The Jakarta Post - Students up with int'l issues for mock UN nuclear debate

 

Students up with int'l issues for mock UN nuclear debate

Arghea Desafti Hapsari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While many high school students prefer comics and other light reading materials, delegates at a mock UN conference keep up to date with the latest international issues.

Greta Aprilia Ali from Sekolah Pelita Harapan Cikarang said her team as U.S. delegates researched recent issues in other countries in the lead-up to the UN General Assembly simulation.

"Not only did we search the Internet to gather facts to support our argument, but we also consulted teachers and listened to their opinion on the U.S. and other countries," the twelfth grader told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

As a result, she and her team were one of the most vocal groups at the conference held at the Bina Nusantara (Binus) school in Simprug, South Jakarta, earning them third place.

The UN General Assembly simulation is part of the Blue Feather Interschool Competition held by the Binus School Simprug. The one-day conference took on the theme, "To Create a Better and Peaceful World through Responsible Use of Nuclear Weapons".

Eight schools around Jakarta sent a total of 12 teams of three. Each team represented one country: China, Indonesia, Pakistan, North Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Republic of Iran, Libya, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

These countries were selected by the Foreign Ministry because they had the most interest in the nuclear issue.

Tatu Hutami, a twelfth grader from SMU 78, said her team of Iran delegates had another strategy to win the competition. They researched the international laws on nuclear programs and based their arguments on these laws.

"We think international affairs have a lot to do with international laws. When a country wants to do something (that affects other countries), it must abide by these laws. Only when they fail to comply with these laws, then they can be prosecuted," Tatu said.

She and her team argued that Iran's nuclear program did not contravene any international laws.

Her argument won the favor of the judges and earned them first place. Tatu herself won best speaker.

Greta said the event taught her how to build precise and strong arguments.

"I've always been weak at debating, so I learned a great deal from this event," she said.

Franz from SMU 78 acting as German delegates said he could now imagine what it feels like to be an ambassador.

"I also know why other countries have interests of their own, and to get what we want we have to use diplomacy."

Students learn leadership, negotiation and problem solving sills through activities like the UN simulation, Carolina Tinangon from the Foreign Ministry said.

"An event like this is very beneficial for students. They learn marketing, public speaking and to how to influence people."

She said she hoped similar events would be held more often in the future.

"UN simulations are not new to Indonesia, but most of them are held for college students. I hope to see this kind of event for younger students."

The Jakarta Post - Students up with int'l issues for mock UN nuclear debate