UCC International Relations Society Dominates at Model United Nations | Tracy Nyhan

The beginning of March saw UCC’s International Relations Society obtain unprecedented success across the waters at the Model United Nations event in Scotland. The society was represented by eight committees, for which they returned with a record nine awards. These awards were presented to society members Barry O'Gorman, Gary Moloney, Jack Corbett and Joe Kennedy (Best Delegates), Enda O'Riordan, Alex Homich and Garrett Mulrain (Most Distinguished), Gavin Lynch Frahill (Honorable Mention) and Joe Kennedy (Best Position Paper). This achievement follows on from the earlier success at Cambridge Model United Nations, an international event of equal prestige. From this event, International Relations Society achieved four awards; Barry O'Gorman, Best Delegate representing Iran on DISEC; Joe Kennedy, Distinguished Delegate representing Colombia on the Security Council; Jack Corbett, Distinguished Delegate on crisis committee; and Garrett Mulrain, Honorable Mention representing Yugoslavia on the Historical Conference committee. With an unprecedented achievement of a total of thirteen awards acquired at Cambridge MUN and ScotMUN, the International Relations Society broke the record for the most MUN awards won by UCC, as well as retaining their impressive record of never returning without an award from any Model UN events. They were also the delegate who returned home with more awards than any other university delegate around the world in attendance. While Auditor, Aisling Iver, could “not be prouder” of her committee and society as a whole, there is cause for the wider student body in UCC to share her sentiment. As the only Irish delegate at Scot Model UN and Cambridge Model UN, IR Society was not only representing the debating talents of UCC, but that of Irish students in general. Model UN is a replication of a United Nations committee which follows parliamentary rules, similar to those used within the UN. Student delegates in Model United Nations prepare draft resolutions, plot strategy, negotiate with supporters and adversaries, resolve conflicts, and intensely navigate the United Nations rules of procedures, as applied in the respective United Nations bodies with the aim of each committee is to draft a resolution to the issue presented.Model United Nations participants learn how the international community faces threats and concerns to topics including (but not limited to) peace and security, human rights, the environment, food and hunger, economic development, and globalization peace and security, human rights, the environment, food and hunger, economic development, and globalization. Miss Ivers is keen to promote the Model UN programmes as an important aspect of preparation for those interested in leadership, not only in the UN and in international relations, but in a wider group of professions; “there are many ambassadors to the UN and UN officials have said that they took part in Model UN in their universities. Hopefully this will continue and inspire students around campus to work for the United Nations or become experts or leaders. Even today many leaders in law, government, business and the arts participated in Model UN programmes during their time in college”.The success garnered at prestigious international programmes has had a profound effect on the reputation of IR Society both internally in UCC and abroad, which has, according to Miss Ivers, “set a whole new standard for the society among the other political and debating societies” as well shown “the calibre of the students and their depth in knowledge in world affairs”. The success was a result of tireless preparation by IR Society, which hosted Model UN training nights every Wednesday evening in the Council Chambers discussing topics such as the Syrian crisis, Nuclear weapons in North Korea and ran a historical conference about the 1979 intervention in Afghanistan. Furthermore, IR Society hosted events featuring a wide range of speakers (in collaborations with numerous other UCC societies) such as Declan Ganley, Ben dror Yemini, Dr David Fitzgerald, and Dr Andrew Cottey, Dr.Clodagh Harris, Dr. Piaras Mac Éinrí and Professor Ian Robertson, Trinity College, Dublin. UCC’s International Relations Society plans to host the first Irish MUN competition next year, made possible as a result of their acquisition of an impressive international reputation and highly respected status in the MUN world.