High school students from across the province attended this year’s iteration of AbbyMUN at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School on Nov. 19.
AbbyMUN provides an opportunity for students to debate relevant global issues as representatives of different countries. It is the largest single-day MUN (Model UN) conference in B.C and the largest free conference in Western Canada.
This year, the conference was organized largely by Mohkam Singh Malik, the secretary-general, in conjunction with the rest of the secretariat.
Abbotsford Senior students Raissa Batra and Rabbani Batra, president and vice-president of the Abbotsford Model UN Club, as well as Lorig Korajian and three other students, played a crucial role in organizing as members of the secretariat.
Over 75 people, including 60 delegates, showed up on Saturday morning to show their appreciation for debating and diplomacy.
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There were four committees at the conference: the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, which made substantial progress on the issue of the copyright of GMO seeds; the African Union, which discussed the preservation of free and fair elections; the International Criminal Police Organization, which debated on the topic of crypto-currency money laundering; and the Historical Crisis Committee, which discussed the Persian Gulf War.
The guest speaker at the event was Bruce Banman, a former Abbotsford mayor and councillor who is currently the MLA for Abbotsford South.
There was also a Q & A session where students asked Banman questions about politics and legislatures.
AbbyMUN was backed by the Abbotsford Model UN Club. The club meets every week at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School.
AbbyMUN strives for accessibility, making it one of the few free conferences. Raissa and Rabbani Batra hope to continue to inspire confidence, community, and conversation next year as well.
