Marking World UN Day, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science welcomed the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) to campus last month to host a Model UN World Health Assembly. Attracting the attendance of some of the brightest year 11 and 12 students from across the region.
The Bond World Health Assembly (BONDWHA) also invited a number of current Bond students from Law, Health and International Relations to join the discussion and put their negotiation skills to the test.
Participants took on the role of their country’s representative to the United Nations and negotiate on behalf of that country. Similar in structure to a Model UN competition, participants focused on an international health crisis based around the Strategic Health Operations Centre (SHOC). SHOC was designed on the Faculty’s International Relations Assistant Professor Mark Dinnen’s PhD research.
The use of SHOC provided the participants a simulated pandemic outbreak, on a computer screen they could see the global spread of disease which added a sense of urgency to the negotiations. Participants were able to interact with fellow delegates, submit resolutions, and rate the proposed resolution inline with their country’s national power.
“All participants, both Bond and High School students considered it to be the strongest and most enjoyable Model UN they have experienced.” Says Mark
Plans for the next Model UN may already be underway, Assistant Professor Mark Dinnen has already received multiple suggestions from students for potential themes.