Intra SMUN

On the 27th of August, Sophia High School organised the second edition of online Intra- Sophia Model United Nations to encourage healthy debate and provide our students with a means to sharpen their diplomacy skills.

The event began with an opening ceremony, where we began this eventful session with a prayer, followed by a hymn and then by our Principal Sister Alpana’s address to everyone present. After that, the head girl, Mahika Adappa, addressed the participants and wished them all the best for their respective committees. Before all the delegates were moved into their committee-specific breakout rooms, the executive board of the committees was also introduced.

Thus, as the opening ceremony reached its end, the delegates moved into their breakout rooms with a focused and enthusiastic mind.

The intra-SMUN had four committees- The All India political parties meet, The Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Council and the International Labour Organisation. Delegates of each committee were placed into their respective breakout rooms and after roll call, the first session of the committees began at about 8:10 am.

The All India Political Parties Meet, chaired by Sunidhi Sampige, Kritika Kannan and Carol Worth started deliberating their agenda for the day- Review of The New Information Technology rules, 2021 with special reference to OTT and Entertainment platforms. Various political leaders such as Amit Shah, Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were being represented by talented delegates who argued their points even if they themselves did not agree with the points of their allotted portfolio. The delegates also deliberated over some strange and frankly entertaining crises and at one point in committee, the rare right to reply was also raised by Mr. Rahul Gandhi against the statements made by Shri Narendra Modi. After three productive sessions, and a press session by the head of press, Kavya Sriram and Anusha Jones, the AIPPM proved to be an extremely productive and interesting committee. Three special mentions were given Helena J, Ekta R and Sanvi Patil, along with a commendable delegate to Ganitha, an honourable delegate to Anindita Nair and the best delegate to Tanisha J.

The International Labour organisation was chaired by Alexandria Thomas, Sneha Ann John and RIshika Nath. The agenda of the day was – Discussing the allocation and provision of labour with a special focus on migrant and refugee workers. Delegates of Various nations involved in many controversies concerning the agenda tried their level best to get their point across the Executive Board and even suggested measures to curb the rise of migrant and refugees crises around the world. The sessions of this committee were very productive and the crises along with the fact that the delegate of Russia admitted that their country has violated the geneva convention made this a very enthralling committee. Special Mentions were given to Vaishnavi Ramesh, Prakriti Aravind, B Khyati Bhupalam and Ramkala Bagrodia. Shreya Swaroop was named as a commendable delegate, Nysa Lakhotia, the Honourable delegate and the coveted title of Best delegate was bestowed upon Syeda Asfiya Siddiq.

The Human Rights Council, chaired by Annaya Mehta, Annette Stanley and Olivia Davis, started its session with the delegates discussing the agenda – Safeguarding the rights of marginalized communities, with a special focus on gender. With countries that have been known for having very poor living and lifestyle conditions, it was very fascinating to watch how delegates used their diplomacy and tact to argue and deliberate their points and measures. After a very heavy press session where delegates were pushed to the limits of their knowledge, and a riveting crisis, the sessions of this committee also ended very productively. Asna Z, Yashasvi Swami and Leana S were given special mentions while Kashvi Golecha was given the title of Commendable delegate, Kusha Tahir was the honourable delegate and Aurelia Mukherji was the best delegate of the Human Rights Council.

Finally, the Economic and Social Council, chaired by Meghna Mary Micheal, Divya Anchaliya and Aadhya Rajesh, had its agenda as – Healthcare in times of Covid 19: a global protection agenda. With an Agenda that is very relevant in the times that we are in, the delegates were given every opportunity by their chairs to put forth their points, initiatives and measures. The chairs of this committee guided the delegates very well, which led to a very productive day. However, when the head of press entered this committee, the delegates did very well and impressed the press- a very rare occurrence. Thus, this committee ended on a productive and positive note, with Ria Sagar Mudhole, Rhea Rose and Kusuma P earning the special mentions, Neha R earning the title of Commendable delegate, Divyashree KS of the Honourable delegate and Nia Marie Motha of Best delegate.

After the three committee sessions ended by 2:45 pm, the closing ceremony began and the awaited results of the committees were announced by Sister Alpana, much to the delight of the winning delegates. Following the prize distribution and a Vote of thanks by one of the Heads of the Organising Committee, Ananya Mehta, the school song was played, thus ending a very interesting, challenging, but productive day for everyone who took part.