Model UN confab in August

The fifth Sri Lanka Model United Nations Conference will take place from August 5-7 at Water's Edge Colombo. Registration is now open for schools wishing to take part in South Asia's largest student-run conference, expected to draw in the participation of over 1,200 of the island's strongest speakers and change makers as well as foreign delegations.

Model United Nations (MUN) is an academic simulation of the United Nations with the aim of educating participants about current events international relations and the United Nations agenda. MUN conferences are held around the globe, both of high school and university level and facilitate students to take part in active debates concerning world issues; providing a platform for them to opinion on and bring to the table viable solutions for these issues.

The first ever Sri Lanka Model United Nations (SLMUN) Conference was held in August 2008 and from then on SLMUN conferences have been held every year. The initiative has now grown to be the biggest school level-MUN conference in South Asia and the third largest such MUN conference in the world.

It promotes student interest in international relations and related subjects, increases the capacity of students to engage in problem solving, and teaches aspects of conflict resolution, research and communication skills.

Expressing his views on MUN, Maleen Jayasuriya, Secretary General of SLMUN 2012 said: "MUN opens up a whole new world for almost everyone who participates in it. The diverse range of people you meet, the multitude of ideas and perspectives you are exposed to and the type of skills you acquire ranging from practical thinking, research skills, and diplomatic skills to public speaking skills makes MUN unparalleled to any other school activity.

I can think of, SLMUN has always been about accentuating these positives of MUN and also providing something more by offering a forum for aspiring young leaders and agents of change to put their skills to the test and refine them to face challenges in the real world.