Our theme at MUNIST this year is “Addressing global challenges through collaboration and innovation”, a key strategy that has successfully tackled several world issues in the past through UN-led strategies. 

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This theme was selected for numerous reasons, such as to the recurring pattern we have as humans to fix issues through our collaborative and innovative skills, something that has helped us evolve and survive so long as a species. Solving problems through smart, inventive ideas as a community is ingrained into us; but if done carelessly, the problems in the aftermath can outweigh the benefits. Debating real world issues as youth helps shape delegates into weighing the costs against the advantages, pushing our generation into a future where we can hopefully tackle conflicts in a more sensible, practical manner. 

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Additionally, there are diverse ranges of topics and challenges that fall under the umbrella of this theme. There are numerous possibilities of discussion under the collaboration and innovation idea at MUNIST 2025, from deescalating tensions in sensitive regions (Security Council) to online safety (UNHRC) to legalizing abortions for minors (UNICEF). Debating such topics allows diverse opinions between delegates, allowing their debate and diplomacy skills to improve as they deal with clashing mindsets. Alongside the practical debate reasons, this theme has also proven to be vital in the real world, with UN led initiatives transforming communities through their focus on conflict resolution through teamwork and development of strategies.

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The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a partnership led by UN agencies such as the WHO and UNICEF, alongside other partners. Since its launch in 1988, over 99% of polio cases have been prevented due to the measures they have implemented. This has been achieved by their global collaboration through sharing of international funding, scientific research, campaigning, innovation, and implementing efficient strategies into vulnerable societies. Global incidence rates of polio have been reduced by 99.9% since the founding of GPEI, an evident and applaudable milestone in disease treatment and prevention. With almost the entire disease being eradicated, GPEI continue to use the skills they have at hand to combat the remaining 0.1% of cases that still remain today.

 

UNICEF is also famous for launching challenges to tackle modern issues in the 21st century. Making problem solving fun entices people, since these challenges often contain rewards for winners. A collaboration they formed with UNDP was to launch the Green Shark Challenge, inviting UN staff to work together alongside their colleagues as well as youth and diverse communities to create and design collaboratively. One of the Green Shark winners was the Bio-hack My World project in North Macedonia. With 45.6% of all waste in this country being biowaste, and with 95% of it ending up in landfills that produce greenhouse gases, there was serious scope for an improvement of waste management to prevent this from happening. Partnering with Skopje city, Bio-hack My World became the first open biotechnical laboratory in North Macedonia that can process all types of food waste into new, usable goods. Their target is to advance the country’s waste management efficiency, alongside reducing environmental damage being caused by the disorganized system. They aim to achieve this by using biowaste as an “entry point to foster innovation, education, and meaningful engagement of communities in finding solutions to the rising environmental challenges in the country” (source - www.unicef.org). Bringing together teachers, students, entrepreneurs and more, Bio-hack My World’s combines their experimental work alongside their strong community of innovators from diverse ages and backgrounds. 

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After interviews with specialists across multiple domains, it’s clear that the theme, particularly the aspects of collaboration and innovation, extend beyond the scope of geopolitics and UN debate topics. Firstly, significant links between geography and the themes of collaboration and innovation are seen - IBDP HL Geography synthesizes themes such as flows of information, global interaction, causes of conflict and whether ideas are shared or not - topics very clearly connected to MUNIST 2025’s theme. Furthermore, the theme links into chemistry - both collaboration and innovation are crucial to solve chemical and healthcare issues, for example the COVID-19 pandemic, where it was imperative for the globe to come together to find a vaccine. These show clear importance of the theme beyond MUN, and an interview with the MUNIST 2025 Director of Logistics, who chose the theme, gives us more of an insight into why the theme is so crucial. MUN focuses on preparing people for the future, so innovation is crucial for delegates to understand what is possible in their lifetime. Modern society is built on collaboration, so the theme gives delegates the opportunity to debate how through adaptivity and togetherness their topics can be solved.

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Lastly, we owe a big thank you to everyone we interviewed, whose fascinating insights on our theme allowed us to write this article.