CO-MUN 2010.

Conference: 5 - 7 March 2010

Co-MUN is one of the largest student run Model United Nations in the world. With over 500 delegates and administration staff participating from various schools around Sri Lanka, as well as students from schools in Pakistan and India. Each year, there are a certain number of students appointed to the organizing committee to organize this massive event. These students are also required to chair a committee, which requires them to have control over a certain group of students while they are debating. This year, I was the vice chair of the second committee, along with helping to create the souvenir, and various essential jobs.

Goals:
- Run and workshops practice debates, make sure that they go smoothly.
- Put together the souvenir.
- Make sure that the conference goes smoothly with as little glitches as possible.
- Work hard enough to earn the position of Secretary General for CO-MUN 2011.

Planning for CO-MUN 2010 began in September, with the appointment of the organizing committee. Over the six months that we had to plan the event, we ran practice debates and workshops, where we help delegates prepare for the actual conference in March; as well as getting things ready so that the materials for the delegates for the three days that they are in conference are ready. Meetings would take place at least once a week, so that everyone was up to speed on everything that was going on, and that everyone knew what each other had done so that nothing was doubled and nothing missed.

The week before the CO-MUN conference was the most stressful week in my entire year – I would get home at 9pm, after setting up the school so that it was ready, with the banners of the companies that sponsored us, making sure that the rooms were set up correctly, all the placards in place, all the materials ready for the delegates in the morning of the first day of the conference.

The conference days went off tremendously well, however, as with anything, there were minor problems, such as placards in the wrong places, and not enough chairs; but on the first day problems like this are inevitable. Another problem was that the committee that was in the gym was very uncomfortable all the time, as there was no A/C and suits and heat do not go well together, making many people very uncomfortable. Other than this, there were not many glitches, and even on our last day of conference at Water’s Edge, although there was a lot of last minute panic, we managed to pull it off and the staff there were very helpful in making us be able to reach our deadline.

Overall, I think that I managed to meet all the goals that I set for myself: there were not many problems in the conference itself; no major disasters, which is always an optimistic goal to have. Also, myself and two other people managed to create the souvenir and get it to the printer on time, so that it was available to the delegates in their package which they received on the first day. In addition to this, I was made the Secretary General of CO-MUN 2011, which I am very happy about, because I have worked hard to get there – next year would be my third year of being on the MUN Organizing Committee, and fourth year in MUN as a whole, as a was a delegate in my first year.