An alumni connection gave extra inspiration to this year’s award-winning Model United Nations team at Saint Mary’s University. The delegation of ten undergraduate students returned from New York City on April 7 with a Distinguished Delegation Award, the equivalent of silver. Third-year students Pyper Lane and Naza Yammine also won an Outstanding Position Paper award.
The team represented the small West Indies nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis at the annual UN simulation, attended by thousands of students from around the world. As part of their advance research in Dr. Marc Doucet’s Model UN course, the group had a very helpful Zoom meeting in January with the Honourable Isalean Phillip BA'16 MA'19.
The Honourable Isalean Phillip BA’16 MA’19
Back in 2015, Phillip was a member of SMU's Model UN team, which represented Ukraine that year. Last summer, she was sworn in as a Senator in the government of Saint Kitts and Nevis, where she is also the Minister of Social Development & Gender Affairs, Youth Empowerment, Ageing & Disabilities.
“Her insights allowed us to truly come to understand the heart of a nation that was previously unfamiliar to many of us,” says Yammine, a Global Development Studies major. “Her presentation on the twin island federation’s history, political system and culture sparked ideas on how to approach research on our topic.”
The winning position paper was submitted in advance for the event’s General Assembly First Committee. It covered topics including Youth for Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Peace, and Addressing the Illicit Trafficking of Weapons to Non-State Actors.
A highlight of the week in New York was a virtual meeting with the UN Permanent Mission for Saint Kitts and Nevis, including its UN Ambassador Nerys Dockery. The island nation has a population of 53,000.
“The meeting served to further our understanding of the country’s position in the international community, highlighting how its size is often a compelling point of departure in negotiations, which was certainly the case for us representing them at NMUN,” says Lane, a political science major going into the honours program next year.
The Saint Mary’s group included students from across Canada as well as India, Mexico and Ghana. Three political science majors were joined by a student in the environmental studies program and several from the Sobey School of Business.
“I’m really proud of what the students were able to do, and the awards are significant recognition for their hard work,” says Dr. Doucet, who aims to offer the course again next winter.
The inaugural East Coast Model UN event held at Saint Mary’s this year was another great way for the students to prepare. The pilot project drew more than 40 students from Saint Mary’s and other universities in the region, including Dalhousie, STFX and Acadia. But meeting with Senator Phillip was a huge advantage, adds Doucet.
“It was interesting for the students to connect with someone who had done an undergraduate degree here and is now in a government position. The question that’s often asked is, ‘What can you do with an Arts degree?’ Well there you go! This is what you can do!”
The experience encouraged Lane to apply for a NATO Field School hosted by Simon Fraser University, so she’ll be travelling to locations across Europe this summer.
“The preparation that we get through the Model UN course at SMU is the best of the best,” she says. “We all went in feeling prepared, confident and knowledgeable. We would not be nearly as successful if it weren’t for the support we receive from the SMU community, the Model UN course and our professor and faculty advisor Dr. Marc Doucet.”
Yammine agrees, adding she hopes to pursue a career in international law and potentially diplomacy.
“It was refreshing to apply my knowledge in a real-life setting, and to simulate how world leaders come to make certain decisions,” she says. “The Model UN course not only teaches you about resolution writing and the mandate of UN organs, but also how to excel in public speaking, negotiation and teamwork.”