On 10 March, over 200 students from schools across the UK gathered at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization in London for UNA-UK's inaugural Model UN schools tournament: Uniting the Nations.
The theme of the tournament was making a reality of the Olympic Truce. Students heard from Bill Morris, London 2012 Director of Ceremonies, Education and Live Sites - who outlined the breadth of Truce activities taking place around the UK - and from Conrad Bailey of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, who described how the UK worked to secure the support of all 193 UN Member States for a UN General Assembly resolution on the Truce.
Afterwards, students were split into six 'UN Security Council' committees. Representing country ambassadors, they discussed how the ideals of the Olympic Truce could be used to build a safer, fairer and more sustainable world for us all.
As in real life, not all negotiations led to a 'UN resolution', but every committee came up with a host of ideas on peace and security, human rights protection and international development. The calibre of debate was incredibly high and the buzz throughout the day was palpable.
Five students from each committee were awarded prizes, and bronze, silver and gold awards were given to the best performing schools. The top prize - a trip to the UN headquarters in New York - was won by students from Ellesmere College, Shropshire. All participating schools also have the chance to join UNA-UK's Generation United Nations programme.
