Signing off as the Greenwood Model United Nations Head Delegates

At a time when global economic and military conflict seems to appear on the front page of every newspaper, it is crucial that we maintain a positive and productive outlook on the world. 

 

In late April, the Greenwood College School Model United Nations (MUN) club had the privilege of attending the Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly (SOMA). This conference has been a cornerstone of our club for years and remains one of the highlights of our school year. This year, 30 delegates from Greenwood attended the 52nd annual event, along with hundreds of students from all over southern Ontario, hosted at the University of Toronto Schools (UTS) and the University of Toronto. There, students debated a variety of global issues through the lens of different committees, all with the goal of finding tangible solutions to the world's hardest problems. 

 

Head Delegates Coco Muradali ‘26 and Henry Loftsgard ‘25, along with Evelyn Mezzetta ‘25, organized mock MUN and participated in other conferences to grow as delegates and support our team. This role has pushed club members to sharpen their public speaking, negotiation, research, and leadership skills that will be carried well beyond high school.

 

The conference always opens with a keynote speaker to inspire delegates, leading into the first committee sessions. This year's speaker, Salvator Cusimano, had a special connection to the conference, being a former UTS student who participated in SOMA as a high school student. Cusimano went on to study at U of T and Oxford before joining the United Nations, where he has worked since 2015, participating in assignments in the Central African Republic, Malta, and Yemen.

 

Cusimano has accomplished a lot in his life and could spend hours speaking to the experiences he had, but instead, he chose to highlight the importance of Model UN. He argued that besides the personal benefit of Model UN –  improved speaking skills, conflict resolution, critical thinking, etc. – it is an essential program in ensuring the continued success of the UN. Cusimano highlights that the United Nations itself dedicates substantial funding to its many Model UN chapters worldwide. This spending is to educate the next generations of diplomats who will ensure global dialogue and cooperation in the future. In this way, Model UN is not merely an exercise but an important part of global stability.  With this lesson in mind, the Greenwood delegates went into their first of five committee sessions.

 

Delegates from Greenwood, including returning students and those attending the conference for the first time, represented numerous countries and committees in the United Nations. This year’s SOMA had many highlights, including a new Mock Trial session, an Ad Hoc committee based on a fictionalized movie Inside Out 3, and numerous interesting thematic committees. Head Coco Muradali headed up a team in the Economic and Social Committee focusing on address the prevalence of child labour in the global south, improving access to affordable housing, and combatting gender-based violence. Head delegate Henry Loftsgard and team represented Greenwood on the UN Security Council to discuss the complex rising tensions in the South China Sea, eventually passing three resolutions. These resolutions revisited and assessed the strength of old international legislation like UNCLOS, proposing new, creative solutions, like the creation of a non-partisan international body to help mediate conflict resolution in the region. Please see below for the complete list of Greenwood delegates.

 

As 2025 MUN club has come to an end, we are incredibly grateful to the staff who guided us, the delegates who inspired us, and the broader MUN community that made this experience so impactful. We also wish to congratulate Nicole M. ‘26, who will take over duties and Executive Head Delegate next year. Looking ahead with excitement and deep appreciation for everything we have learned along the way.