The success of the inaugural Oxford-Kyushu Model United Nations Camp (OKMUNC)

The inaugural OKMUNC was held at Kuju Joint Training Center, Oita, during August 11-14, 2017. OKMUNC was organized through the collaboration of Oxford University United Nations Association, the Student Committee of Internationalization of Kyushu University (SCIKyu), and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, toward the aim of equipping students with the skill to become a global leader by providing an environment for learning international sense of debate and cross-cultural understanding. It is also supported by Japanese Model United Nations and SHARE-Q, a Kyushu University’s act for top global university.
Forty students, including five from Japanese high school, seventeen from Japanese Universities and eighteen international college students, participated in workshops on liberal learning also experienced a simulation of the United Nations.
The OKMUNC program started with an initial ice breaker, followed by a few introductory lectures on UN and active workshops such as on Japan's Role in the UN Security Council, Nuclear Weapons and the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Sustainable Development Goals. In the last two days, the participants experienced mini-Model UN sessions with mock topic: ‘North Korean Nuclear Threat’ and ‘Sustainable Urban Development in Developing States’. The participants tackled those problems through in-deep discussion and debates to seek resolutions, with tutorial aids of experienced instructor students invited from UK, USA and Indonesia.
The discussion, debates, and writing papers conducted totally in English were a challenge for some Japanese students. Nevertheless, such a learning environment dramatically stimulated and inspired all the participants, facilitating mutual understanding of international sense of problem solving. In addition to an official agenda, the students even enjoyed ad hoc discussion in the accommodation until late every night.
The OKMUNC is expected to be continued next year to promote students’ initiative for international and active learning, thereby making a reputation of Kyushu University as a leader in globalized education.

Please also see OKMUNC facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OKMUNCamp