Diligence and diplomacy on display at Model United Nations

More than 60 student from across campus took on the role of delegates to the UWill Discover Model United Nations, Nov. 2 in the Ron W. Ianni Faculty of Law Building. Participants submitted position papers and networked and engaged in deliberative dialogues similar to what would be used at a UNICEF meeting.

Tim Brunet, chair of the UWill Discover Sustainable Futures project, said he was "delighted" to see students share a Saturday afternoon among peers interested in learning United Nations practices.

"In a world where so many follow prescriptions of what to say, what to do, and how to listen, this exercise brings participants to be better listeners, better advocates, and better human beings," Dr. Brunet said.

Before the event began, students heard from guest speaker Joe Comartin (BA 1968, LLB 1971), who represented the riding of Windsor-Tecumseh in the Canadian Parliament from 2000 to 2015 and served as consul general of Canada in Detroit from 2018 to 2022.

Delegate Elizabeth Spiridon called the event an unforgettable experience.

"Participating in my first Model UN competition was an amazing journey," she said. "It pushed me to think critically, speak confidently, and productively collaborate with peers representing countries around the world."

• At the conclusion of the conference, delegations winning special notice included:
• 1st overall: Kieran Narang, Alistair Parikh, representing the United Kingdom
• 2nd overall: Sohila Sidhu, representing Lesotho
• 3rd overall: Abhilaksh Abhilaksh, representing Italy
• Best position paper: Ricky Simpson III and Katie Savage, representing Singapore
• Best delegate: Matthew Livingstone and Elizabeth Spiridon, representing Georgia

Next up for the UWill Discover Sustainable Futures project is the call for proposals for the annual conference. Learn more at uwindsor.ca/uwilldiscover.