Thanks to Dan Barabas (Vice-President) for his report in Honi Soit. Here it is for those of you who missed it. Congratulations again to this year’s delegation!

Every year, the United Nations Society sends a delegation of passionate government students overseas to represent the University of Sydney and Australia internationally at the largest intercollegiate Model United Nations Conference.

This year, 2,000 students from around the world congregated in the chilly city of Vancouver, Canada to diplomatically debate counterfeit pharmaceuticals, the militarisation of the Arctic and the European debt crisis along with a multitude of other topics at the 20th Harvard Model United Nations Conference.

Although debate and competition is fierce, honourable delegates are expected to diplomatically and candidly espouse the cultural views of their states to reach consensus and a common resolution. This year, the United States representative Alexandra Brown walked away with a prestigious Diplomacy Award for her eloquent discourse and collaboration in the Berlin Conference.

Apart from the daily committee hearings, delegates are treated to a week filled with social extravaganzas ranging from a Masquerade Ball in Whistler, a hippie night in Woodstock, Cabaret by the seashore and a night dressed in tight and bright at the University of British Columbia.

Overall, the conference brings together the best and brightest students from Austin to Madrid and allows for a truly practical outlet to understand the complexities of the United Nations and it’s operations.

The delegates were fortunate to be sponsored individually by a variety of benefactors including the United States Studies Centre and the University of Sydney’s Arts, Law and Business Faculties.