at the International School of Dhaka participated in the first annual The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) Singapore online conference.
Model UN provides students opportunities to develop as global learners by providing them with the opportunity to engage in debate over present-day global issues. Our students have shown immense dedication towards Model UN, and this online conference was no exception. A total of ten delegates from grades 10 and 11 in our school participated in this prestigious conference: Jannat Mynuddin, Mahdia Hussain, Arnob Datta, Razeen Hedayet, Idan Hussain, Rongan Mian, Shaira Mostofa, Fatema Noshin Aurora Sayeed.
Furthermore, two students from Grade 11, Tanzif Chowdhury and Tahsin Mostofa Tanzif Chowdhury and Tahsin Mostofa, were selected to serve as student officers for the online conference. Tanzif has served as the Head Chair of the Sustainable Development Committee (SDC) and Tahsin has served as the Deputy Chair of the Legal and Finance Committee (LFC).
I was thoroughly impressed by the engagement of our students throughout the conference. Although our students were faced with various challenges that differed from the usual face to face conference, they were able to rise to the occasion and overcome such obstacles. The delegates have been incredibly cooperative when working with international students from various Asian countries, merging resolutions with one another and providing constructive feedback during debate time. I vividly remember visiting every single committee our delegates have been a part of and seeing them follow procedural matters in an identical manner to which they would during a physical conference. They consistently raised their hand to participate and have delivered numerous points of information (POIs) and speeches to enhance the overall quality of debate at the conference.
Furthermore, the student officers at the conference displayed immense perseverance to ensure that the entire conference is run at a very high standard. From writing 4000-word research reports to attending countless student officer briefings, Tanzif and Tahsin have done it all for a successful online conference. The manner in which they commanded respect from the delegates at the conference never failed to impress me. I observed them and noticed how truly passionate they are about resolving world issues and the amount of effort they put for the delegates to have a smoother conference. During times of unprecedented conflict and challenges, Tanzif and Tahsin have been able to successfully think on their feet and come up with innovative solutions towards tackling the issue at hand.
As a MUN director, I am incredibly proud of our ISD students and would like to express my gratitude to every student who has participated in this conference. Although this is our first online conference as a school and the first-ever THIMUN online conference, the obstacle of a virtual conference has not diminished the passion of our students. I am extremely happy for every student that has participated in this online conference because it was definitely not an easy experience, but rather a difficult challenge that has allowed everyone to grow immensely in the process.
