BorneoMUN promotes communication skills

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Shaikh (seated second row, third right) with other BorneoMUN participants.

MIRI: Good communication skill is a vital aspect of education, said Shaikh Tahmid Hassin, the organising chairman of Borneo Model United Nations (BorneoMUN) conference.

“Having good communication skills is important. One of the best ways students can develop their communication skill is by being part of a conference.

“By doing so, they not only learn how to speak or debate in front of the public, but also improve other skills such as researching, writing, critical thinking, teamwork and leadership,” Shaikh told The Borneo Post when met at Curtin Malaysia here recently.

The development of good communication skill has been the inspiration behind (BorneoMUN hosted by Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) at the campus from yesterday to Sept 29.

The conference aims to increase the strength of Model United Nations Curtin Malaysia (MUNCM), founded by a small group of Curtin students in April 2011 to provide a platform for them to discuss key world issues.

“We try to promote world diplomacy, and also the island of Borneo and the Borneo rainforests,” said Shaikh, a mass communication student at the university.

So far, MUNCM has organised five internal conferences and six international conferences which attracted a great number of participants throughout the years, both locally and internationally.

BorneoMUN 2017 is one of the events selected to be part of UNAM-MUN League – an initiative introduced by the UN Association of Malaysia (UNAM) to bring all the MUNs in Malaysia under a common field.

MUN is an extracurricular activity in which students typically role play as delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees.

This activity takes place at MUN conferences, which is usually organised by a high school or university MUN club.

Besides gaining insight into the workings of the UN and the dynamics of international relations by providing opportunities to assume the roles of UN representatives, the conference also helps  participants with understand the relations between countries and power relations between rich and poor nations.

This conference helps in expanding the reach of Model United Conferences of Curtin Malaysia, increasing the contact links with all MUNs within Malaysia and South Pacific Asian countries.

Shaikh revealed that a total of 90 delegates, consisting of bright and inspirational young students from Curtin Malaysia and various educational institutions from several countries including Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh had converged here for the five-day international academic conference.

“The students are divided into three different councils, namely the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Historical Security Council and Disarmament and International Security (Disec).