Economic and Social Council

When the cast of Dead Poets Society looked back on filming, many of them spoke less about the scenes they shot and more about Robin Williams - the conversations between takes, the encouragement he offered and the way he made people believe they were capable of more than they thought. Looking back, we realise that SISMUN has stayed with us in much the same way; something far greater than a simulation, a home for becoming.

It gives us immense pleasure to welcome you all to the eleventh iteration of the Shishukunj Model United Nations and further to the organ of the Economic and Social Council. 

We do not remember the first ever speech we gave. 

Do you know what we certainly do remember? The silence before it. 

The silence that made our three-page research document suddenly feel far too small for everything we wanted to say. The silence that made our hands refuse to stop shaking. The silence that made the smile of a stranger across the room seem so magically reassuring. Looking back, we don't even remember every resolution we drafted. 

But we do remember laughing over unfinished working papers at 8 p.m., rewriting speeches we thought were perfect, and mentors and seniors who saw something in us before we ever could. We remember walking into every conference hoping to win an award - and walking out with something infinitely more valuable: a place to belong.

Perhaps it happened in a committee corridor where a stranger became a teammate and eventually, a lifelong friend. Perhaps it happened the first time someone challenged an opinion we had held so firmly that we left the room carrying not an argument but a new perspective. 

Perhaps Heraclitus understood this best: "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man."

There is still a version of us that walks into committee clutching three neatly stapled pages, believing every answer can be found in perfectly highlighted paragraphs. We have never really left that room; we hope that version of us never disappears. Because every edition quietly asks something different of us, every edition, gives us another chance to meet someone newer than the person who walked in.

As we welcome you to ECOSOC, we invite you to explore an organ where every committee tells a different story of our world. From combating narco-terrorism and safeguarding global trade to reimagining Europe's future, empowering women, protecting workers, building sustainable cities, and shaping the future of space governance, we hope you find the one that leaves you with only one thought: "Can we do this all over again?" and becomes a story you'll carry long after the conference ends.

Don't leave anything unsaid because you were too afraid. Stay back for the conversations that don't make it into the minutes. Walk up to the person sitting beside you- you never know which introduction might become one of the most meaningful friendships of your life. Allow yourself to be surprised by people, by ideas, and perhaps most importantly, by yourself. 

We hope this conference becomes a chapter you return to years from now with the same gratitude that we do today. 

Can’t wait for the 24th!

Best wishes,

USG ECOSOC

Fizza Arif

Navyaa Jaiswal