Royal College’s Kaif Sally receives the ‘Most Outstanding Delegate’ award at the Harvard Model United Nations 2020

Doing Sri Lanka proud, Kaif Sally of Royal College received high honors as the ‘Most Outstanding Delegate’ of the Social Cultural and Humanitarian Committee at the recently held edition, held virtually from the 11th to the 15th of June.

The Harvard Model United Nations is an annual travelling conference organized by the Harvard University to create a platform for students to role-play as delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees.

This annual platform drives students to engage in substantial research, critical thinking and public speaking and test their writing skills, leadership ability and debating skills. Initially scheduled to be held in Dubai, this year’s edition of Harvard Model United

Nations was held virtually due to prevailing COVID -19 threat.

Commenting on

Kaif ’s exceptional ability and persona which won him the standing and admiration of moderators and delegates alike, Ryan Zhang, Committee Director and Senior at Harvard offering Political Sciences & Philosophy said, “Your points in the moderated caucuses were notable, so were your activity levels. You stood out for being a good lobbyist during the unmoderated caucus and were able to lead most parts of that.

As far as constructive criticism goes, ensure your activity level stays consistent and you are able to highlight your research in as many speeches as possible”. Aumita Mishra, the Assistant Director had this to say “You were pretty balanced in most aspects. Work towards solidifying your speeches by incorporating more substantive solutions and points. You did amazing, as reflected in your placement.”

Kaif competed against 70 exceptional MUNers (Model United Nations delegates) from across the globe. The most advanced, capable and well-prepared MUNers hailed from nations such as the United States, India, United

Arab Emirates, China, Switzerland and France.

Kaif attributes his success to embodying the spirit of compromise and diplomacy as opposed to the competitive attitude adopted by the other delegates. His innate friendliness, warmth and good old Sri Lankan spirit won him a large number of allies and support during the proceedings of the house.

In preparation for the debate, Kaif conducted substantive research and solution finding on the conference topic, “Creating global healthcare equity”. He dedicated his time to gaining in-depth insights into the mandate of his committee, the UN charter and International law related to the topic. “Conducting extensive research on the topic and its relevance to Sri Lanka and other key countries was essential for success during the debate,” commented Kaif.

Representing Sri Lanka, Kaif was one of the sponsors of a resolution paper formulated at the conference. The Committee merged the paper with other submissions and passed the end result as the resolution of the committee. While the draft resolution had over 100 operative clauses, the final resolution had 30 operative clauses.

Commenting on Kaif’s exceptional ability and persona which won him the standing and admiration of moderators and delegates alike, Ryan Zhang, Committee Director and Senior at Harvard offering Political Sciences & Philosophy said, “Your points in the moderated caucuses were notable, so were your activity levels. You stood out for being a good lobbyist during the unmoderated caucus and were able to lead most parts of that.