Wera Hobhouse Opens South-West Model UN Conference at University of Bath

21 February 2019

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse officially opened the South-West Model United Nations (SWMUN) 2019 Conference on Friday 15th February. She spoke about her career in politics which began when she was a student,  the ongoing Brexit drama and climate change...

The conference, the region’s fourth, was a collaboration between the Model United Nations Societies of the Universities of Bristol, Exeter and Bath. Students from Cardiff and Lahore also took part.

“In this time of political change and unprecedented political and social disruption, we hope this conference can be a platform where the leaders of tomorrow can challenge and be challenged with the real problems faced by our societies,” said ​Secretary-General of SWMUN 2019, Bianca Galimberti. “We are confident that the resolutions that will be presented by the committees and delegates will be innovative and comprehensive, reaffirming the role the UN has to play on the global political stage.”

Conference participants tackled a range of real-world challenges, including defending Europe’s external borders, transparency within EU institutions, the crisis in Venezuela and the Cold War in the Middle East.

Wera Hobhouse said, “I’m a firm believer in people power and international cooperation. I’m delighted to see so many students taking part in this Model United Nations Conference here in Bath. The future is theirs to shape, and given the threats such as climate change that we face it’s never been more important that our young people are engaged. I got involved in politics and campaigning when I was a student myself and I feel inspired by their passion and commitment.”

“Here in the UK we face the threat of a devastating Brexit. We’re already seeing the damaging effect it is having on university research funding, jobs and business, to name just a few of the areas impacted. The students attending this conference risk losing their freedom of movement to study and work in the EU27 countries,” she continued.

“It’s clearer than ever that no one nation can effectively address global challenges on its own. We need to encourage cooperation to address burning issues like the rise of the far-right, climate climate, the refugee crisis and international security. I look forward to seeing the resolutions that the conference delegates come up with,” Wera Hobhouse concluded.