News

Best Wishes for Fr Paul Anand Prasad SJ

St Joseph’s Boys’ High School hosted the 13th edition of its Model United Nations Conference, SJBHSMUN'25, on the 16th, 17th, and 18th of October. This year saw there 481 participants and 11 institutional delegations from all over Bengaluru, seeking to test their skills in diplomacy, tact, and discernment.

The highlight of the inauguration ceremony was a stirring speech by Ambassador T P Sreenivasan, IFS (Retd.), who recalled the passion of his 37 years of service in upholding Indian diplomacy on global peace, development, and disarmament in prestigious, high-stakes conferences — the UN conferences, the Commonwealth, and the Non-Aligned Movement. He reinforced the importance of empathy as a delegate’s greatest asset.

Across diverse committees, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), the Special Organizational and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL), the 2357 hours or Continuous Crisis Committee (CCC), the Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OPEC+) or Semi-Crisis Committee, the Karnataka Legislative Assembly (KLA) and the Historic Lok Sabha (HLS), delegates’ shared their perspectives to global crises spanning from reproductive rights to war, and engaged in debates on internal affairs, with youthful passion. The KLA, an important committee established this year, steered deliberations on the implications of the Greater Bengaluru Bill 2024 in Kannada.

The conference showcased both the emergence of many budding talents and the recognition of seasoned delegates, with Bishop Cotton's Boys’ High School taking home the award for Best Delegation.

SJBHSMUN ‘25 has been a resounding success, that can be attributed to the dedicated efforts of its Secretariat— the Secretary-General, Mr Chanakya Mahadev and the International Head of Press, Mr Arav Kathpalia. The exceptional Executive Board is comprised of numerous alumni and decorated chairs, vice-chairs and moderators, and the passionate Organising Committee, as well as the event coordinators and faculty worked tirelessly for three months to bring to life a conference that kindled leadership, respect and intellectual discourse.

As the conference wound to a close, the delegates were addressed by Ms Mahithi Bharathesh, a proud alumnus serving with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). She leads a Digital Registration Team that implements technology-driven solutions to deliver humanitarian assistance more effectively across the world and has been involved in conflict zones such as Ukraine, Sudan, and Gaza. Her words emphasized taking initiative to contribute and to actively hone the circumstances of today’s world in the light of recent conflicts, inspiring delegates to not only use their voices but also take decisive action and use their intellect to turn the tide in favour of peace.

The echoes of applause, incredulity, arguments, and laughter remain entrenched in the hearts of all participants, as they reflect on the lessons learned and ties forged at this spectacular edition of SJBHSMUN, where choices bent circumstances and power dictated policy.

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