An Overview of MYSMUN

Malaysian Schools Model United Nations (MYSMUN) 2022 is an inter-school Model United Nations (MUN) and the first student-led online conference hosted by students of the Australian International School Malaysia (AISM). Our secretariat generals, Alice Tan and Nichole Ong are year 12 students who have had years of experience in MUN and have developed a passion for it through being delegates and later chairs. This year, they decided to start their very own MUN conference, MYSMUN. “It was always a highlight within our high school experience,” says Nichole, “so we thought it would be a good idea to use our experience with MUN to pass on the opportunities and experiences we gained through MUN by creating MYSMUN.”

Alice Tan

Nichole Ong

AISM has always been an active member of The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) Singapore. As a co-curricular activity, students would prepare for the annual, year-end conference. Alice mentioned that THIMUN has enabled her to meet many new people that she still keeps in touch with today. “The long-lasting skills and friendships we gained from these conferences have motivated us to come back again and again,” she said. “Also, being part of THIMUN has always been seen as a ‘privilege’ in the AISM community and we were always proud to be part of that. Seeing so many captains and student leaders before us have joined this, we were prompted to do the same.” Having been inspired by their seniors, Alice and Nichole aimed to do the same by introducing MUN to more students while piquing their interests. 
 

The Legal and Finance Committee (LFC) had the largest group of first-timers. The head chair of LFC, Kian Mun Lam said, “First-time delegates are always something that makes up any MUN conference. The only concern that I have is that delegates might be afraid to speak during the conference and participate in debates.” He understood that support and encouragement from the chairs are extremely important for first-timers and thus he ensured that every delegate had the chance to speak. 

“Although I am new and am not really confident in speaking, I do get a chance to talk and help up to write resolutions,” said Ip Zi Yang, the delegate of the US and a first-timer. “I met a new friend, who is the delegate of China, Yin Kai Tan. He is a very good person to work with.” Not only have the delegates broadened their horizons by meeting new people, but they have also obtained skills in writing and debating.
 

“I enjoyed the conference very much, especially creating the resolutions as it helped me to understand what happens in the UN. I believe it may be valuable to those who wish to do jobs in international relations or just people wondering how international relations work. I would love to join more MUN conferences in the future.” said Adiyaan Ahamad, the delegate of Benin who is also a first-timer. 

“This is my first time doing MUN. I think I didn’t do well because I didn't know much about the procedure. I wish that I could join more MUN conferences in the future so that I can speak more next time.” said Ip Zi Yang. 

We are glad to know that the first-timers have developed a passion for MUN through being delegates at the MYSMUN conference and are looking forward to their future MUN conference. 
 

For the past few months, we have been witness to the monumental efforts of AISM students and secretariat generals, Alice Tan and Nichole Ong in Year 12.  With MYSMUN 2022 being their first attempt, difficulties are inevitable. “We are a new conference, and this is our first time creating something like this. It was, therefore, difficult to start from scratch as we were unsure of how many applications we would get, how many councils we’d be able to fill and so on,” said Nichole. “Luckily, we have had an immense amount of support from our deputy secretary-generals who have sent out invitation emails to schools, kept delegates informed, and created our wonderful Instagram page, as well as the MUNITY team who have created our website and are writing all these articles for us.” Alice further acknowledges the AISM community, including the MUN directors and the Marketing Team, who have been very supportive of MYSMUN. With their help, the registration went successfully, with about 190 applications from more than 30 participating institutions. We also owe a lot to those outside the AISM community, such as our guest speakers, MUN directors, and friends. The secretary generals expressed their utmost gratitude towards everyone who has contributed to the making of this conference.