SPMUN 2017

By: B. Sapiro

Image from the School's MUN Page: @mun.stpauls

Students from Form 4 to Upper 6, accompanied by teachers, spent the weekend, from the 15th to the 17th of September, in Campinas, where a high level of debate was being delivered at EAC (Escola Americana de Campinas).

The SPMUN conference consisted of 9 committees: the Security Council, the Historical Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Political Committee, the Human Rights Council, UNASUR (Union of South American Nations), the World Health Organization, the State Council of the People's Republic of China and the Legal Committee. Students from St. Paul's were represented in every committee, either as delegates or chairs.

This year's SPMUN allowed new delegates to improve their speaking and research skills, whist also inspiring older and more experienced delegates to later become chairs of mentioned committees.

The students left Friday after school and arrived in time for the opening ceremony, where the guest speaker, the Senator from Rio Grande do Sul, gave the delegates a lot to think about with his speech; his strong opinions on some of the matters which were going to be discussed was extremely approachable and interesting  to the audience. 

The debate began on Saturday morning. Delegates were anxious to debate their resolutions and find solutions to the debated problems, such as obesity in North America and the use of children in armed conflicts. Saturday was extremely intense: delegates spent over 8 hours debating their resolutions and working through crises, which were unexpected. Delegates were challenged to follow their country's specific points of view which, most of the time, was not according to their own. 

SPMUN 2017 was an extremely rewarding experience for all involved. It allowed them to socialize and meet new people from all around Brazil, as well as having the chance to catch up with old friends made in past conferences. It also enhanced the delegates' skills- for those who have been doing MUN for a while as well as those who had this as their first conference- leading to new opportunities and broader horizons ahead, such as BRAMUN and THIMUN.

More photos in the MUN Instagram page: @mun.stpauls