School hosts annual Model United Nations conference

Sharjah, UAE, 27 January 2015: Schools congregated this week at the Victoria International School of Sharjah (VISS) for a Model United Nations (MUN) conference that focused on conflict resolution.

His Excellency Mr. Pablo Kang, the Australian ambassador to the UAE and Qatar, was the keynote speaker at the conference where he encouraged students to pursue an interest and understanding in international relations and politics.

The two-day conference, which was opened following a speech from Principal Dean Pyrah, looked in-depth at conflict resolution, with particular focus on the crisis in Ukraine.

Students from six international schools from Sharjah and Dubai participated, including Dubai College, Deira International School, Australian International School, Universal American School, Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) Arabian Ranches, along with host VISS. The event, organized by the VISS senior school students, represented 25 countries including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Serbia and the United States of America.

"We are committed to nurturing our students into becoming responsible global citizens and the leaders of tomorrow," said Dean Pyrah, principal of VISS. "We have introduced VISS MUN with the aim of fostering communications and organisational skills among our students as they mature into articulate and strong leaders."

This is the second year the school has hosted the MUN conference. VISS offers an Australian curriculum, as well as International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, and provides an extensive extra-curricular program covering a wide range of options for its students. Mixed with world-class facilities, aspiring youngsters are encouraged to extend their learning on a global perspective. By taking on analytical activities like researching and studying their assigned countries, the MUN conference helped to improve the students' critical thinking.

"The conference was a tremendous experience that allowed me to grow not only as a student, but also as a person," said Adam Khanafer, a VISS student officer and delegate from Grade 12. The debates were very well-discussed, vibrant and contained vital aspects about understanding the world's issues."

-Ends- 

About Victoria International School Sharjah:
The Victoria International School of Sharjah (VISS) - a school which seeks to be the leading school in the region, was established by The Ruler of Sharjah; His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, in conjunction with the State of Victoria, in Australia, providing students with an excellent holistic Australian curriculum and IB education so they can become responsible global citizens as the leaders of tomorrow. At VISS, we are committed to providing each student with powerful, lifelong learning tools in an ever-challenging and personally rewarding environment. To be a student at VISS means to access opportunity - the opportunity to learn, develop and excel.

For further details: viss@fourcommunications.com

© Press Release 2015