Aspiring envoys recently gathered to discuss a wide range of pressing current issues on diplomacy and governance in the prestigious Harvard World Model United Nations (WorldMUN) Taipei 2024.
Themed Where Cultures Meet, Where Peoples Cross, the Harvard WorldMUN Taipei 2024 served as a platform to engage in constructive debates and mutual learning on international challenges such as disbarment, environmental cooperation, economic development, and healthcare.
More than 700 participants from nearly 50 countries worldwide took on the roles of country representatives to navigate complex problems, refine critical thinking skills, and thus expand their perspectives.
The delegates were distributed to various committees, such as the United Nations Environmental Programme, World Health Organization, Disarmament and International Security, Economic and Financial Affairs, International Atomic Energy Agency, Legal, Special Political and Decolonization, Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural, the Ministers of the Soviet Union, Houses of York and Lancaster, and the Boeing Board of Directors.
To cultivate camaraderie and collaboration, they actively participated in council simulations, negotiating agreements, drafting resolutions, while building networks with other attendees from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and expertise.
The Filipino contingent was composed of students from the Consular and Diplomatic Affairs (CDA), Diplomacy and International Affairs (DIA), and Governance and Public Affairs Programs of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Diplomacy and Governance (SDG).
The team was comprised of Niña Abilgos, Julian Binalla, Cole Casem, Nadine Celera, Keziah Cuison, Ricardo De Lemos, Nicole De Leon, Jerald Dela Cruz, Hanna Dizon, Tyler Javier, Phoebe Lague, Mauro Legario, and Jose Marcial.
Completing the roster were Theresa Mendoza, Reimund Navarro, Vitto Neri, Paul Ong, Lev Ramboyong, Moira Ramento, Isabelle Rivera, Francheska Romero, Marc Tangayan, Althenea Valenzuela, Jewel Vargas, Lanz Vaswani, and Youmi Wakabayashi.
Benilde CDA and DIA Programs Chairperson Catherine Samaniego and SDG educator Shiela Sabalburo mentored the students during their preparations and accompanied them throughout the conference.
The Filipino congregation likewise paid a courtesy visit to Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) Chairman Silvestre Bello and Deputy Resident Representative Alice Visperas at the MECO headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.
For more information on Harvard WorldMUN Taipei 2024, visit worldmun.org/taipei.