McMUN’s Grand Opening: Four Days of Heated Debates, Unique Encounters and Experiences to Remember

The McGill Model United Nations (McMUN) 2017 convention officially opened at 7:30 PM yesterday, after months of hard work and preparation. This is McMUN’s 29th edition, as it welcomes 1572 delegates from universities across Canada and the USA. Around 600 McGill students will be staffing the conference over the next three days, until the closing ceremony on Sunday. MIR will be covering the entirety of the conference.

In her speech, General-Secretary Ginny Tan reflected on the humble beginnings of McMUN, when around 300 delegates and staffers, all from Montreal, gathered together for the first time 29 years ago. McMUN has since then grown into one of the major North American MUN conferences, one that is relished by all MUN delegates, including one Georgetown University student who is attending his fourth McMUN. He explained that Georgetown, as per “tradition”, always sends a large delegation to McMUN. It is some 40 delegates-strong this year, including many MUN-neophytes, who will get to discover the best of what MUN has to offer.

A Madison University delegate, new to McMUN, told MIR that the McGill-run conference is renowned for its professionalism, both on the part of the staff and of the attending delegates. Beyond the MUN experience, many delegates looked forward to have the opportunity to meet “so many people,” as one delegate put it. Secretary Tan insisted on McMUN’s social aspect in her speech. She addressed the assembly as “today’s youth and tomorrow’s leaders,” urging all of us to discuss and exchange perspectives and ideas. “Don’t drop your ideas as soon as you drop your placards,” she went on.

We are going through a “historic transition,” Secretary Tan added, and having to face many critical issues such as “climate change, the refugee crisis, and internal conflicts.” Secretary Tan called on the sense of duty of delegates, whose “responsibility” it is to “take on those issues,” both at McMUN and outside it.

Secretary Tan’s speech was followed by the keynote speaker, the Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, who delivered a 20-minute long address. The Hon. Dowdeswell, Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor and ex-Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, went on at length about the topic of sustainability and praised McMUN for fostering “collective empowerment.”

Deputy Director of Public Relations Orla Mahon then presented the charity that McMUN is supporting this year, the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC). With agencies in 30 countries, this foundation centers its actions on “social, economic, and cultural dimensions of development.” It defines its mandate as to “improve living conditions and opportunities for the poor, without regard to their faith, origin or gender.” All proceeds of the McMUN raffle, whose prizes include VIP-access tickets to McParté, will go to the AKFC.

The ceremony had opened to great fanfare with a bagpipe performance and a melodious rendition of the Canadian anthem by McGill group Effusion A Capella. It closed in brisk fashion to a couple hushed knocks from Secretary Tan’s gavel, soon engulfed by the cheers of the assembly.