Thrikkakara: The United Nations, an international organization, tasked to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, and achieve international co-operation, was established in the 1940s. From then, till now, the UN has done a great job in ensuring world peace and security. The Model United Nations, or MUN in short, is a simple educational activity in which students learn about diplomacy, international relations, and moreover, the United Nations.
The MUN Society (MUNSOC) of the Govt Model Engineering College, took pride in conducting the first of its kind IntraMUN in the college. An IntraMUN is a Model United Nations, wherein the participants are solely from the college providing all the first timers an excellent opportunity to step into the field. It was held on the 30th and 31st of March, in the college premises, from 9:30 to 4:30. The chief guest Mr Nooh IAS who unfortunately could not make it to the venue, graced the occasion by a video, send in support of the MEC MUNSOC IntraMUN.
The event saw participation of over 100 students in two committees - The All India Political Party Meet (AIPPM) and the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP). The issues discussed were much relevant in the present scenario such as 'Addressing national security in wake of the Pulwama incident' in the AIPPM and 'Ecoterrorism' along with 'Reviewing the sustainable development goals 2030.' The executive board members were prominent MUNners from the MUN circuits in Kerala.
The delegates were much engrossed in the discussion while the International Press which consisted of journalists and photojournalists who dedicatedly questioned the delegates during the press conferences. "We did not expect ourselves to get so indulged in the discussion. It seemed difficult to realize that we weren't the real politicians!" - said a delegate from AIPPM.
"Though I did not speak much, I learnt a lot from the two days and am definitely looking forward to attending more MUNs," said a second year Electronics student who had participated as a delegate in UNEP. The Secretary General of IntraMUN, Ashwin Shanil, a second year computer science student, was elated to have conducted the event successfully. "We are extremely delighted to have conducted the IntraMUN. It was our first event as a club and the response was really good. We are expecting a greater participation for MECMUN, the inter college MUN"- he said, also being the President of MUNSOC.
The associate sponsors for the event, Teabook, cafe and lounge, and Ecko Fashion Store, complimented the best delegates and journalists with their coupons and vouchers.
The MUN sessions ended with a fun-filled recreational session between the executive board members and the delegates of each committee. With MUNs being held from the school level, almost every student understands how the UN works. Long gone are those days in which the UN seemed just an unreachable international organization.