Student Life
Model UN Global Goals
Marking United Nations Day and the official creation of the United Nations on October 24, 1945, Shawnigan Lake School hosted the annual Model UN Global Goals Conference on Tuesday. We welcomed 224 students from 10 other schools, who joined 116 from Shawnigan for a day of conversation about how to accelerate progress toward the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
“The need for international solidarity, global dialogue, multilateral cooperation and collective action is more conspicuous than ever, with great disruption in the world and more conflict than we have witnessed previously over the past 75 years,” Head of School Mr. Larry Lamont wrote in his welcome to the students. “The war between Ukraine and Russia rumbles on, and in the past month, we have watched in horror the devastation that has been unfolding in Israel and Gaza with hundreds of lives lost and thousands more who are suffering, displaced and frightened.”
All Grade 10 students at Shawnigan participate in the Global Goals Conference as part of the social studies curriculum, and the conference Secretariat is made up of senior students in the Model UN program. Grace Z. served as Secretary General, with the rest of the Secretariat made up of Sorath R., Dave P., Desi S., Rebecca D., Zach P. and Ivana W.
“By the end of today, I hope the topics you’ve discussed within your committee rooms will spark your curiosity for global affairs and politics,” Grace told the students during the Opening Ceremony in Chapel. “Much like my own experience during my Grade 10 Global Goals conference, I uncovered my passion for various global issues and the power of making a difference through dialogue and exchange of ideas.”
This year’s keynote speaker was Mr. Mauricio Artiñano, a foreign affairs and diplomacy expert with particular expertise on the UN, Latin America and local peacekeeping. Mr. Artiñano has served in UN peace operations in South Sudan and Somalia, and special political missions in Colombia. From 2008 to 2009, he was a diplomat for Costa Rica during its term on the UN Security Council, and the youngest-ever Political Coordinator for a Security Council member. He is also a dedicated activist for people living with HIV, co-founding HIV awareness campaigns in both Colombia and Costa Rica since being diagnosed with the virus in 2015.
Mr. Artiñano was a student of Shawnigan Model UN coordinator Mr. Paul Klassen 25 years ago.
The Model UN delegates took part in 10 sessions throughout the day: No Poverty; Pas de pauvreté; Zero Hunger; Good Health and Well-Being; Quality Education; Gender Equality; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Responsible Consumption and Production; Climate Action; and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
