RBSMUN 2026

Dearest Delegates and Faculty Advisors,

It is with immense pride and excitement that I welcome you all to the twenty-first iteration of the Rato Bangala School Model United Nations Conference.

My name is Pragyan Gautam, a senior at Rato Bangala School, and it is my privilege to serve as the Secretary-General of RBSMUN XXI.

I did not begin debating because I dreamt of changing the world. I started because I liked winning. But as I attended international MUNS and WSDC, I quickly realised there were rooms where I was no longer the best speaker or the best thinker. Surprisingly, that did not make me enjoy MUNs any less – it made me love them even more.

Over time, I realised that debate and Model United Nations were never really about winning. They were about growth. Every difficult committee, every challenging POI, and every disagreement pushed me a little further than I thought I could go. And they will push you too.

I realise now that MUNs are also about experiencing new perspectives and ideas from the brightest of minds. Perhaps that is what makes MUN so special. It gives young people like us something we are not trusted with: a seat at the table. For these three days, we get to become diplomats, judges, legislators, journalists discussing conflicts, global economy, technologies, and human rights to name a few. We are trusted to discuss these matters, not because we have all the answers, but because we are willing to search for them. In a world where young people are often told to wait their turn, MUN reminds us that our voices already matter.

So, if this is your first conference and you are worried about forgetting your speech or accidentally referring to yourself as "the distinguished delegate" outside committee, remember that everyone started somewhere. Growth always disguises itself as discomfort. Whether you leave RBSMUN with a medal or simply a copy full of notes, I promise you will leave more confident and much more capable than when you arrived. But most importantly, remember to zoom out a little and think about why we are doing what we are doing. As future leaders of the world, MUNs make us care about the world beyond our borders and give us a sense of the impact we are capable of making.

Since its inception in 2005, RBSMUN has remained committed to fostering thoughtful dialogue, principled diplomacy, and meaningful collaboration. As one of Nepal's pioneering student-run MUN conferences, it has become a platform where delegates cultivate skills that extend far beyond committee rooms – from critical thinking and negotiation to empathy, leadership, and cooperation.

Today, we live in a world that feels increasingly fragmented. Wars continue to rage, misinformation spreads faster than truth and differences in identity, and ideology too often become reasons for division rather than dialogue. Yet history has repeatedly shown that humanity has made its greatest progress not when we have spoken the loudest, but when we have listened the most.

I believe this year's theme, "Unity and Inclusion in a Fragmented World," reflects that belief. Unity does not mean thinking alike, nor does inclusion require us to abandon our differences. Instead, they remind us that disagreement need not become hostility, and that meaningful progress is only possible when every voice has the opportunity to be heard.

This year's committee selection reflects that spirit. Delegates will debate cyber warfare in DISEC, sovereign debt reform in ECOFIN, and questions of international law before the ICJ. Others will navigate historical crises in the Imperial Romanov Court and the Cambodian Crisis Cabinet, address technology-facilitated violence in UN Women, examine human rights in green energy supply chains, and even deliberate over divine authority in the Grand Convocation of the Mythical Realms. Though every committee explores a different challenge, they all ask the same fundamental question: how do people with competing interests build a shared future?

As delegates from across Nepal and beyond come together, my hope is that RBSMUN XXI becomes more than just another conference. I hope it becomes a place where ideas are challenged respectfully, friendships are built unexpectedly, and perspectives are broadened constantly. Long after the awards have been handed out and the gavels packed away, I hope you remember not just the resolutions you drafted, but the conversations that changed how you saw the world—and the confidence you discovered in your own voice.

I look forward to welcoming you all this December.