“MUN has helped a lot to learn about topics that I wanted to learn more about”

This story is different from the rest. So, I’m just chilling at home (which is rare since I usually bounce between Brussels and The Hague), and then I decided to message Michael Gatt. I remember him because of his friends, Adriana and Brianna.Michael is a third-year law student deeply involved in various student organisations. Why do all our MUN stars like to multitask? Anyways, he was the Secretary-General of the Malta Model United Nations Conference. “I am passionate about how MUN has shaped my personal and academic journey,” he said, enumerating all his extracurricular activities. He is looking forward to a master’s and recognises how much MUN has helped him become a team player, which is pretty important.

His MUN journey started in 2022 when he attended his first MUN conference in Warsaw. Before that, he had no involvement until he came across an MUN society in Malta. “After the pandemic, there weren't many activities, so I decided to give MUN a try.” The fees were reasonable, and he was curious about how everything worked. His first committee was the UNHRC, where he represented Poland. Being surrounded by delegates with way more experience felt like stepping into the room as a rookie. But he learned a lot, especially about representing Poland and handling the diplomatic pressure. 

His advice for anyone doing their first conference? Definitely get some training beforehand. “It’s crucial to understand the procedures and the committee structure,” he says. “Being the SG at MaltMUN 2024 entailed a great deal of work.” He had to coordinate, keep everyone on track, and ensure deadlines were met. Time management presented one of the greatest challenges, particularly in balancing his academic responsibilities and commitments.

He is grateful and honored to have been part of such a high-profile and unique academic-quality MUN Conference. As an organiser, mymun has been truly supportive to them. “It is very user-friendly, which made it easier for delegates to sign up and for us to manage registrations.” Also, he has words for MUN Command: “It really helps in streamlining the procedure, which can otherwise be quite tedious.” So yeah, we can say that he is genuinely a mymun expert!

Also, he has chaired a lot, so he has lots of advice for you, yes, you, first-time chair. “Make sure to familiarize yourself with the topic beforehand.” When creating study guides, he considers it important to give a solid historical foundation and break the topic into subtopics.

As for a holiday destination,Malta looks promising! It’s got all the right vibes, and the more you learn about it, the more it seems like the perfect spot. Exciting to think about all the adventures waiting to be discovered there.