The Sri Lankan Model United Nations (SLMUN) conference gathers students from Sri Lanka and abroad 

The International Youth Day fell on 12 August and this year’s theme was ‘Youth Civic Engagement’. It provided opportunities for youth to learn, debate, and shape sustainable development policies in their countries. For the first time in Sri Lanka, the Model UN conference ‘Shifting Policy Paradigms’ mimicked a session of the World Bank Board of Directors and provided a space for youth to discuss safeguards policies and prepare an entrepreneurship project.

Leading up to the 14-16 August conference, 25 to 30 youth, representing the seven permanent representatives and country cluster representatives sitting on the Board, engaged with World Bank staff to research and understand the institution’s operations at the country level as well as its decision making processes. The proceedings of the student-re enacted session were documented in the Chairman’s summary at the end of the conference.

Sri Lanka Model United Nations

The Sri Lanka Model United Nations (SLMUN) is Asia’s largest student-run conference. The inaugural SLMUN was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo in 2008 and involved over 1,000 students from Sri Lanka and abroad.

“SLMUN 2015 challenges our youngsters. We ‘dare you to move’; to take a stand against the challenges of our century. We dare you to voice your opinion when the majority remains voiceless. We dare you to exploit your brilliant minds in the art of conflict resolution. We dare you to become the change that the world is yearning to see,” states the Secretary General, K.D.D.B. Vimanga in his conference message. 

The conference website highlights the goals of the eighth session:

“This year, we want to revolutionise the thought process and attitudes of students to distance themselves from the conventional Asian risk-averse behaviour and take real action towards making real changes in a world that will eventually belong to youth. We want to learn and apply our learning towards creating the policies of the future.”

Preparing for the Board Meeting and learning about the bank

The student-re enacted World Bank session focused on the viability and importance of safeguards in a development context and will mirror actual debates, which recently took place during an orientation for the South Asia Regional Safeguards Advisors.

Following a basic orientation on World Bank operations and project cycles, the organising committee developed a mock Project Appraisal Document (PAD), which assesses a project’s economic, technical, institutional, financial, environmental and social aspects, and assigned it to a fictional project on youth entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka. The mock PAD was presented for approval to the student-led Board at the conference.

“The students’ passion for development is palpable. They were keenly interested in how the World Bank partners with the government to achieve Sri Lanka’s development goals,” said Rolande Pryce, Operations Advisor at the World Bank Colombo Office. “With a little inspiration, the organising committee developed a fictional project to stimulate entrepreneurship, identifying it as the perfect entry point for youth to participate in a transformational way in Sri Lanka’s development.”

Students acted out their World Bank Board of Directors session live on 14 August. 

CIS excels at Sri Lanka Model United Nations 2015

A young team of highly accomplished students from CIS were awarded the SLMUN 2015 coveted Shigadry Climate Change Award in recognition of their most outstanding project to curb carbon emissions. It was presented at the SLMUN 2015 conference held from 14 to 16 August at the BMICH in Colombo.

In addition the CIS delegation received a record number of prestigious best delegate awards and a host of other higher commendation and special achievement awards which enabled CIS to retain its leading position of outstanding success and achievements at the SLMUN conference which is conducted annually in Sri Lanka. 

Further information on the Colombo International School’s ongoing project to reduce carbon emissions can be found at www.cis4change.com.

Awards details are as follows: Best Delegate UNFCC Dmitry Kahandawa, Best Delegate GA6 Viren Beruwalage, Best Delegate UNHRC Ashanee Kottage, Higher Commendation GA1 Natasha Mamuhewa, Higher Commendation UNESCO Rishane Dassanayake and Sivagami Devanayagam, Honorary Mention GA3 Ranali Perera, Honorary Mention ECOSOC Savant Gamage, Honorary Mention HOSST Nishad Gunawardena, Honorary Mention SC Pravin Steele, Special Award for Up and Coming Delegates GA1 Mevin Manamperi, Special Award for Up and Coming Delegates UNHRC Senal Wijethilake, Best Foreign Policy Statement GA1Kiran Kandasamy, Best Foreign Policy Statement GA3Eshana Amarasinghe and Best Foreign Policy Statement UNHRC Senalka Wickramaratne.