International Relations Society - MMTU

Happy International Women’s Day.👩🏽❤️

Let’s celebrate all dynamic women in our department!
You’re special and loved 🥰

The International Relations and Social studies Department at Milton Margai Technical University, staged a high‑impact simulation in the Great Hall. 🌍🩵🤍
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Led by Mr. Santigie Conteh, ( Module lecturer) the immersed Qualifying Year 3 students in the practice of diplomacy.

Delegates used national flags as country symbols, with Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 acting as the host state. Through role‑play, structured debate, and amendment drafting, students learned how states present interests in multilateral fora, negotiate compromises, and convert political agreements into precise policy language.

Purpose and learning objectives:
Give students a realistic, practice based environment to experience representation, negotiation, and policy formulation in international settings.

Learning objectives:
-Representation: Understand how national identity, domestic constraints, and strategic priorities shape a delegation’s stance.
-Analysis: Break down foreign‑policy problems into legal, economic, security, and normative components.
-Negotiation: Build coalitions, manage concessions, and use procedural tools to advance national goals.
-Drafting: Translate negotiated outcomes into clear, implementable amendments and resolutions.
-Professional skills: Improve public speaking, diplomatic tone, listening, and rapid policy synthesis.

Country assignments and symbols:
Each student received a country brief and used that country’s flag as their visible symbol during sessions, reinforcing role identity and protocol. Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 served as the host, providing a procedural chair and opening remarks.
Pre‑work: Delegates prepared short position papers outlining national priorities, non‑negotiables, and suggested compromise language.
Facilitators provided background dossiers on the simulation topics and a concise rules of procedure guide.

Structure and rules of the simulation
Opening:
Mr. Santigie Conteh opened with a briefing on objectives, decorum, and the simulation timeline. The chair explained motions, speaking times, and amendment procedures.
A statement from our head of department Mr. Ishmail Kebbay, who emphasized on making the international relations unit as it own department come next academic year by Allah’s Grace.
And he also mentioned how the unit has grown faster than expected because of such activities and brilliant minds in the unit.
The president of the international relations society as well gave a brief statement on how we should all come together to develop the society and the unit at large.

Phases:
1. Plenary opening statements: Delegates delivered 2–3 minute national positions.
2. Issue workshops: Small groups analyzed assigned topics (trade, security, climate, migration) to identify core disputes and possible compromise vectors.
3. Caucus negotiations: Informal and formal caucuses allowed coalition building and redrafting of text.
4. Amendment drafting: Teams prepared formal amendment texts with preambles and operative clauses.
5. Plenary debate and voting: Proposed amendments were debated under time limits and put to recorded votes.
6. Procedural emphasis: Delegates practiced motions (to open debate, to table, to adopt by consensus), used speakers’ lists strategically, and learned how procedural maneuvers can shape substantive outcomes.

Typical issues debated and analytical approach
Trade and economic policy:
Delegates weighed tariff protection versus market access, balancing domestic industry protection with commitments to multilateral trade rules. Analysis focused on economic impact, legal obligations, and political feasibility.
-Security cooperation: Debates covered collective responses to transnational threats, sovereignty concerns, and burden‑sharing. Students evaluated intelligence sharing, peacekeeping mandates, and legal frameworks.
-Climate and environment: Delegates negotiated mitigation commitments, adaptation finance, and differentiated responsibilities. Emphasis was placed on measurable targets and funding mechanisms.
-Migration and human rights: Discussions examined border management, refugee protection, and international obligations under human‑rights law. Delegates had to reconcile domestic political pressures with humanitarian norms.

Amendment drafting and legal precision
Drafting process:
After negotiations, teams converted political agreements into formal amendment language. Drafts included: a short title, a preambular clause referencing relevant international instruments, and operative clauses with clear verbs (encourage, request, commit) and measurable targets.

Key drafting lessons:
-Clarity: Avoid ambiguous terms; specify timelines and responsible actors.
-Feasibility: Ensure proposed measures are implementable given resource and legal constraints.
-Compatibility: Check amendments against existing treaty language to avoid contradictions.
Example amendment structure:
-Preamble: Noting concern about X and recalling Y instrument.
-Operative clause: Requests that Member States submit national plans within 12 months; establishes a technical working group to monitor implementation.

Strengths, limitations, and recommendations
Strengths: Realistic chamber setting in the Great Hall.
Limitations:
Time constraints limited depth on some complex topics, simulations necessarily simplify long term diplomatic dynamics and resource asymmetries.

Recommendations:
Expert feedback-Invite practicing diplomats or academics to observe and provide targeted critiques.
Extended research windows-Allow more time between caucuses for evidence based drafting.
Role rotation-Let students represent different types of states (small, medium, great power) across rounds to broaden perspective.
Structured debrief-Hold a formal post‑simulation debrief with written feedback and reflective essays linking practice to theory.

Conclusion 🙌
The diplomacy simulation at Milton Margai Technical University’s Great Hall, led by Mr. Santigie Conteh, offered Qualifying Year 3 students a rigorous, practice‑oriented immersion in international representation, policy analysis, and amendment drafting. Using national flags as symbols and with Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 as host, the exercise successfully bridged classroom theory and real‑world diplomatic practice strengthening students’ analytical judgment, negotiation craft, and capacity to convert political agreements into precise policy instruments. With modest refinements, future iterations can deepen realism and further prepare students for careers in diplomacy, international organizations, and policy analysis.

Regards:
International Relations Society (IRS) 🤍🩵
Media and communication Unit

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U.S. Embassy Freetown, Sierra Leone
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
United Nations
AOU Egypt
Ecowas - Cedeao