EstMUN 2023 brought together youth from five countries

Over 80 participants from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Ukraine took part in the Estonian Model United Nations (EstMUN) 2023, participating in debates and different activities. The event was held in Kehtna Kutsehariduskeskus, Estonia from 27th to 30th April 2023.

Topics of EstMUN 2023 were

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees “Education Rights in Refugee Camps for Women and Girls”
Economic and Social Council “Incentivising the Transition to Green Energy”
International Court of Justice “Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea (USA v. PRC)”
Media Team “Propaganda in the Age of Information Warfare”

Before the event students were allocated a committee and a country they represented during the conference. As homework students prepared a position paper which helped them to go deep into the topics and meaningfully participate in the debates during the conference.

“Participation in the event got me more interested in history and politics and my English improved. I also met amazing new people and exchanged contacts with them. I got to know more about how the UN works and learned a lot about international security and law,” stated one participant after the event.

In 2023 members of the UNHCR committee participated in the MUN Refugee Challenge supported by the UNHCR to develop ideas to support refugees.

The students who participated in the media team were allocated an Outlet they represented throughout the conference writing articles, participating in press conferences of committees and creating social media content.

For teachers a workshop was organized to discuss what are the possibilities and strengths in using the model in education. The common ground was created to share good practices among teachers and to learn from each other.

“The opportunity given for young people from different countries to meet and discuss very important topics is a great advantage. Also, the fact that they had to prepare responsibly to represent the country, developed their independence and responsibility, as well as broaden their horizons and taught them diplomacy and communication that is really important nowadays in order to reach common agreements among many cultures,” said one teacher.

The organizing committee consisted of ASPnet National Coordinator in Estonia and a group of EstMUN youth volunteers who had in previous years participated either as participants or organizers.

The event was honored by participation of representatives of our partner organizations:

Märt Volmer, Undersecretary for Global Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ursula Roosmaa, Country Director, British Council Estonia
Kari Käsper, Associate Legal Officer, UNHCR for Nordic and Baltic Countries