LAS Hosts the Annual Model United Nations Conference!

Recently, LAS had the honor of hosting a Model United Nations (MUN) conference for nearby Swiss schools. The conference showcased the determination, creativity, and collaboration of our students who have attended many conferences themselves but had never hosted one before! While hosting a large event is always a challenge, our students rose to the occasion and represented LAS wonderfully!

MUN is an experiential learning simulation model where students practice their debate, diplomacy, and research skills by solving a problem with other “delegates” who represent countries from around the world. The students really enjoyed researching and debating this year's topics in their councils, which were: 

• Historical Security Council: The 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus
• Human Rights Council: The aftermath of armed violence and the psychological impact of war on refugees.
• Disarmament and International Security Committee: Mitigating the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

These topics gave them greater insight into politics today and were incredibly nuanced and challenging. Afterward, our students gave detailed insights into their experience hosting the conference: 

• “LAS MUN was the highlight of all of my years in Model United Nations. Watching our hard work executed in reality was amazing.” - Mia ‘24
   
• “I gained more confidence and worked together successfully with my amazing co-chair. The debate went very smoothly and I am delighted that I was able to chair such a fantastic committee with many talented delegates who made the debate very enjoyable.” - Akos ‘25
   
• “Everything ran smoothly at LAS MUN with lots of excitement and anticipation as the delegates from the other schools arrived! I would strongly recommend anyone who wants to improve their presentation skills or political knowledge to try MUN.” - Csaba ‘25
   
• “I took a lot of pride in representing LAS and connecting with MUN aficionados from all over Vaud! Overall, despite challenges, I believe that LAS MUN was the highlight of my first semester of senior grade.” - Paulina ‘24
   
• “LAS MUN was an excellent opportunity to explore and bring awareness to political issues affecting today’s global community. It was a wonderful event and helped strengthen relations with other schools from all over Vaud.” - Manasi ‘24
   
• “I am immensely grateful for the LAS MUN Secretariat who put a great amount of effort into the logistics and creative aspects of this conference, and I hope that I can help out even more in future conferences held at our school.” - Sara ‘25
   
• “It's been an absolute honor to get the opportunity to chair the Human Rights Council at our very own MUN. As the host school, we undoubtedly had a lot of responsibility in organizing every single aspect of the conference—but it was an enjoyable experience for everyone involved, which I’m extremely grateful for!” - Shrinka ‘25

The LAS Model United Nations conference was a highly successful event that allowed our students to collaborate with Swiss schools all over Vaud! Focused on the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the conference provided a unique and experiential learning opportunity that produced insightful debates that developed personal growth among our students. LAS MUN was not just focused on academic research but was also a memorable and impactful event, and our students are really excited for future conferences! 

Sketches by Sara '25 that she drew during the MUN conference!