A model UN participant

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FOR international and government studies student Ella Weisbrot, participating in a four-day World Model United Nations conference late last month was a “fantastic experience”.

In her second year at the University of Sydney, Weisbrot is majoring in government and international relations, as well as Japanese.

One of 19 students representing her university at the conference, the 19-year-old was part of a 60-person Australian contingent at the gathering.

“I was proud to represent Australia at such a dynamic and interesting event. We certainly have a good reputation overseas,” the United Nations Society member told
The AJN.

Held in Taipei, the convention involved multiple committee sessions where delegates, representing more than 70 countries, debated issues, discussed policy and also had the opportunity to socialise in a less formal context.

“Everyone was incredibly eloquent and well researched, [especially] considering that many of the participants were not native English speakers,” Weisbrot said

While there were 22 committees, Weisbrot was part of a simulated General Assembly emergency special session debate on the 1973 Yom Kippur War. She represented India in the debate, which was surprisingly never actually held in 1973.

The debate began as if it were October 7, 1973 — the day after Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel.

“As the sessions progressed we received updates on the war, these were entirely faithful to history and it made for an extremely dynamic debate because it meant that positions and interests kept shifting as we were attempting to write and negotiate a resolution,” she said.

“The debate was incredibly heated and intense, people really got into it,” she said, explaining that the representatives of the Arab states sided with China and the USSR, while European countries worked more closely with Israel and the United States.

Hoping to attend the conference again next year, Weisbrot will represent her university later this year at the Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference, where she will be part of a crisis council considering a hypothetical nuclear conflict between Israel and Iran in 2012.

“The ongoing conflict in Israel is a very popular topic at model UN conferences because it is such a complex issue; there is so much history to the conflict, yet it is also a dynamic, constantly evolving issue,” Weisbrot said.

“I find it comforting and also really inspiring that so many students worldwide are interested in attempting to find solutions to ongoing conflicts, such as the one in Israel.”

While she hopes to go on exchange to Japan next year to complete her honours, Weisbrot is unsure about her path after her degree, tossing up between her desire to work in the United Nations, with a human rights organisation such as Amnesty International, or pursuing her interest in political analysis.

DALIA SABLE