A team from Taipei City-based National Chengchi University earned Taiwan’s best ever showing at this year’s National Model U.N. in New York City, bagging four prizes.
Teams from National Taipei University of Technology, National Taiwan University and Soochow University, all based in Taipei City, were among sides from more than 250 universities worldwide in the competition.
NCCU Department of Diplomacy associate professor Chiang Chia-hsiung led a team of 20 students in securing selection as committee chair for U.N. Human Settlements Programme and Committee on Status of Women rapporteur, an outstanding position paper for U.N. Environment Programme and an honorable mention for the Taiwan team, equivalent to third place.
More than 5,000 students were divided into 22 U.N. general assemblies to conduct face to face negotiations. Seniors Tian Lin and Kuo Fang-tzu were selected as committee chair and rapporteur, respectively, while the outstanding position paper was written by juniors Tong Xin and Zoey Ting.
Tian and Kuo took part in the NMUN last year. Tian is a founding member of the NCCU Youth Association of International Conferences and has plenty of experience in organizing model UN conferences in Taiwan. Tian said that the chair’s job is the hardest, but also the most fun, as it involves directing the flow of discussion.
According to Kuo, Taiwan students tend to adopt a more indirect debating style, whereas students from Europe and the U.S. get straight to the point. As the meetings are very brief, she refined her style after winning an outstanding delegate honor last year.
The committee rapporteur has to note down all speakers’ views and make a report to the chair, as well as producing a summary report, which is a test of organizational skill, Kuo said. In the four days of the conference, she produced reports for eight sessions, Kuo added. (SDH)