Marilyn Emmerechts, world champion in diplomacy

I joined the MUN Society Belgium (MSB) in 2023. It's an association that brings together students from several Belgian universities to take part in competitive mock United Nations conferences. We are a group of 23 students with very different and complementary profiles. We come from both the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking parts of Belgium, and we follow different studies (law, medicine, political science, management engineering).

During our training with MUN Society Belgium, we learn to develop our "soft skills", i.e. we learn how to speak in public, to debate, to negotiate, and so on. It's also thanks to our extensive alumni network that we benefit from their knowledge and expertise in developing these skills. These are extremely important for conference participation.

Each student is assigned a country to represent (different from his or her home country), a UN committee and a topical issue. Over several days, we debate and negotiate in front of an audience to find concrete, creative solutions to the issues presented. Our aim is to reach a joint resolution voted on at the end of the conference. We are assessed by a panel of judges on our knowledge of the subject, our proposed solutions and our negotiation and debate skills, all in English.

We receive the topics a few weeks in advance, which allows us to prepare by doing in-depth research on the theme and the country we'll be representing. We also receive a few hints of angles to tackle from the organizers.

I have previously represented Bangladesh on the UN Women's Committee on "How to increase women's political participation worldwide". I also represented Colombia in the Human Rights Committee on human trafficking. At the World Diplomacy Championship organized by Harvard in March, I debated on the theme of "Nuclear stability on the Korean peninsula" as the representative of Pakistan.

This also requires understanding and defending a country that is sometimes very different from our personal values and Belgium's interests, which is quite challenging.

Yes, for the 11th time and the 4th time in a row, Belgium has won. I think what sets us apart is the fact that we come with the common goal of defending and representing Belgium on the international stage. We have nothing to be ashamed of when compared with prestigious universities in other countries.

Absolutely! These diplomacy tournaments have enabled me to develop my skills in argumentation, negotiation and international relations, which is extremely valuable for my law training. There are also links between my courses and the issues addressed at the conferences. I have also enrolled for further training in political science at UNamur, to strengthen my knowledge of international relations.

It's an incredibly enriching experience! The diversity of topics covered broadens my perspective on global issues. It allowed me to perfect my English, meet students from all over the world and make lasting friendships. Personally, it has strengthened my interest in European and international law.

If you're passionate about diplomacy and international relations, if you want to grow personally, learn to debate, negotiate, develop your soft skills... this is an experience you'll love!

It's a unique opportunity to travel, learn and meet people from all over the world. I've made friends from South America, India, the Philippines. Friendships are forged that will last a lifetime, I'm sure. It's truly a unique experience!