By Shahrukh Fairooz, Chaniru Senhas and Disalana Jayasooriya (Web Content Team)
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded in 1945, after World War II, with the aim of promoting peace, security, cooperation, and amicable relations among nations. It consists of 193 member states and operates through various bodies such as the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat, and specialized agencies.
Model United Nations (MUN) is an educational simulation and academic activity in which students typically role-play delegates of the United Nations and simulate UN committees. Participants research a particular country’s position on various topics and engage in debates and negotiations to address global issues. MUN conferences are held worldwide, providing students with opportunities to enhance their understanding of international relations, diplomacy, and the functioning of the UN.
The Trinity College Model United Nations (MUN) Club has emerged as a prominent platform for diplomatic discussions and skill development since its establishment in 2016, after its separation from the Trinity College Literary Association. Since its inception, the club has continued to actively participate in both local and international conferences such as SLMUN, SMUN, RichMUN, ACMUN and much more, refining skills of diplomacy grounded in the principles of Trinity.
By means of its committed efforts to develop capable MUN delegates among its student body, TCMUN has been instrumental in establishing Model UN as a prestigious extracurricular activity in Kandy. The club has established a distinguished reputation in the MUN scene in Sri Lanka by winning awards and exhibiting domination at numerous conferences. As a result of this recognition, TCMUN’s standing in the community has been further enhanced when it was given the responsibility of planning and organising the prestigious Hill Country Model United Nations (HCMUN) conference.
With the outstanding leadership of Mr. Raveendran, the Master-in-Charge of TCMUN, the club led the first-ever Hill Country MUN Conference on school grounds in 2018, marking a noteworthy accomplishment. In addition to demonstrating TCMUN’s commitment to quality, this historic occasion was the first and only MUN conference specifically designed for the Central Province, underscoring the club’s commitment to inclusivity and involvement in the community. TCMUN has established itself as a mainstay of MUN brilliance in Kandy by producing many MUN chairs and mainstream conference organizing members in addition to award-winning delegates.
The club boasts a lineage of accomplished leaders under whose guidance, it has fluorished, leaving a lasting impact on Trinity’s MUN legacy:
2016: Malaka Samarasinghe
2017: Hasthi Gunaratne
2018: Lilendra Alawattegama
2019: Lukman Hassan
2020: Sadesh Rajapaksha
2021: Gesith Epa
2022: Parinda Ratnayake
2023: Vinindu Perera
2024: Sanchitha Wickrama
As the journey continues, TCMUN intends to achieve even greater success and uphold its superiority throughout Sri Lanka, not just in the Central Province, as they continue to assert their dominance at other upcoming conferences. In addition, they intend to further cement their already-imprinted dignity and supremacy in MUN in the Central Province by hosting the Trinity College Model UN conference for the first time ever.
