Norwich High Sixth Form students attend the Model United Nations conference at Felsted 2025

Posted on 7th March 2025 by Elizabeth Gaffney

On Sunday 2nd and Monday 3rd March, the Norwich High Sixth Form Model UN (‘MUN’) team travelled to Felsted School for a conference as delegates of Costa Rica.

Following an inspiring keynote speech from former Felsted student and current UN diplomat, Mark Cutts, we separated into our individual committees to begin the debates.

On Monday, we were involved in joint committee debates, where Year 12 students Saskia and Izzy represented Costa Rica on the matter of ‘Should AI be integrated into peacekeeping operations, or does it risk further human rights violations?’, whilst Year 12 students Natalie and Evie covered the topic of ‘How is biodiversity impacting young people?’. The conference concluded with an exhilarating emergency debate regarding the ‘invasion’ of the Panama Canal, which was very dynamic.

“Our students demonstrated exceptional diplomacy, collaboration and critical thinking throughout the event. Their passion for global affairs and their ability to navigate complex issues with confidence are a testament to their skills as future leaders. We can’t wait to see what they achieve at the next Model UN conference. Read on for the student’s accounts of the event.”

Miss Elizabeth Gaffney, History Teacher at Norwich High School for Girls

Human Rights Committee

In the Human Rights Committee, myself, along with 46 other delegates from 21 other schools, discussed and debated topics such as ‘Protecting womens’ rights to an abortion’ and ‘Should prisoners have the right to vote?’. To offer an insight into what we discussed, considerations for enhanced education, viability and bodily autonomy were debated regarding womens’ rights to an abortion, all whilst respecting the national sovereignty of each nation. This challenged me to think from the perspective of our delegation Costa Rica, a nation which has illegalised abortion, but also urges for the expansion and accessibility of public healthcare and education to combat this issue. These topics are very relevant in today’s society and provided me with a variety of complex perspectives into such matters. I developed not only an understanding of the structure and formalities of MUN, but also unforgettable memories and friendships, which have only fueled my eagerness for our next MUN event!

Saskia

Health Committee

In the health committee, we discussed access to mandatory vaccinations and whether member states should impose laws enforcing vaccinations, or whether it should be up to individuals. In the end, after a heated debate between the delegates of China, Italy and the US, a resolution was passed and we moved on to the subject of mitigating increased mental health issues in member states. Here I questioned China on their amendments and encouraged the consideration of other aspects of the resolution, helping us to compile clauses which were beneficial to all member states.

The next day, Evie and I joined together to discuss joint ecology and health issues, focusing on the effects of losing biodiversity on young people. After experiencing the structure of debates the previous day, we felt more confident challenging other states and preparing speeches (though there didn’t end up being enough time for us to present our speech in the end). We formed unlikely allies like New Zealand and Korea on Monday, bonding over our joint confusion as it was our first MUN, and collaborated on amendments to resolutions, allowing us to pass a resolution which we all agreed with. Overall, my experience as the Costa Rican delegate in the health committee was fantastic and eye opening (and also hilarious – watching the debates was like watching a reality TV show), and was overall an experience that I will cherish forever.

Natalie

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Committee

In the UNOOSA committee I represented Costa Rica’s strong stance on peace, demilitarisation and international cooperation. First, the committee tackled a debate on extraterrestrial life, however no resolution was passed due to the differing interests of the US and China. Then my resolution was chosen to discuss the militarisation of outer space. Following lots of heated debate between me, Russia and the US the resolution was successfully passed with no changes. This was my first Model UN and the enjoyment I got from it exceeded my expectations. It was great meeting the talented delegates from other schools, some of whom I hope to stay in contact with. I feel inspired to become even more involved in MUN, establish myself as an influential delegate at future events, and form even more unexpected alliances.

Izzy

Ecology and Environment Committee

In the Ecology and Environment Committee, I was involved in debating the issues of air pollution, carbon taxing and ocean conservation on behalf of Costa Rica. Not only did we all research our respective topics, but we also learnt lots of new vocabulary and terminology (for me it was carbon taxing and carbon trading, policies I was not aware of before this experience). On the first day, we were all split up, and so had to form alliances between other countries quickly, so we could make decisions, make amendments and pass our resolutions. I quickly formed one with New Zealand, who had similar aims and it was fun to bond with other schools on a personal level within a formal UN setting. I enjoyed the second day very much as, with Natalie, we formed debates against other delegates (China specifically) and managed to convince others to agree with our stance. This experience has given me a sense of greater confidence in debating; I’ve learnt more about the world through sharing information via debate; I’ve learnt the structure of Model United Nations and therefore the real one; I’ve been introduced to diplomatic tactics that I was previously ignorant to. At many moments I had to think on my feet, creating spontaneous responses and amendments to resolutions. Above all, the trip has strengthened the bond between me and my peers, as well as igniting new ones between delegates of other countries and schools.

Evie

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