MUNOFS 2009 Issue 1

MUNOFS Page 5

MUNOFSModel United Nations Overseas Family School

Hot Off the Press

Editor-in-Chief

Ghazal Heidari Marvi

Editor

Courtney Cohn

Layout Editors

Kyungseo Han

Yewon Park

Reporters

Sindoori

Abhineet Kumar

Ashwarya Ramani

Herve Bougard

Jason Kalnderman

Malavika Nair

Rebecca Pardey

Kyungha Lee

Mhd. Antonio van der Putten

Heeyoung Lee

Aniroodh Shankar

Anthony Walsh

Stefanie Yeo

Andrew Tham

Cheryl Cheong

Special Thanks

Mr Glover

Ms Tamana

THE

MUNOFS Page 1

Conference 02, ISSUE 1 Saturday, 24 October 2009

MUNOFS Fashionistars ...

Why are we here? ... Page 3

Not just talking shop ... Page 3

Beginnings of MUN ... Page 4

Second time lucky ... Page 4

Full speed ahead with MUNOFS ... Page 5

Socializing is the key to lobbying ... Page 5

Chopin’s Melody in MUNOFS ... Page 6

The youngest MUNOFS delegates ... Page 6

Stress Buster ... Page 6

Merging Ideas ... Page 7

Learning from Each Other ... Page 8

History of OFS ... Page 8

In the Pink of Health? ... Page 9

Do Romance and Politics Mix ... Page 9

Bigger and Better ... Page 9

Broken Arm No Barrier To Admin ... Page 10

Behind the Scenes ... Page 10

The Lighter Side ... Page 11


Why Are We Here?

By Rebecca Pardey

The opening ceremony of the MUNOFS

conference set the tone for the remainder of the

conference. It was also a chance for the prominent

figures of the MUNOFS organization to declare

their interpretation of the significance of the

Model United Nations programme.

Deputy Secretary General, Karly Franz, identified

MUN as, “A unique platform to understand issues,

develop opinions and offer solutions.” Secretary

General Max Martchenko stressed, “The

importance of working in a team, united for a

better world.” The Vice President of the UN

Association of Singapore, Mr. Alexander Charles

Louis, also addressed the congregation of future

diplomats, saying they were working “on behalf

of the people the world has all too often

forgotten.”

Mr. Louis went on to remind about the pressing

problems of world poverty, intertwined with the

issue of climate change and the on-going

consequences of the world economic crisis. If any

delegate felt themselves to be in danger of

complacency, they couldn't fail to be inspired by

the intensity of his speech, bolstered by his

description of “the fierce urgency of now”. The

significance of MUN itself comes with the notion

that “human progress is neither automatic nor

inevitable”, thus it is in the hands of the UN and

its future delegates to resolve the issues

confronting the world today.

MUNOFS Page 3

Not Just A Talking Shop

By Herve Tom Bougard

After his speech, the keynote speaker, Alexander

Charles Louis, Vice President and Chairperson of

Humanitarian Affairs, of the UN Association of

Singapore was interviewed.

Q: What do you feel when you see so many

students take part in MUN and addressing world

issues?

“I am thrilled. MUN plays a vital role in opening

young peoples' eyes. I believe that MUN is a form

of education, and thus should be taught from a

young age.”

Q: What do you think MUN represents. How

does the UN view it?

“MUN represents a stepping stone for the young.

It acts as a catalyst, fueling the involvement of

youth in world issues as well as preventing the

spread of ignorance. It makes sure that students do

not graduate with their heads buried in the sand,

unaware of all the issues at hand in the outside

world.”

Q: The spread of MUN is said to be vital for the

UN. Do you agree with this claim?

“Model United Nations

allows the work of

the UN to be more

widely understood

by the grass

roots. The UN

gets a lot of

negative press as

being just a

“talking shop.”

However, by being

involved in researching the

work of the UN, students can see how many very

valuable roles the UN currently takes on in the

world in the on-going fight against things such as

famine, health and human rights.”

The Beginnings of MUN

Many students use Model United Nations as a means

of improving their public speaking and critical

thinking skills. They familiarize themselves

with the world of modern politics

and attempt to come to terms with

the reasoning behind a country’s

stance on a certain subject. We

also find that it is a doorway for

the generation of tomorrow to

express their opinions and ideas on

how to solve the problems of

today. Kofi Annan’s presence at the

2002 THIMUN The Hague

conference proved that the world is finally beginning

to take its youth seriously.

In 1968, a man named Mr. Paul Sand from the

American School of The Hague organized the first

MUN conference consisting of about 50 students.

However small it was, the idea began to spread.

MUN then spread around the world at an immense

pace and conferences, attended by students in the

hundreds, exist in cities as far spread as St.

Petersburg, Doha, New York, Sao

Paulo, Mumbai and Singapore.

THIMUN The Hague still remains

the biggest conference involving

4,500 students, well known NGO’s

and respected political figures

worldwide. This is only

MUNOFS' second annual session.

We hope that it will continue to

develop and expand, giving even

more students the opportunity to

work for world peace.

Mohammed Omar

MUNOFS Page 4


Second Time Lucky :

MUNOFS 2009

The academic year advances at full speed, and

students and teachers alike are striving to excel and

meet the demands of their responsibilities. With such

endeavours taking most of our attention, it is not

surprising that sometimes we do not notice what is

happening in the world outside our sphere of focus.

Although some High School students and staff may

be unaware, something is cooking behind these

doors. Something big.

Owing to the immense success of the inaugural

conference in March earlier this year, Model United

Nations OFS or MUNOFS in short will return for a

second round of interactive and intellectual debating

of universal issues that challenge our world every

day. The two-day conference is the second time the

school is hosting its very own Model United Nations

conference and is set to draw hundreds of students

from schools island-wide. With the last conference’s

success still freshly imprinted in the minds of all

who participated, this year’s conference promises

hotter debates, more committees and an even greater

diversity of participants. Not forgetting a special new

conference dedicated solely to issues regarding

health.

What makes this event special and distinctive from

other big dates on the school calendar is that we get

a chance to play the proud host to a honourable event

that brings together hundreds of students, from both

international and local schools alike, for a single

cause to make the world a better place. Follow the

Footprints team as we guide you through the

conference with the latest news and equip you with

all you need to know about MUNOFS!

Ghazal Heidari Marvi

MUNOFS Page 5


Full Speed Ahead with

MUNOFS

Courtney Cohn

MUNOFS has come a long way from the first

conference in 2008. With more participants this

year, the growth of MUNOFS is an exciting one

that shows no signs of waning. Mr. David Taylor,

Dean of International Relations, fills us in on the

changes and the increase in participants in

MUNOFS II.

“We're including Middle School students this

year, so in total, we've gone from about 250

participants from last years MUNOFS, to 320

people. This is really exciting,” Mr. Taylor

reports.

The influx of new attendees is not only from

OFS. Many newcomers to MUN are taking their

first taste of the excitement of the conference by

attending MUNOFS as a training ground.

“While there are fewer schools being

represented, there are more individuals involved

this year,” Mr. Taylor notes.

The expansion of the conference has brought

interest from other international schools in the

region, from places such as India, Thailand, and

China, that want their students to be involved in

MUNOFS, as there is no suitable opportunity for

them to take part otherwise.

With the incredible interest in this local

conference, MUNOFS will be sure increase in

popularity, as there is a demand for such events

to take place in this region. The future, which

includes plans for expansion of MUNOFS, looks

to be shining bright.

Courtney Cohn

Socializing is the Key to Lobbying

Today, Jayganesh Janardhanan attended his first

time MUN conference. He was nervous because he

was venturing into the unknown. Representing

Norway, his goal is to “help other countries and

make the world a better place”.

He is on the ECOSOC council, lobbying for the

passing of the resolution “Renewing of measures

towards reduction of greenhouse gas concentration

in the atmosphere”. His job is lobbying. He

commented, “The best about MUN is lobbying”.

Coincidence? I think not. Delegates have to talk to

different people from different schools, grades and

ethnicities and convince them to vote for their

resolution. The goal is to gain as many votes as

possible because the resolutions with the most

votes get passed.

Jayganesh elaborated on the lobbying process.

“As delegates we 'merge' our resolutions. I have to

talk to everyone on the ECOSOC council, and

convince them that my resolution should be

passed. At first, this prospect was intimidating

because I did not

know how to lobby.

By observing, I

learned that the more

confident you are,

the more support

you get. I also

l e a r n e d t h a t

convincing people is

not limited to having

a good resolution,

but includes the way you approach people”.

He went on to say, “What worked best for me is

socializing with the other delegates, getting to

know them before getting down to business, it

inspires trust. This improves the chances of

delegates voting for my resolution”.

All in all, Jayganesh felt lobbying was a great

opportunity to learn a very valuable skill, the skill

of convincing people.

Jason Klanderman

MUNOFS Page 6


Chopin's melody

in MUNOFS

A beautiful rendition of

Chopin’s piano piece,

Fantasy Impromptu, was a

feature of the opening

ceremony of MUNOFS 09.

Ka Hee Lee’s performance

was impressive. The delicate

melody captivated the

audience. This is a challenging

piece in which the pianist’s

fingers must fly over the entire

keyboard like a swiftly flowing

stream.

Ka Hee Lee is quite an

experienced performer. This is

the second time that she has

performed at MUNOFS. She

played the piano at the very

first MUNOFS held last year.

Also, she performed for

THIMUN at the Hwa Chong

Inst i tute . Despi te this

experience, she said she still

felt “extremely nervous” in

front of Saturday’s large

audience. In addition, she is

also a MUN delegate so she

was thinking about the

challenges of the day ahead.

However, Chopin certainly

helped all the delegates to

forget about the paperwork for

a short time, and Ka Hee

received an appreciative round

of applause for her.

Lee Kyungha

The Youngest MUNOFS Delegate

Every year there are dozens

of new delegates. This year it

is Arshaj Joshi, the Polish

delegate, who stands out. Mr.

Joshi is one of the youngest

delegates at MUNOFS this

year, being only eleven years

old. He has agreed to answer

some questions:

How does it feel to be in a

room full of people older than

you? Do you think you are at

the same level as them? “Well,

I'm trying my best to do what I

can. In a way I am learning

from them; by the end of the

day I hope I would have

learned a lot and improved my

MUN skills a lot”.

There are several other young

delegates around today, but

none of them has as much

responsibility as Mr. Joshi.

The Polish delegate is young,

yet he has the skills, ability,

courage, and strength to do

what high school students do

here at MUNOFS.

When asked how he feels

about being one of the

youngest, he replied “It feels

great! You feel mature, and

you have responsibilities most

eleven years do not have”. The

first timer then ended the

interview by saying “ to a

limit, MUN is hard, but this is

what makes it fun.”

Anthony Walsh

Stress Buster

The Belarus delegate, tells us

how to deal with MUN

stress. “ Well it’s my first year

in MUNOFS so I do not have

much experience, but what I

usually do is try to calm down

and release all my energy

before my turn comes. As I am

about to speak, I count to

three. It helps me to relax, cool

down, and to get all the ideas

organized and flowing in my

head. It also looks more

professional when you take

your time to speak; it sounds

more confident. I also have a

notecard with me where my

speech is summarized in bullet

points. This helps me

remember my ideas and keep a

nice organized structure. I

think it’s important to keep a

cool head to avoid breaking

down. Also, towards the end of

the day, you start to get more

comfortable with speaking and

it becomes easier. The pressure

seems to ease away.”

Jeremy Jackson

MUNOFS Page 7


Merging Ideas

MUNOFS delegates are not

separated by school, age,

even or nationality—but by

the committees and the

issues themselves. Even as

delegates are responsible for

w r i t i n g t h e i r o w n

resolutions, their ideas are

never left isolated, as the

next step is to merge ideas

with other members of the

committee who are working

on the same issue. However,

it is often a challenge to

r e a c h a c o n s e n s u s ,

considering the diverse

perspectives in the room.Consider the Security Council

committee addressing the issue of

piracy on the high seas, for

example. There are six delegates

representing various nations from

the United States to Vietnam,

coming from IGES, OFS High

School and OFS Middle School—

all struggling to combine the

clauses of their resolutions, and

establish an agreement that

respects the interests their own

countries. Tension arises when

certain countries have more

weight than others, as when the

U.S. delegate Inish Dat, from the

German European School of

Singapore, uses his countries’

economic and military power to

influence the

clauses of the final resolution.

While this mirrors the way

things work in the real United

Nations, it can leave delegates

with less power feeling

overwhelmed.

Once the clauses have been

finalised, committee chairs go

through the process of approving

the resolution. For example,

when Sanna Tandon, from the

Special Conference, approves the

resolution, she must first check

for formatting based on the

THIMUN criteria. Next she

ensures clauses do not breach the

regulations of the conference,

(such as the prohibition of

references to funding). Finally,

she must check to make sure the

resolution does not plagiarise,

which Sanna says is usually not

as hard to recognize as people

might think. Eventually the

final two resolutions for each of

the three issues are presented to

the Approval Panel, which is

made up of the teachers from

each of the schools. Once the

panel’s stipulations have been

met, the delegates are left to

persuade the other members of

their committee to pass the

resolution!

Rebecca Pardey

US Delegates visiting

from German School

Working together to create the final

resolutions concerning piracy on the

high seas.

MUNOFS Page 8


Learning from Each Other

Arriving at Overseas Family School, there was

only one thing running through our minds – this

place is big!

We had come to OFS to learn from the school’s

editorial team who are covering the

MUNOFS – Model United Nations at

Overseas Family School as they

have had more experience in

writing articles, meeting tight

deadlines and creating a

newsletter.

We first attended a briefing at

7.30am where we learnt what

had to be done. We learnt about

the different types of articles such

as a news stories, feature stories and

editorials. Each member of the editorial

team was assigned different stories they were

to cover. We were attached to these students to see

how they worked.

Next, we attended the opening ceremony, which

was filled with delegates from various local

schools, all dressed in formal attire. The opening

ceremony started with a brief explanation of the

purpose of MUN. We then enjoyed a piano

performance, followed by addresses from the OFS

high school principal and Alexander Charles Louis,

the Vice-President and Chairperson of

Humanitarian Affairs for the UN Association of

Singapore.

As soon as the ceremony was over, the

reporters interviewed various people

such as the delegates, and

Alexander Charles Louis, before

proceeding to K104 to type their

article in an interesting and

creative manner.

All in all, we found the

experience interesting as well as

enriching. We learnt a lot from

the editorial team, finding the

people at OFS friendly and

accommodating.

This is an experience we will never forget.

By Ang Mo Kio Secondary School visitors:

Cheryl Cheong

Stefanie Yeo

Andrew Tham

History of OFS

Overseas Family School is an International

school in Singapore that started in 1991. The

school provides a modern education in the English

language for overseas families living in Singapore.

From Pre K to Grade 12, there are about 3000

students from over 70 different countries.

OFS helps students to work in open partnership

with parents to help prepare students for the

changing world we live in. The school provides a

variety of courses such as International

Baccalaureate Curriculum, Middle Years and

Diploma programs and the Study Preparation

Program. As well as subjects in the curriculum, the

school has a Model United Nation ECA. MUN was

first introduced into the OFS High School over

five years ago.

The first MUNOFS conference was held over a

weekend mid February last year. The conference

was declared an overwhelming success and left

students with a feeling of a sense of achievement

and satisfaction. OFS is extremely proud to hold

the second MUNOFS this month.

Teachers and students alike have doubled their

efforts into making this year’s MUNOFS better

than before and have high hopes that it will be a

roaring success. With such a strong foundation, the

future looks promising.

Lee Kyungha

MUNOFS Page 9


In the Pink of Health?

An insight into the work of the Special

Conference and its issues in MUNOFS 2009.

Special Conference is a

committee in MUN that

is for moderately

experienced delegates.

Special Conference, as

the name suggests, does

not have any particular

themes like the other

committees, and can

range from anything like Globalisation to Food.

This year in MUNOFS 2009, the Special

Conference is discussing Health issues.

With the recent outbreak of the H1N1 Influenza,

global medical centres are on alert, and this has

been one of the inspirations for this year’s theme.

In fact, one of the issues this committee will be

discussing is the threat of pandemics and the

global response to such threats. Other issues

include Malaria prevention and treatment, as this

disease is still a rampant killer across the world.

Along with the medical and technical side of

Special Conference, delegates will also be

discussing ethics in medical health with the issue

of illicit world trade of organs.

Special Conference is a more hands-on committee

compared to GA and ECOSOC, and the committee

is relatively small. But like all other committees,

Special Conference shines on its own, and is a

must try for all delegates.

Malavika Nair

Do Romance and Politics Mix?

Not according to Rohit

Subramanian, an MUN

veteran who has attended

three MUN conferences before

MUNOFS 2009. At one of his

previous conferences, as a

delegate, he asked out a

chairperson of the ECOSOC

council. Sadly, this did not end

well and the personal issues

distracted from the global ones!

However, he has not given up

hope. “At this year's conference,

there are a large number of

schools attending. This gives us

the opportunity to get

acquainted and interact with one

another.”

Because this is his fourth MUN

conference, he is somewhat of

an expert on the ECOSOC

council. At this MUNOFS

conference, he is representing

Algeria and his main focus,

apart from the chance of

romance, is on the issue of

c l i m a t e c h a n g e . R o h i t

commented, “This is the

shortest, but one of the most

well organized conferences I

have attended so far.”

Keynote speaker, Alexander

Charles, in his speech, hoped

that this conference will be

“fruitful and that quality

resolutions on major issues

facing the world” will be

passed. It might be best if

romance is put on hold until

after the closing ceremony.

Bigger and Better

It is bigger and better. This is

the view of Mr. Taylor, Dean of

International Relations, and the

mastermind behind the

organization of MUNOFS 2009.

“We have definitely learned

from last year's conference and

we have greatly improved. I'm

very much satisfied with how

smooth things are going”, said

Mr. Taylor. He believes this

year's MUNOFS has improved

in many ways. He pointed to

better management, preparation

and coordination as well as

more participants and more

parent interest.

Next year, Mr. Taylor expects

MUNOFS to be even better. He

confirmed that OFS is planning

a three-day conference next

year. It will be an international

one, in which schools from

outside of Singapore will be

participating. OFS is currently

working with international

organizations to improve

international relations and

hopefully, further increase the

international

participation

i n

MUNOFS.

not just the

conference”.

MUNOFS Page 10


Broken Arm No Barrier To Admin

MUNOFS is a big conference with many

delegates but often the essential, behind-the-

scenes people go unnoticed. Here is a look at the

Admin team of MUNOFS and the important job

that they actually have.

Before the conference, the

MUNOFS Admin team set

up the tables and chairs the

night before. This may seem

a simple job but when you

have a small team and have

to prepare for several

hundred delegates spread

across the school in

numerous rooms, it becomes quite a lot of work.

On the first morning, they act as guides, showing

the delegates to their assigned rooms. However,

their biggest job, throughout the conference, is to

act as the “postal service”. The Admin is

responsible for transferring written messages about

resolutions between delegates in the committee

rooms and General Assembly. These messages are

extremely important when resolutions are being

debated because delegates are not allowed to speak

to each other. For example, if a delegation wants to

change the wording of a resolution or is seeking

support for a proposal, messages are exchanged.

While MUN rules say that all messages must be

about MUN business, unscrupulous delegates

sometimes try to bribe Admin staff to allow other

messages. Tim Bendt, who is acting in the Admin

role at this conference, despite having a broken

arm, says, “Being Admin is a lot of work and

requires patience, but it can be a great experience.”

Mhd. Antonio van der Putten

Behind the Scenes

MUN usually brings to mind images of delegates

dressed in elegant suits sitting behind name-cards,

eloquently debating a diverse range of world

issues. However, what one might forget is the

organization needed to get these delegates behind

the right desk, with the right nametag introducing

both themselves and their issue.

Left in charge of the logistics is eleventh grade

MUN representative Viviana June, along with her

co-worker Jaya Malhotra. As part of the campaign

to give the younger MUN participants more

responsibility this year, these two delegates have

been left to ensure that all students are equipped

with everything they will need for the day, from

schedules, to ID cards, to lunch.

While Max Martchenko, the designated Secretary

General, is responsible for organizing the chairs

and ensuring that the debates themselves run

smoothly, Viviana and Jaya have to face more

technical issues. The actual conference might have

started at nine, but these young delegates, along

with numerous other members of the MUN, were

here much earlier setting up every room, printing

the necessary cards, and dealing with the mundane

but significant problems of photocopying, room

changes, last minute lists and general organization.

It is impressive to note that Max was able to

confidently claim,” It is too early for problems”;

evidence that Viviana and Jaya have been

successful in their first experience of handling the

logistics of an entire MUN conference.

Rebecca Pardey

MUNOFS 2009 Issue 1

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