Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent

More than 100 student delegates from various UAE schools discussed and debated topics reflecting pressing global concerns at the Dubai International Academy’s Model United Nations (DIAMUN 2020).

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, a face-to-face conference was not a viable option. Since the DIAMUN has become an integral part of the school community and a permanent fixture of the academic calendar, the DIAMUN 2020 was hosted online.

The DIAMUN hosted its first-ever online conference, open to students from all Innoventures Education schools. The opening ceremony took place with an engaging speech from the conference’s Keynote Speaker and Guest of Honour Ambassador Umej Bhatia, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva and the United Nations Office in Vienna.  At Model UN conferences, students emulate a real United Nations committee or assembly, with each student representing a different country. Students get to hone their public speaking, problem solving, teamwork and research skills by participating in the event.

At this virtual event too, over 100 participating delegates split into separate meetings for the six different committees: The Security Council, Human Rights Council, Economic and Social Council, Third General Assembly, World Health Summit and Youth Assembly. Within the committees, delegates began debate on pre-submitted clauses, using the recently-improved DIAMUN app for communication.

Issues discussed at DIAMUN 2020 reflected contemporary concerns, ranging from protecting humanity from pandemics, addressing the rise of misinformation campaigns, youth unemployment and planning the future of children in war-torn nations. Delegates were encouraged to frame their research and debate in the context of the impact of COVID-19.

Each committee’s topic was also linked to the current situation as indicated in their respective research reports. The Executive Team for the conference added passages to each existing report which discussed the impact of COVID-19 in an effort to direct delegates towards that stream of thought within their own research and debate.