The Warsaw High School Times

Graphic by Milena Targańska

With it already being November, WAWMUN 2023 is just around the corner. This is yet another major event organised by students exclusively from the Batory High School in Warsaw, though available for anyone over 15 years old. By major, I really mean major. It is meant for 330 Delegates, and if you include the Chairpersons, Pages and members of the Secretariat, the total is around 400 people. During days 1 and 4 of the conference, they all gather in the assembly hall of the Batory High School, with the school having to function normally during those proceedings while hosting an additional 400 people. This is no easy feat, however WAWMUN has been around since 2007, and so the school has adapted. The Secretariat puts in an enormous amount of effort to ensure that the conference is comfortable for the delegates, as well as for Batory students.

Now, the article may have included some words not yet clear for everyone not acquainted with the MUN world. Hence, there is one question that should be answered, that being “What even is MUN?”. Model United Nations, which is the full name of this type of conference, is an event in which the youth gather to simulate the proceedings and workings of the United Nations, and have the chance debate on various topics. The people that actually debate are the Delegates, with them representing a country of their choice and being obliged to follow its policy while conferring about the resolution. Together, some number of Delegates debating upon a single topic form a committee. Each committee is specialized, just like the UN committees, and each committee debates on different things, so everyone can find a suitable topic for themselves. Examples of such committees include the World Health Organization, the European Commission, or the Human Rights Council, though there are naturally many more.

Every committee needs supervision, though, so as to ensure that the work of the committee goes forward, and that the countries are not merely chaotically arguing with each other. That is the role of the Chairs, or Chairpersons. They coordinate the committee and ensure that it works in an orderly manner, with there usually being two or three Chairs per committee. They also have the role of supporting delegates in their MUN adventure, as not everyone is naturally good at public speaking and debating. From my experience, though, I believe that MUN is a really good place to gain the courage to speak up, as it helps in the future, and that debating in the committee is always fun and entertaining.

Then, there are also the Pages. They are volunteers which help in communication by handling Page Notes and carrying them between Delegates – the main means of communication between them while the committee is in session. Aside from that, they also help with logistics, as they prepare the placards, and essentially organise everything necessary to ensure that the Delegates have a perfect environment in which to work and rest. Being a Page is also a great way to familiarise yourself with the MUN world, as you get to spectate the debates, albeit not taking part in them.

That is how all MUN conferences work. What is so special about WAWMUN then? Well, last year’s edition was crowned as the Best Large Conference in the entire world on “mymun.com”, which is the largest site connecting various MUN conferences with the people wishing to attend them. It is by far the largest such event in Poland, and is known for its exceptional quality of debate, as well as environment and even the social event. All of this comes from its remarkable organisation, with there being 12 people in the Secretariat, all responsible for different aspects of the conference. They all cooperate and work tirelessly to ensure that the outcome is a state-of-the-art event that has and will have international publicity, as it did in previous editions.