Something magical happened in General Assembly 5 this morning. Isobel McKenzie was nominated as the main submitter for a resolution on financing the assistance mission in Afghanistan. The day after this resolution was submitted, almost all of Isobel's co-submitters decided to drop their support and turn their backs on the resolution. Understandably, this was very difficult and disheartening. However, instead of giving up, Isobel has spent the last 24 hours constructing a plan by which a number of amendments would be made to strengthen the resolution. This was a very strategic and carefully thought out mission. Very rarely do we see this at THIMUN. Normally delegates tend to employ the usual debating tactics and it was pleasing to see someone really engage with the process of lobbying and negociaton and not just rely on public speaking techniques.
I am happy to report that a number of amendments were made and most past with a unanimous vote to the affirmative. Most speakers refused to answer points of information so as to not take time away from the group debate for the good of the resolution. This displayed excellent collegiality.
This was certainly one of the most lively and engaging sessions of the conference. The resolution was not passed, however, this proves the adage that an experience doesn't always have to be completely positive or planned for it to be worthwhile.
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