Cordilleran Debater wins ‘Best Delegate Award’ in an International Platform

A Cordilleran from Kalinga was recently recognized as one of the Best Delegates in an International youth platform under the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Council during the 2021 Asia World Model United Nations (AWMUN).

Francis Cordova, a 22-year-old youth from Tabuk City Kalinga, is one among the 1,105 delegates from 57 different countries who competed to have the chance to raise a voice, discuss, debate, propose and/or draft a resolution on world issues as if it’s in a United Nations Conference setting; all happened via virtual conference due to the ongoing pandemic.

Francis finished his high school at Saint Tonis College Incorporated and got a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology at University of Saint Louis-Tuguegarao, where he had gained experience in debating.

Francis is currently working at the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Region II and is making his career prosper in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

In an interview with Guru Press Cordillera, Francis said that he found out about the program way back in college through a senior who also joined the AWMUN competition last 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. Then, with so much boredom, especially this time of the pandemic, he incidentally saw an advertisement of the AWMUN by scrolling his social media account. It felt as if everything was destined for him.

“Biglaan lang din kasi nga pandemic, walang exposure sa debate and such, yung time na nga lang na nagagamit mo yung arguing skills mo kapag lumalabas with friends it makes less possible due to the restrictions,” he said.

The debater took a shot for the opportunity and applied for almost a week. He got in, has been allocated, and has gone through a 3-day training and workshop in certain variations. He was trained by the former delegates who have also earned awards in the previous AWMUN.

The topic into which he and his council block mates have excelled in arguing with their opposition is the "Global Arms Embargo Against Myanmar.”

Conquering this success also made a way for him to earn another award as Most Outstanding Delegate during the International Model United Nations (IMUN) under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Council last September 12, 2021.

In Francis's Facebook post, his success and his awards were all dedicated to his late Father and he said that it will be one of the living proofs of how noble and formidable his father is.

He also thanked AWMUN saying, “I will always be grateful to AWMUN for allowing me to participate in their virtual conference. Throughout the duration of the conference, I was able to exponentially hone my skills in writing, negotiating, and public speaking. I was also able to meet exceptional delegates and create connections that will last for a lifetime."

Francis, in his message, encouraged the young who are bored, who desires an exciting engagement and want to improve their writing, speaking, and negotiating skills to at least consider joining this kind of platform.

He added, “Aside from developing your character, you will find friends who make a lot of sense and who are worth keeping.”

Asia World Model United Nations (AWMUN) 2021

Asia World Model United Nations (AWMUN) aims to facilitate young leaders from different places to provide a platform to share their perspectives, particularly on political and economic issues that will be discussed in each council.

The participants intending to participate as a single delegate should meet the requirements below:

International Delegates who are enrolled in International Organizations/Institutions/ Companies; or College or High School Students; or University or High School Graduates (aged between 17 – 25 years old).

This year, 1 105 delegates from 57 countries were allocated to 12 different councils: UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, INTERPOL, UNHCR, DISEC, UNODC, UNHRC, UNEP, IMF, ILO, and UNGA.

AWMUN provides an atmosphere where participants can directly represent their assigned countries as official delegates. It is an excellent platform for young leaders who want to be heard, to compete, to get new experiences, and to broaden their network.

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