Meet the UNHRC Chair
Meet Houriiyah Tegally – the chair of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) at this year’s YMUN Korea 2014. Born and raised in
Mauritius, Houriiyah is a sophomore in Branford College at Yale, studying
Computer Science & Psychology.
As
the UNHRC chair, she will be directing and helping delegates with clause
writing and moderating debate on each clause to produce full-fledged
resolutions on topics pertaining to the status of human rights around the
world. “The UNHRC at YMUN Korea 2014 is focusing on the
status of women in post-conflict societies and protecting doctors in conflict zones,” Houriiyah explained. “The committee comprises countries on different sides of the debate
on each topic and I am looking forward to help delegates come to a joint
resolution to tackle each of the above issues.”
When asked
why she decided to join YMUN Korea, she said, “YMUN Korea was a fantastic opportunity for me to work a very
competent team from YIRA on organizing a conference for high-school students in
a great city. I had never done an international conference before,” she said.
A member of
YIRA, Yale International Relations Association, Houriiyah also staffed UNSC at YMUN at Yale, one of the biggest high-school
MUN conferences on the United States East Coast. “Model UN was one of my main extra-curriculars in high-school. I
participated in several conferences and chaired ECOSOC committees twice at
Mauritius' National Model UN conference,” she shared. “My favorite thing about MUN is how it incentivizes students to
keep up with world news and research about topics of international concern that
matter. In general, MUN conferences are a great way to meet people from various
other schools and share with them an experience that is very unifying.”
So as a
chair, what does she look for in a good delegate?
“A good delegate, in my opinion, does not need to be perfect at one
thing, be it public speaking or clause drafting. Rather, a good delegate is an
all-rounder who is able to collaborate with other delegates, who readily
listens to concerns from others and promptly come up with compromises to
accommodate ideas and solutions that will deem most appropriate to the whole
committee and one who is able to communicate one's ideas clearly to the house,” she said. “A good delegate makes a genuine effort at
following procedures and committee rules and is receptive to advice and
suggestions from chairs.”
When asked
if she had advice for the delegates, she replied, “Take time during this conference to learn as much
as you can about international relations and policies but also make sure to
meet new people and make friends. Finally, remember that all the chairs are here
to help you give your best at this conference! We are all really excited to
meet and work with you in the next few days.”
by Gan Sylvia
