An Indian student recently stepped into the shoes of a Bahraini diplomat during a Model United Nations (MUN) General Assembly, representing the kingdom’s stance on the global refugee crisis.
Sweeni Choudhary, a 20-year-old student at Chandigarh Group of Colleges (CGC) in Mohali district of Punjab in India, highlighted several initiatives led by the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) to ease the suffering of people in conflict zones across the world.
A MUN is a role-playing educational activity in which students simulate the workings of the UN or other international bodies. It helps participants develop public speaking, diplomacy, critical thinking, negotiation and research skills.
The event, hosted by CGC, allowed participants to spotlight and debate global issues.
“My role was to represent Bahrain in a mock UN General Assembly and highlight its stance on the refugee crisis,” Ms Choudhary told the GDN.
“We did not have to submit formal position papers, so our first major address was the General Speakers List, where each delegate had 90 seconds to speak.”
In a MUN conference, the speakers’ list is a structured way for delegates to express their initial views on a topic before more focused debate begins. It also allows the representatives to outline their country’s general positions and propose potential solutions.
“After spending a couple of days researching, I decided that I wanted to talk about Bahrain’s contributions to refugee aid,” she said, emphasising the need to be assertive, diplomatic and empathetic, as she was ‘speaking for a country rather than herself’.
During her address, Ms Choudhary, who is pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer science engineering, highlighted RHF’s contributions in assisting refugees in the region.
“Bahrain has stepped up to support those affected by conflicts,” she said, adding that in 2022, it partnered with the UN Refugee Agency to provide $1 million (BD376,994) in aid to more than 100,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, helping families meet essential needs.
“Over the last few years, in Gaza and the West Bank, the kingdom’s contributions helped build schools, libraries and clinics, including a $3m (BD1,130,982) health centre that serves thousands of Palestinian refugees in Jalazone, a refugee camp in Ramallah and Al Bireh Governorate.”
She also noted that after the devastating Afghanistan earthquake in 2022, Bahrain donated an additional $1m for emergency shelters and relief efforts.
“My speech was not flashy or grand, it was respectful and honest,” she said, adding that the refugee crisis is about real people, families, lost homes and second chances, not figures on a spreadsheet.
“When we talk about refugees and resettlement, there is often a tendency to reduce the conversation to numbers. But, behind the statistics lies a truth that is just as important. Humanitarian responsibility is not about who opens their borders, it is also about who extends a helping hand,” she explained.
Ms Choudhary also highlighted that while Bahrain may not be the loudest voice in the room, its actions in time of crises reflect ‘a genuine sense of responsibility, which deserves to be acknowledged’.
“In a world where narratives are often dominated by a few countries, it felt important to shift the lens,” she said.
“I wanted my speech to remind people that meaningful contributions can come from unexpected places, and I hope it left others thinking not just about the politics of aid, but the quiet compassion behind it.”
This was Ms Choudhary’s first-ever MUN, making the experience all the more memorable.
“I went in curious, unsure of what to expect, but walked away feeling inspired,” she said, adding that it was not just about debate or policy, but about learning how to represent voices larger than her own.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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