Berkley Center

On March 15, about 3,000 collegiate students from over 170 countries gathered at the Korean International Exhibition Center in downtown Seoul for the first committee session of the 24th World Model United Nations (WorldMUN). These delegates were as international as could be. Conversations between strangers meandered from mentions of the countries of their births and the countries of their schools to the countries they knew the languages of and the countries to which they had traveled. The WorldMUN spirit encompassed this great gathering of cultures, faiths, and perspectives.

 
Hailing from all corners of the world, delegates brought not only their assigned positions’ portfolios but their own personal backgrounds to the forefront of committee dialogue and debate. In my committee, Disarmament and International Security, both religious and cultural identities defined how the body approached topics such as cyber warfare. From advocating for computer security incident response teams in developing countries to establishing international norms for the cybersphere, individual perspectives and beliefs clearly defined the discussions had. However, one singular bond held the committee room together, dispute the multiplicity of backgrounds, faiths, and values that represented every continent in the world. That bond was the WorldMUN spirit of diplomacy and friendship. Throughout Team Georgetown’s week in Seoul, that overarching theme of international diplomacy permeated into all activities in and out of committee. We listened to the stories of and shared our stories with students our age from all over the world. The perspectives couldn’t have been more varied nor the conversations more invigorating.

WorldMUN’s clear emphasis on finding a higher, common ground with a group of diverse people was a motif that transcended the committee dynamics and bloc forming on which most model UN committees center. Representing both Georgetown and the United States at what some call the Olympics of Model United Nations was an opportunity that I will never forget. Without a doubt, my WorldMUN experience this past March, in Seoul, has deepened my faith in the future of diplomacy and the international community as a whole.