The following is a guest piece written by Prince of Whales students and Co-Secretary-Generals, Freddie Zhang and Marlowe MacInnis.

On Wednesday, June 26th, 2024, student delegates from across the region met at Prince of Wales Secondary School for the 5th annual Prince of Wales Vancouver Model United Nations Conference – PWVMUN 2024. The conference was honoured to host Vancouver City Councillors Adriane Carr and Lisa Dominato as keynote speakers. 

Founded in 2020, PWVMUN was the first virtual Model United Nations conference in British Columbia. Since then, it has hosted four iterations, featuring esteemed Canadian leaders as keynote speakers and welcoming students from over fifteen countries across the globe. This year’s event was the second conference with an in-person format.

The event opened with remarks from the Co-Secretaries-General, followed by a keynote address delivered by Councillors Carr and Dominato. In a Question-and-Answer opportunity, participants asked the Councillors about their advocacy and civic engagement experiences, as well as their perspectives on important issues affecting Vancouverites, including climate change, housing, substance abuse, education, and more. Following the opening ceremonies, there was a workshop introducing the United Nations and Model United Nations (MUN) procedures. 

Student delegates debated the topic of Equitable Access to Cancer Research within the committee of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development, discussing ways to tackle and resolve pressing global issues regarding the distribution of medical innovations.  

PWVMUN is a student-led conference, offering participants firsthand experience in the operations and functions of the United Nations. By assuming the roles of world diplomats, the conference has provided hundreds of high school students with a uniquely interactive and educational experience. The skills developed in PWVMUN – research, critical analysis, and persuasion – are now more important than ever. Ultimately, the conference program is carefully crafted to foster an environment of discovery regarding global social, political, and economic issues.

PWVMUN is a strong advocate for accessibility and ensures that the conference is free for all students, as many MUN conferences tend to be prohibitively expensive. This initiative has earned it the distinction of being one of the largest free Model UN conferences in Western Canada. 

The PWVMUN planning team encourages all students to get involved in MUN and invites all students to attend the sixth iteration of the conference, scheduled for spring 2025. 

To learn more about the conference, please visit https://pwvmun.com.