A Japanese high school won the Honorable Mention Award on Saturday at a model U.N. conference drawing more than 1,000 students from about 25 countries to discuss global issues in a simulation of real U.N. sessions.
Azabu High School in Tokyo was among six Japanese schools that sent delegations to the Global Classrooms International Model U.N. Conference for 2016, which was held for three days from Thursday.
Delegates to the event, who play the parts of diplomats representing a country assigned by the organizer, were asked to engage in negotiations with their counterparts as in actual U.N. procedures. Students from Japan were asked to represent Kuwait.
Kento Nakamoto and Yuki Nishijo, both aged 16, were recognized for their contributions during discussions at the simulated U.N. General Assembly session to eradicate poverty.
"The draft resolution we have pushed for was not adopted but we garnered support from many delegations. We are pleased with the outcome," Nakamoto said.
"I was overwhelmed at the beginning as we had to communicate in English throughout the session...but it's been a wonderful experience to have such high-level talks with my peers abroad," Nishijo said.
Delegations of students from Nada High School in Kobe, Kansai Soka Senior High School in Osaka, Kobe College Senior High School, Makuhari Senior High School in Chiba Prefecture and Toin Gakuen in Yokohama also attended the conference.
