Indonesia Students to Participate in UN general Assembly Simulation

Delft, the Netherlands - Eight secondary school students from the Indonesian Nederland School (SIN), will participate in the Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) from January 27 to February 1, 2013 in the Hague, Netherlands, a SIN trainer has said. THIMUN, which started in 1968, is a simulation of the UN General Assembly participated in by the secondary school students to educate the participants on contemporary events, international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda, SIN team trainer Safreni C Sari said here Saturday. The participants play a role as diplomats representing a particular country or a non-governmental organization in simulated sessions of the United Nations committees, such as the Security Council or the General Assembly. "The Indonesian students will play a role as Papua New Guinean delegates, and will discuss several issues covering special political affairs and decolonization, disarmament and international security, economy and finance, as well as social, humanitarian and cultural matters," she explained. Safreni who is currently doing research in artificial intelligence at the University of Technology Delft (TUD) said the students would not only be guided for presentation skill in English, but also defending their ideas in front of the simulated UN session to be followed by 3,500 students from more than 100 countries. "So during the THIMUN preparation class, the students has conducted research on issues that they want to present and therefore they have enough information beside data as the basis to defend opinions and prepare a resolution," Safreni said. In addition, the preparation also includes the ability of persuasion, she said. Like the negotiation process among countries at the international level that requires approach and lobby, THIMUN participants who have been put in a delegation group must also do the same (approach and lobby) in order to obtain support for the proposed resolution and be approved at the UN General Assembly. Safreni said the resolution proposed by the student participants will be prepared in accordance to the UN standard format so they are also trained to communicate fluently in English writing.(*)