City students deliberate policies at CaleMUN 2022 by Scottish Church College

MUNners from different institutes got together to engage in dialogues and discussions and share perceptions about global change at CaleMUN 2022 hosted by Scottish Church College on May 6 and 7.

Shantanu Chakraborty, professor of History at the University of Calcutta and the special guest at the event, addressed the students on international policy changes in India vis a vis Eastern European Countries like Poland.

Students of Jadavpur University, Amity University, The Bhawanipur Education Society College, Bethune College, Shyambazar Law College and Calcutta Medical College took part in CaleMUN 2022, organised by the Scottish Church College Debating Society.

“CaleMUN was aimed at bringing diplomacy to the centre stage yet again,” said Rohit Das, a third-year Chemistry student and head, logistics and academics, CaleMUN 2022.

The four committees at CaleMUN 2022 were United Nations General Assembly, Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC); United Nations Security Council; Lok Sabha and International Law Commission.

United Nations General Assembly, Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC): The committee members deliberated on the reduction of arms and weapons while maintaining global security. Agnitra Saha, a second-year Political Science student of Amity University, was the Best Delegate. Sreedipta Roy, a first-year International Relations student of Jadavpur University, won in the High Commendation category. Hreed Gupta, a first-year Economics student of The Bhawanipur Education Society College, earned a Special Mention.

“I represented Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). Initially, I went through the official UN documents about the agenda at hand, then read about my allotted country’s official policy. Post pandemic, the Kolkata MUN Circuit has brought a lot of new dimensions in research and a lot of new faces, making the MUN scene far more interesting. MUNs are far more engaging when held offline,” said Agnitra.

United Nations Security Council: The Ukraine-Russia war turned the attention of the world not only towards the two nations but also towards the question of security, member-nation ties and the refugee crisis. This committee discussed the war and its consequences.

Kamlaika Das and Ankit Kumar Singh, both first-year History students of Jadavpur University, and Rohit Das, a third-year Chemistry student of Scottish Church College, were awarded Joint High Commendations. Rupaz Bhadra, a second-year BTech in Architecture student of Jadavpur University, received Special Mention.

Lok Sabha: This Lok Sabha Committee argued regarding the Uniform Civil Code in India. Shounak Banerjee Chowdhury, a first-year BA LLB student of Amity University, and Anwesha Banerjee, a second-year MBBS student of Calcutta Medical College, were awarded Joint High Commendations for their arguments. Debottama Ganguly, a first-year History student of Jadavpur University, and Anurag Singh, a first-year Political Science student of Bidhannagar College, earned Special Mentions.

“I started out with thorough research on the Uniform Civil Code and the legal, political and constitutional hurdles to its implementation. MUNs are all about research, oration, diplomacy and most importantly presence of mind. Apart from public speaking, MUNs teach one to raise proper questions, write speeches quickly and come up with intelligent arguments spontaneously. Based on my research, I came up with a strategy to implement an All India Uniform Civil Code. This was a bit off field for me, being an MBBS student, even though I have always loved political debates,” said Anwesha.

International Law Commission: A niche committee within the United Nations General Assembly. Members discussed the protection of the environment in conflict-ridden zones. Amity University students Aditya Bhura and Khushi Gupta, both first-year BA LLB; Drishti Banerjee, a second-year BA LLB; and Ankita Sen, a first-year Political Science student, were awarded Special Mentions.