We were delighted to welcome over 200 student delegates to our Model UN Conference on the Climate Emergency on Saturday 29th February 2020. Students from ten other schools, together with those from Highgate Wood School, took part in the day of debate and discussion that was magnificently facilitated by our sixth form students led by Issy Pountney, Dani Weiss, our (Co-Secretary Generals and Charlie Newbold, the conferences Director General.

Students from Alexandra Park School, Arts and Media School Islington, Bishop Douglass School, Chingford Foundation School, Fortismere School, Hornsey School for Girls, Mulberry School for Girls, Southgate School, St Aloysius RC College and Woodside High School worked together with those from Highgate Wood School to discuss climate change and its impact on our world.  Representing countries from every corner of the world they argued their cases passionately and were effective in reaching compromise and agreements that led to powerful resolutions to which groups could agree.

We were delighted to welcome Catherine Mulhall, speaker for Greenpeace, Catherine West, Labour MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, and Patrick Cozier, Headteacher of Highgate Wood School who, together with our sixth form team to open the conference and set the tone for the work that followed. All of them are passionate advocates for action to tackle the issues around climate change. They also have a deep commitment towards education and the vital part it has to play in enabling the current generation of young people
prepare themselves for the challenges that the world is now facing.
The closing speech to the conference was delivered by our co-chair of Governors, Mark Harber, who was able to remind us that the sustainability work that we are conducting as a school is mirroring the actions we agree as a conference, to improve the health of our planet and the future of our societies.

We would like to express our gratitude to those who were involved in making the HWS Model UN Conference happen. Thanks must be give to Highgate Wood School PSA who provided both the funding and the staffing to help us cater for the day. Particular thanks are due to Lesley Muir, from the PSA, Elaine Martin, from the school’s admin team and Charlotte Angove from the teaching staff for their work on the day and Niall O’Connor who is now retired but who brought Model UN to Highgate Wood School more than a decade ago and made it an integral part of school life.

We also would like to thank the sixth formers who led and managed the committees so effectively, supporting and encouraging all those taking part – for many of whom this was their first Model UN Conference Experience.

Mulberry School for Girls were successful in being selected as having the best delegates on many of the committees and thus won the overall school competition. Credit, however, must be given to all participants for making the day extraordinary and inspirational.

Committee: UN Security Council

Director: Charlie Newbold 

Chair 1: Rudy Berman

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Committee: UNDRR (Office for Disaster Risk Reduction)

Director: Toby Wyckoff-Smith

Chair 1: Finley Reed

Chair 2: Maud Kovadloff

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Committee: UNEP (UN Environment Programme)

Director: Ella Bullard 

Chair 1: Sydney Aarons

Chair 2: Isabel Mathews

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Committee: UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency)

Director: Jazvinder Kumar

Chair 1: Hope Selby

Chair 2: Thea Wilson

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Committee: UNWater

Director: Iola Elson

Chair 1: Maya Culverwell

Chair 2: Laurie Taylor

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Committee: FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation)

Director: Amy Davis

Chair 1: Lois Fletcher-Wheeler

Chair 2: Vukasin Winrow

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Committee: WHO (World Health Organisation)

Director: Sylvie Keen 

Chair 1: Patrick Alwyn 

Chair 2: Ruby Morgan

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Committee: UNHCR (UN Human Rights Council)

Director: Caitlin Gillespie 

Chair 1: Jack Wilkins 

Chair 2: Alabama Crawley

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Committee: UNIDO (UN International Development Org.)

Director: Maddy McBroom 

Chair 1: Libby Fowler Guerin 

Chair 2: Joe Bruce

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