United Nations Meet …in Avon!

Last Saturday, the United Nations met at the Avon High School to discuss the growing problem of digital colonialism. A small number of global tech companies have control over the data, networks, and digital systems of every country. This means critical data and systems are subject to regulation, seizure, forfeiture, or even blackmail of their data.

The UN General Assembly met to discuss the framework of four models for nations to consider for protecting their data: Independent, Cooperative, Dependent, and Custodial. 

While the member nations were working out the details of the framework a message requesting an “Urgent Meeting of the UN Security Council” was received. The Security Council is the UN body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. They have authority to make binding decisions on member states.

The urgent message read: “Underwater internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz were cut including the AAE-1, Falcon, Gulf Bridge, and Tata-TGN Gulf lines. The Middle East and India are struggling to keep their networks running. The internet has slowed to a crawl. With the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States, this disruption has created a volatile security situation. Both the U.S. and Iran are blaming each other for the cut lines. The fragile ceasefire looks to be crumbling.”

Security Council members were then directed to address the following: How can these lines be restored to bring digital stability to the region? How can the UN protect repair workers in a current war zone? How can this type of digital disruption be prevented in the future? Can these lines be rebuilt in a more equitable way? How can the UN effectively address the growing threat of digital and AI driven propaganda in the modern world, especially during war time?

In case you haven’t caught on yet, the United Nations were not at Avon High School dealing with a global crisis. However, this was the scenario presented to the Model UN conference hosted by the Avon High School team. Model UN is an educational simulation of the United Nations. Participating students represent member states of the United Nations. Model UN was created in 1921 by the forerunner of the UN, the League of Nations. High schools and universities across the world host Model UN conferences.

The set up for the conference was straightforward with a room where the General Assembly met and another room where the Security Council met. Both rooms were buzzing with delegates meeting, negotiating, manipulating, and scheming with each other.

There was another room. A secret room where backroom deals and crisis situations were generated. This was my favorite room. The people in this room created the crisis and tracked the actions taken by nations in response to the internet cables being cut.

This was the first Model UN conference I had ever attended and it was a stimulating event. Watching high schoolers from across central Indiana as they represented countries from all over the world is awe inspiring. These kids knew about the socio-economic pressures and the political nuances of big countries and countries you rarely hear about. Countries a lot of us might not be able to find on a globe. The Model UN conference at Avon High School demonstrated how engaged students can tackle complex global issues.