Delegates enjoy their moment in the sun at Model United Nations

QE diplomats representing Spain at one of the leading Model United Nations conferences won both individual and collective success.

Spain secured three of the five resolutions at the 18th annual Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools Model United Nations Conference (HabsMUN). There were awards for several of the QE participants, while the QE delegation as a whole was ‘highly commended’.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My congratulations go to our delegates, whose efforts resulted in QE being recognised as one of the leading schools overall at HabsMUN. At MUN conferences, participants practise public-speaking and collaborative working, and are required to look at global issues from different perspectives. They thus develop the skills needed to become compelling communicators and deep thinkers – skills which are increasingly sought after by leading employers.”

The three-day event was attended by more than 600 young people. They came from familiar local schools (including North London Collegiate School and Mill Hill School), from well-known independent schools (Marlborough College and Brighton College), and from institutions as far afield as China, the Czech Republic, Italy and Greece.

The interests of around 70 nations were represented; QE was tasked with appearing for Spain and Nigeria.

After the opening ceremony, a lobbying period gave delegates the opportunity to get to know their committees. Debates within committees occurred the next day.

The final day consisted of the General Assembly, where only the strongest resolutions were debated. The debate took place in front of a hall full of delegates from across the committees.

The three resolutions from QE’s Spain delegation came from:

• Year 10’s Siddharth Kumar, from the Health Committee; he was named Outstanding Delegate
• School Captain Tunishq Mitra, of Year 12, from the ECOFIN (Economic and Financial) Committee; he was awarded Distinguished Delegate
• Kelvin Chen, of Year 11, who was part of the CEP (Committee on Environmental Policy); a Highly Commended Delegate.

QE Nigeria delegate Eshaan Anil, of Year 10, was awarded a Special Commendation.

The conference featured guest speakers and a varied programme that included everything from flag parades to inter‑committee karaoke. In one of the event’s lighter moments, Siddharth and Eshaan, both from the Health Committee, were crowned 2026 Karaoke Champions.

As HabsMUN drew to a close, Siddharth said: “This conference wasn’t only about the awards. I learnt so much about public speaking, socialising, critical thinking and improvisation. My confidence has significantly improved, and I will leave with memories of fun like never before.”

In addition to those mentioned above, the QE delegates were:

Year 10 – Afraz Khan and Samuel Sobolak;
Year 11 – Nikhil Francine and Parth Jain;
Year 12 – Aahan Shah.