Volunteer Initiative Nepal (VIN) is an NGO dedicated to improving communities in Nepal through a joint effort from local and international volunteers. Their mission to empower marginalized communities through equitable, inclusive, and holistic development programs is inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals and pays particular attention to women and children. We chose to volunteer with VIN because we respect the values of the organization and firmly believe in the work VIN is doing in Nepali communities. This summer, VIN was invited by the Youth Thinkers Society to send two volunteers to the Everest International Model United Nations from July 15th-July 19th. As soon as we heard about the opportunity to attend an international conference, we eagerly volunteered to go.
The Everest International Model United Nations (EIMUN) is a conference that brings together young adults from a variety of countries and invites them to participate as a delegate of a nation in a discussion of committee agendas that models the United Nations meetings. When we initially volunteered to go to the EIMUN, we had very little idea what it would be like. When we got the flood of emails including the conference itinerary and requesting research papers detailing the position our assigned countries on the committee agenda, we were a little intimidated. Rebecca was assigned to delegate Myanmar for the World Food Program committee in sessions discussing sustainable agricultural practices that address climate change challenges and developing infrastructural support for accessible and affordable food. Bex was assigned to delegate the Central African Republic for the UN Women committee in sessions discussing human trafficking of domestic migrant workers and financial reforms to encourage female participation in the workplace. After some hurried research and a quick shopping spree to pick up blazers to transform our volunteer clothes into the required business formal attire, we felt as ready as we could be for the conference.
The first day was a blur of meeting new people and answering the three questions everyone wanted to know, “which country are you from?”, “which committee are you in?”, and “which country are you delegating?”. We met people from Kyrgyzstan and Bhutan and many more people from Nepal. Everyone was so eager and excited for the conference, and the speeches made during the opening ceremony highlighted the important skills we would be developing through this conferences: skills of negotiation and compromise, and most of all, the skill of attentive listening.
The next three days consisted of multiple committee sessions, a social activity in the evening, and a research session after that. It was a blur of masala tea breaks, learning new traditional dances, and most of all, gaining a better understanding of the committee agenda and how it affected each country in a unique way. With only 40 seconds, or at most two minutes, in which to advocate for our assigned country, the conference challenged us to be knowledgeable about the topic and precise in our speech when contributing to the conversation. By the end of the conference, both our committees had passed draft resolutions posing solutions to the agenda in the formalized language of United Nations resolutions. It was a feeling of great relief and accomplishment after days of difficult discussions and late nights spent researching. We have far more respect and empathy for the challenge of finding common ground among countries with differing values and economic and political structures with which the United Nations is faced.
-Rebecca Brand & Bex Staneslow
July 24, 2019
In addition to the opportunity to learn about important agendas through research and formal discussion, EIMUN offered a chance to befriend people from all over the world. Twenty-one countries were represented at the conference; we met people came from Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Bhutan, the Philippines, Oman, Jordan, India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Nepal, of course. One of the social nights was called the Global Village, during which we had the opportunity to see everyone in their traditional clothing and try foods from their home countries. It was beautiful to see people from different cultures connecting and dancing together.
We are both incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in the EIMUN conference. We are walking away with new friends and a better understanding not only of the agendas we discussed and the impact UN resolutions can have, but also a better understanding of the beauty and importance of people coming together to share their unique perspective and work towards a common goal. Thank you, VIN, for this marvelous opportunity.
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