As the youngest participant and the only one from Southeast Asia, Aletha Herdiman, a student of the Faculty of Pharmacy (FF) of Universitas Indonesia (UI), managed to stand out at the Paris International Model United Nations (PIMUN) 2024 event. She emerged as an awardee of the Best Position Paper in the event. To reach that stage, she had to overthrow 15 other students from European countries, such as the Netherlands, England, and France.
“One of the challenges I faced in making this paper is because other students were in their 3rd and 4th year, while some were even Master’s students. Moreover, they are all International Relations, Humanities, and Law students. I was the only Pharmacy student there and also the youngest,” said Aletha.
Aletha surpassed other participants in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) with the topic, “Discussing the International Security Impact and Response to Potential Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs).” This topic discusses urgency and state position, as well as proposing solutions to the potential implications of UAPs in two domains, namely national security and scientific investigation.
“This topic is difficult because information regarding UAPs in each country is limited. Even the United Nations has never discussed this topic before. I had to create a realistic and original solution, so that it could be implemented in every country,” said Aletha. Even though she admitted it was demanding, Aletha showed her competence in profoundly analyzing issues and formulating comprehensive solutions. The Position Paper she submitted received praise from the jury for its analytical sharpness, logical arguments, and realistic solutions.
Aletha went through three stages, namely file selection, simulation, and interview. She managed to pass to the next stage after going through a simulation titled, “Avoiding Africa’s Debt Hegemony.” Despite having no background in economics, Aletha tried to learn it and was able to proceed to the interview stage until she was selected as a UI delegate for PIMUN 2024 which took place from May 31 to June 4, 2024, in Paris, France.
“The road to PIMUN was not easy for me, I even had to go through a probation condition, which required me to enter a national-level MUN competition before entering PIMUN. Furthermore, mapping out the proposal took a lot of time and effort. In addition, the schedule for MUN coincided with the final exam period, so I had to meticulously manage my time between my academic responsibility and this delegation event,” she said.
Aletha hoped this achievement could inspire other pharmacy students to step out of their comfort zone and explore new things. “This experience showed how pharmacy students are capable of competing internationally. Do not be afraid to try out new things outside of your field, because the skills gained can be beneficial in the future,” said Aletha.
PIMUN is a United Nations conference simulation held by the Comité Interuniversitaire des Nations Unies de Paris (CINUP) and attended by students from countries all over the world. In this conference, the participants discuss and create solutions to contemporary issues, from climate change to migration crisis, identity issues, and tension between countries.
