Model United Nations

Fourteen Suffield students attended the 69th session of Harvard Model United Nations from January 27 to 30. HMUN is a four-day international relations simulation for high school students held annually in downtown Boston. More than 4,200 delegates, 350 faculty advisors, and 240 Harvard undergraduates gather to tackle important international issues.

This year's keynote speaker was Margaret Traub, the Head of Global Initiatives for International Medical Corps. Her responsibilities include helping to oversee the positioning of this $300 million organization around large-scale humanitarian emergencies, as well as cultivating strategic partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, major influencers, and donors. The closing speaker was Ertharin Cousin, a lawyer who has been the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, the Executive Director of World Food Programme, and is now serving on the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ Task Force on Humanitarian Access. 

Suffield’s country was Cyprus and students were assigned to nine different committees including the Disarmament and International Security Committee, the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee, and the United Nations Environmental Programme.

Suffield students received several special commendations at the conference.

• Saud Shawwaf ’23 and Grace Kotchen ’22 won an award for Diplomatic Commendation in the United Nations High Commission for Refugees
• Steven Wang ’23 won an award for Diplomatic Commendation in the Special Summit on Terrorism
• Sean Wilson ’24 won an award for Diplomatic Commendation in the United Nations Environmental Programme
• Guru Anand ’25 and Zeno Dancanet ’22 won awards for Outstanding Delegates in the European Union

Attendee Ben Reimer ’22 said, “Having the chance to participate at such a highly regarded Model UN conference at Harvard was an incredible experience that I couldn’t pass up. After engaging in four days of debate, I not only gained a better understanding of my topic of drone proliferation but also improved my collaboration and teamwork skills. I think that Model UN is also a great activity to enhance my critical thinking skills because the issues presented in committee are never easy to solve. Overall, I am proud of the progress that the Suffield Academy Model UN club has made since its founding in 2019.”

The trip was supported by a generous parent donor and the Class of 1966 Endowment for the Model United Nations.