FERMUN 2019

“More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. If our youth arise and act, they have the strength and dynamism to generate a huge transformation in society. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations.”

Ten students of grade 11 , accompanied by MUN director Ms. Navleen Kaur from DPS Sharjah, got the incredible opportunity of participating in Ferney Model United Nations, conducted by Lycée International De Ferney-Voltaire from 16th to 18th January 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. With an overwhelming presence of more than 700 students from 29 different countries from across the world, DPS Sharjah had the honor of being the only school from UAE to have taken part.

FERMUN is one of the only bilingual conferences in the world, holding debates in both French and English. A trilingual committee was also introduced, integrating Spanish into the conference. This bilingual aspect fortifies the strong relation of this forum to the UN conferences. Not only this, the conference was held in the headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) giving the students a real simulation of actual deliberations and discussions.

The first day of conference saw among the participants a feeling of excitement as well as trepidation. The delegates put forward their best in each committee, and debated upon various issues ranging from Developing Partnerships, to the Ethical Implications of AI. The following 2 days of committee sessions were greeted with the same enthusiasm and fervor.

The third day of conference witnessed some of the finest speeches and negotiations made by the students of DPS Sharjah in every committee. The student delegates were very articulated, proactive and marked with brilliance in all the resolutions over varied issues - ranging from ensuring universal access to water and to minimum health standards of drinking water to intellectual property of works created by Artificial Intelligence.

Jeevan Saji was awarded the best delegate of his committee, SDG 11. The double delegate teams, Khush Devendra Patel and Chahit Uppal were awarded the best delegation for Australia in the Al and Ethics committee, and Shubham Maheshwari and Samvedh Eeswar, were awarded the second best delegation for South Africa in the AI and Society committee; both committees of over 100 delegates each. All the delegates from DPS Sharjah gained recognition in their respective committees for their hard work and articulated arguments.

Finally, day four in Geneva was the time for celebration as students visited the glacier 3000 and the Château de Chillon which was an experience in itself. Students enjoyed a city tour of the old town of Geneva, from the St Pierre Cathedral, L'horlogefleurie, and the Palais des Nations. It was a Gothic maze of cobblestone streets topped by historic Saint Peter's Cathedral and the Town Hall where the League of Nations and the Red Cross were founded.

Students flew back to Dubai, bringing home spectacular memories and enriching experiences from FERMUN2019.