Institut Montana hosts MUN Conference
Students take on the role of diplomats
Students from Institut Montana and seven other schools recreated the UN General Assembly in a three-day 'MUN Conference' and acted as diplomats to promote the interests of their assigned countries. This year, the focus was on 'technological progress'.
MUN conferences (short for: Model United Nations) are held by schools and universities around the world and are modelled on the structures of the United Nations. Students take on the role of diplomats and represent the interests of their assigned countries. From 29 to 31 October, the Montana Institute on the Zugerberg hosted a MUN conference on the topic of "technological progress". Due to Covid-19, the conference took place at the Chollerhalle in Zug and not on the Zugerberg. The guest speaker was Dr Aerni from the Centre for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at the University of Zurich.
Besides Institut Montana, seven other schools from Switzerland, Germany and Holland were part of the conference and over 20 different nationalities were represented. The participants dealt with a controversial aspect of technological progress: genetic research. Specifically, discussing the further development of genetically modified organisms. The legal boundaries differ greatly around the world.
The MUN conference is designed to enable students to learn about complex political issues and discuss them with other participants. They put themselves in the role of a representative of a country that is foreign to them and thus develop understanding for the problems and situations of other peoples and cultures. In addition, skills in rhetoric, negotiation tactics and diplomacy as well as foreign language skills are expanded and deepened. Last but not least, dealing fairly with those who think differently and dealing with their points of view without prejudice also plays an important role.
Institut Montana has been an active participant in MUN conferences since 2009. Tolerance for different cultures is strongly embedded in the DNA of the school. The MUN conferences at Institut Montana are a continuation of the Montana International Relations Club, which was established in the 1940s in the spirit of the newly founded UN.