“mymun is a central piece of the puzzle for MUNs worldwide.”

When I was thinking about who to interview, a name popped into my mind: Egan Paquay. You probably know him! He is one of the most active MUNers I know. As chair and delegate, I have met him several times at conferences. 

Egan was born in Belgium and lived mainly in Luxemburg. He joined the Model European Parliament, which he did twice after he moved on to MUN. He told me that he found out about it because an English teacher in 11th grade wanted to see if anyone was interested in participating. He pointed out that he represented Türkiye, which they called Turkey at the moment, in SOCHUM. He concluded: 

He studied business at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and is pursuing a double master´s in Corporate Finance and international commerce. While at university, he joined the MUN society in St. Gallen to gain knowledge of diplomacy, problem management, and politics. 

He has attended many conferences, so I wanted to know if he prefers to be a delegate or a chair. “It´s hard to say, as both roles are radically different.” He confessed that if he feels lazy, he would rather be a chair “because you don´t have to argue with others.” It must be said that he has been a chair more often than a delegate

And talking about chairing, he will be chairing MUNSA 2024, the Decolonization Committee and in ColonMUN 2024, the UNSC. In the past, he enjoyed chairing the House of Representatives with Nazan because he was also a delegate: he voted and delivered speeches. Unlike his co-chair, he loves to be a P5 member of the UNSC when he is a delegate. 

As an experienced chair, he knows which characteristics a chair should have. As in good relationships, “communication is key.” Without good communication, “it can lead to a breakdown in the chain of command.” He didn´t forget to give me a checklist: “Be available, responsible, and willing to listen.”

Of course, he has used MUN Command. He doesn´t hesitate to tell me that  “MUN Command has proven to be a very practical tool for chairing”. In his words, it makes chairing “less burdensome.”

For future chairs, he advised that in terms of choosing a topic, two options exist. “If you get inspired by the committee, ask yourself if there are any topics that you like that can be linked to the committee; if not, go on the internet and try to figure something out”. He gave an example: UNESCO - protecting monuments after acts of terrorism. Moreover, I decided to ask him his secret so that I could ace a chair interview. He didn´t hesitate and say

Regarding his experience as a delegate, he has received several awards. “There is a pattern among the best delegates”. He described it as the ones who collaborate with other delegates, help structure the debate, and aren´t afraid to speak while being friendly and polite. 

Finally, he has been a chair and a delegate in non-English committees. He is a big fan of learning languages; during our chat, he even saw me in a book about the Russian language. He told me about his experience in a French-speaking committee. “It is a different vibe,” he commented. “People who apply to these committees, French is their mother tongue, which makes a strong group feeling.” He confessed that sometimes it seems “a bit less social.”  

As you might have noticed, SGMUN is back! He is the current Deputy Secretary-General for this year's edition and was the Secretary-General of its edition in 2021. I have never been an SG, so I don´t know the position's challenges. He told me the “biggest challenge is leading the team and figuring out where everyone excels.” Of course, managing time effectively and handling internal and external pressures are also the position's tasks. He gave me a sneak pick of the aim of this year's conference.

He said it would be “the best gift to close the year” if this happened.  Moreover, he commented that they are using mymun to run the chair and delegate applications. He confessed: “It´s hard to imagine a MUN experience without mymun”. 

Talking about organising conferences, he said that one of the challenges is budgeting. “It’s very hard to organise a cost-effective conference.” The financial aspects play a significant role, and unexpected events can occur. He said that “since COVID-19, it has been even more difficult.” One of his tips is to reach out to foundations and collaborate with other MUN Conferences to put resources together. 

While we were talking, he told me something that shocked me. In closing ceremonies, we normally hear: it is my last conference, or I am retiring from MUNs. He said he had never said it, but “in the moment that I say it, it will be my last conference”. 

Apart from being sad, he considers that MUN has shaped part of who he is and has helped him in his negotiation skills, “especially when in the business world it is important”. Down the line, he sees himself becoming an ambassador or a diplomat. 

Apart from planning his future, in the end, he remembers the MUN bingo with love, especially in the closing ceremonies. “It makes people pay attention”. Also, he loves memes, especially the ones that describe the critical moments of the debate. 

Finally, he told me that once he was sitting in UNSC, a guy representing Russia kept threatening to veto the resolution; Egan then wrote in our beloved gossip box: “Who is Veto and why is Russia always talking about him?”. It's truly a funny story, if you may ask me. 

As our conversation wrapped up, it became clear to me that Egan embodies the true spirit of MUN: serious about diplomacy but never too serious to miss a good joke. Whether debating in the UNSC, leading a conference, or dropping clever one-liners at closing ceremonies, he knows how to balance the weight of global issues with a bit of humour. 

And while he hasn’t yet uttered those dreaded words, "This is my last conference," I can't help but hope that day doesn’t come anytime soon. After all, MUN wouldn’t have been the same without his sharp wit and infectious enthusiasm for keeping things lively.