Inaugural MUN Noel-Baker conference

Published by Bootham School on Tuesday 11th of March 2025

Bootham has hosted the first MUN (Model United Nations) Noel-Baker conference. Throughout the event,  students fropm Bootham, Ampleforth and All Saints demonstrated expectational skills in negotiations and debate. Many were participating in their first MUN conferences, with lower seniors debating alongside college students.

The conference was named in honour of Bootham Old Scholar Philip Noel-Baker, a British politician, diplomat, academic, Olympic athlete, and renowned campaigner for disarmament.  He is the only person to have won an Olympic medal and received a Nobel Prize.

Delegates worked hard in four committees: Disarmament, Economics and Finance, Social and Humanitarian, and Human Rights. Each delegate studied and drafted legal resolutions based on their countries perspectives on the theme of this years conference “peace”. Resolutions included topics trying to resolve issues surrounding Human Trafficking, Women’s Rights, prevention of attacks on under-sea cables, global currencies and nuclear disarmament, representing the nations of Brazil, UK, North Korea and China.

We were proud to see Bootham student Olivia Whitby chair the event as General Secretary, making an exemplary conference leader in running her committee on disarmament, making guests feel welcome and running the closing ceremonies. Finley Hamilton also chaired the fourth committee on Human Rights, earning praise for his calm knowledgeable approach.

At the General Assembly, delegates presented their final resolutions to the floor, which were all voted through successfully. All of our awards went to first time delegates and tough opposition. Dininthi Ramanayke and Airis Muinonen-Martin won Best Delegate. Robin Taylor and Henry Ward won Commendation. Praise to Zach Fine, Yuliia Sych, Caspar McDermott, Omar Habli, Matilda Milligan, Eleanor Leckey, Tom Grant, Zahra Sharif, Alex O’Hagan and Niamh Saxby. They were all fantastic in their speeches and diligence.

We will be hoping to host a conference again next year.