At RomeMUN 2017, ITB was represented by Satria Adi Nugraha (Ocean Engineering 2013). RomeMUN 2017 opened the opportunity to everyone who was interested and able in both the materials and funding of accommodation. “I at first entered the internal selection by Djarum Foundation because I am a grantee, so when I passed, I and 9 other grantees from various universities in Indonesia receive full accommodation in Rome,” said Satria.

About RomeMUN 2017
RomeMUN 2017 was held by an institution, Giovani Nel Mondo, to create draft resolution. Participants were divided into 7 different committees in UN, namely United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Security Council, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and General Assembly.

Inquired of the committee he chose, Satria said, “I chose UNEP. I was undecided at first, so I chose the one that is closely related to my major (Ocean Engineering). Later on, RomeMUN decided the topic for the participants according to the committees they chose.” Satria explained that he got climate change in Japan as his topic. He will therefore situate himself as a Japan delegate on the congress simulation to speak about climate change and discuss the solution to the phenomenon.

The conference was held for three days from morning until around 7 at night. “Before the conference ended, we could not rest easy because at the hotel we had to prepare our speech and draft for the following day. That really put our public speaking skill into a test because we had to raise our hand to get the chance to speak. That was, in my opinion, very challenging because we had to adapt to the current topic which could quickly change, we had to use formal English and, the most important thing, we had to deliver our opinion effectively before the time limit,” revealed Satria, explaining the challenges he faced.

There is a leader in every congress held known as chair. The chair also acts as the jury to choose the best delegation from the participants. In the last RomeMUN 2017, the best delegation selected was from South Korea who presented an issue of the People’s Republic of China.

Lessons Learned
Despite not winning the best delegation, Satria said that he felt grateful for his experience in RomeMUN 2017 because he learned many lessons. Even more so because the participants had the opportunity to visit UN headquarter in Geneva, Switzerland and to visit other countries such as Vatican.

Satria said that his participation as a delegate who delivered Japan climate change issue had added a lot of insight about the global role of Japan and had added awareness about steps of mitigation and adaptation to climate change. He added that in addition to adding the skill to formal speaking and effective public speaking, meeting people from various national backgrounds was a new experience to him. “The first day I saw those foreigners, I thought they were superior to me, but after the congress I began to see that we are equal, we do not need to feel inferior,” he said.

“The point is, do not be afraid to try, even if it is a totally new experience. There will always be lesson to learn. It could be the inspiration for the next step. So, stop limiting yourself and start trying,” concluded Satria at the end of interview.