Model United Nations? All Over It in Taipei

Dr. David Ho, at right, getting treated to a display of sartorial excellence from his TAS welcoming committee during IASAS MUN (photo: TAS).

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The Taipei American School (TAS) Grades 6-12 Model United Nations (MUN) program has expanded each year since upper school MUN student leaders first hosted the Middle School TAIMUN conference in 2010. The result is a program that has grown each year to fit the global aspirations of our students, as they move from middle to upper school and into leadership positions.

Regarding Middle School (MS) MUN, the TAS MS program has grown from one conference for 45 MS students in its first year to three conferences in 2012 with 111 MS delegates participating! TAS MS MUN continues to be student-run, with Grade 8 veterans and upper school MUN leaders serving as student officers.

MS MUN Overseas: In addition to the MYMUN conference in Malaysia, TAS MS delegates also attend MY-MUNOFS in Singapore. In Malaysia this year, eight TAS MS delegates received official conference awards.

At the MY-MUNOFS MUN conference, 14 of the 17 TAS MS delegates were the Main Submitters of resolutions in their committee. This means that they formed an alliance of countries and negotiated their way into the leadership position of these political blocs.

Now for Upper School (US) MUN: the program has expanded to include nine conferences with a total of 110 students involved. This year, TAS US students attended MUN conferences (as either delegates or student officers) in Taiwan, Germany, Singapore, Qatar, the United States, and Malaysia.

Another area of interest is the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS) MUN: TAS hosted IASAS MUN this school year, and delegates from 17 international schools collaborated to discuss some of the world’s most pressing crises. Students debated about transnational justice in post-conflict countries; reforming UN Blue Helmet peacekeeping operations; sustainable development; and a variety of other pressing issues that emphasized the importance of critical thinking, global problem solving, and international unity.

The highlight of the conference was the keynote address by TIME magazine’s 1996 Man of the Year and Presidential Citizens’ Medal recipient Dr. David Ho, whose tireless work combating HIV/AIDS in rural China demonstrates the values of international cooperation, global citizenship, and selfless service for which MUN stands.

At THIMUN Singapore, nearly 1,000 talented delegates from 75 international schools were presented. Two TAS Grade 9 students presented two of the top five chosen resolutions! At the THIMUN Qatar MUN, TAS students represented the United States at this conference of over 1,500 delegates. And at the Georgetown-Qatar MUN, two TAS students won Honorable Mentions, and another TAS student was awarded Best Delegate in a committee and was co-submitter of the Best Resolution, which was selected for debate by the entire conference of nearly 400 students from 62 schools.

Last but not least, this year TAS became a regional leader and host school for O-MUN, an international global debate platform that allows students to chair debates, lead tutorials, and reach out to MUN enthusiasts around the world. A Grade 12 student attended THIMUN in The Hague as a member of the first ever online program debate team.

Ms. Sinclair and Ms. Rowe are Upper School and Middle School MUN coordinators respectively at Taipei American School (TAS), Taiwan.

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