Advisory Panel on the Question of Nepal

by Emily Kim, Korea International School

With a room only a fourth the size of General Assembly and the small debating circle consisting of ten seats, one could easily stereotype the APQN forum as rather quiet. However, the enthusiastic, passionate delegates – or rather, “experts” – disaprove this assumption. Talkative participants like the zealous expert of the Communist Party of Nepal stimulated the debate, continuously presenting new amendments to the clauses.
As the forum itself is called the Advisory Panel on the Question of Nepal, APQN focuses on the issue of developing and stabilizing the small Himalayan nation. Conflict in Nepal started as Maoist rebels sought for a people’s republic in a country that had been a monarchy for over 200 years. The experts in APQN have had a hard time coming up with the perfect resolution. On top of the economic issues, there is the difficulty of reaching all the Nepali citizens living in rural, mountainous areas. Debaters are to recognize the different roots of the problem and come up with both political and humanitarian solutions.
Because the group is so small, the debaters got to know each other very quickly. By break time, everyone was busy socializing with one another, although most of the conversation revolved around MUN-related subjects. This intimacy among the participants helps create a more relaxed environment, which probably explains why the APQN room is not as tense as some of the bigger forums that have delegates eager to attack one another.
Another advantage of having a small group is that because everyone can be heard in the little discussion circle, there is no need for microphones, and thus, podiums. point of informations are simply asked in each expert’s seat, and for speeches and amendments, all they need to do is stand up and present.