Academic Conferences

Academic Conferences

2007 Hangzhou Model United Nations (MUN) Conference held at Zhejiang University

date:2010-10-28

2007 Hangzhou Model United Nations (MUN) Conference held at Zhejiang University

 

Dec. 9, 2007, SIS

 

Originating at Harvard University, MUN has now gained popularity all over the world;.based on the reality, it looks forward into
the future. Ever since its accession to China in 1990s, activities of Model United Nations have been drawing attention in the
universities around the country, attracting thousands of young “diplomats” to participate and think about what difference they can make in the background of globalization. December 7 to 9, 2007, about a hundred representatives respectively from
Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, Zhejiang Gongshang University and a specially-invited delegation of Hangzhou
Foreign Language School
gathered at ZJU and discussed with students here issues of “Multinational Corporation and Development for UNDP” and “Energy for Poverty Reduction for ECOSOC”. The conference lasted two and a half days, at which
heated negotiations and fierce debates took place. Profound thought, perceptive insight and admirable team spirit and
speculation spirit in young students have all made a deep impression on the audience.

 

At 4:00 pm, Dec. 7, Zhejiang University 2007 Model United Nations Conference opened at the International Conference Hall in
Zijingang campus. Mr. Chen Jian, former United Nations Assistant Secretary General, President of China Model United Nations and China’s former ambassador to Japan, attended the opening ceremony. He then addressed the opening of this conference and put forward his expectations to the representatives. Mr. Yang Wei, President of ZJU, sent a congratulatory letter to express his congratulations. Then the university leaders and the leaders of SIS, the organizer of the conference, made speeches
respectively.

 

The conference is held under the body of United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The working language of the first committee (UNDP) is Chinese and that of the second committee is English, and the
issue of each is “Multinational Corporation and Development for UNDP” and “Energy for Poverty Reduction for ECOSOC”. Altogether 118 students participated on behalf of 46 countries.

 

At 7:00 in the evening, all the representatives in formal suit came to different halls to start the first meeting of this year’s MUN conference. “Botswana!” “Present.” “Botswana is present.” – By raising their placards in the roll call section, the
students completed a meaningful identity transformation in the first person, from “me” to “representative of ***”. The
following meetings went on successfully as expected. Under the instructions of the Chair and Director, the representatives soon understood the rules of procedures and got involved, taking upon their young shoulders a country’s responsibility and a
people’s expectation, in which they tried to win interests for their countries through means of motion and caucus, as well as
diplomacies like debate and compromise or concession. Early next morning, figures of representatives showed up in the
awakening Zijingang Campus, turning restaurants, dorms and even roadsides into temporary debate areas. The conference had special “MUN Leisure Bar”, where coffee and delicious refreshments were available, providing with the representatives a
perfect informal occasion for discussion and caucus. The meeting on the afternoon of Dec. 8 started from 13:00 and lasted 6
hours. It was an unusually difficult time, during which representatives from English committee encountered a “Crisis Order”
that “Russia stops its natural gas supply to Ukraine and White Russia”. According to the rules, any present agenda should
be suspended in case of crisis and representatives should at once draw up an “Emergency Resolution”. The atmosphere in
the hall instantly seethed, the tired representatives’ got nervous again and began to talk about the resolution. Yet on the side of Chinese committee, two interest groups led by the USA & UK and China & France respectively were taking its initial shape. Representatives skillfully used Moderated Caucus and Unmoderated Caucus to further the conference’s process and won time and signatories for drawing up the draft resolution. Two draft resolutions had been submitted by the meeting that night. Also in
the meeting on Dec. 9, representatives successfully dealt with challenges: finishing all discussions on draft resolutions within the given time and starting the voting.

 

Ms. Liu Yanhui, Deputy Secretary of ZJU League Committee, Prof. Fan Jiepin, Acting Dean of SIS, Prof. Zhou Xing, Deputy
Dean of SIS, Ms. Zhu Xiuxiang, Secretary of SIS League Committee, Miss Fu Yuanyang, Deputy Secretary of SIS League
Committee, Mr. Zhu Xiaoyu, Director of this MUN conference and l Mr. Gong Yaodong, a leading teacher of Hangzhou Foreign
Language School attended the closing and awarding ceremony of 2007 Zhejiang University MUN Conference. Zhejiang
University of Media and Communication, Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics and Hangzhou Foreign Language School won the Outstanding Delegation. Moreover, 42 representatives won individual awards (including Leadership Award, Speech
Award and Position Paper Award etc). Prof. Fan Jiepin, Acting Dean of SIS, spoke highly of the 2007 Zhejiang University MUN Conference, and expressed that SIS will always support MUN’s future development till it becomes the brand project of SIS
and even of ZJU.

 

Contact Us

Address:No. 866, Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, P.R. China

Postal Code:310058

Telephone:+86-571-8820-6044 +8

E-mail:wangjiayue@zju.edu.cn

ZJU-SISZJU-SIS Students