The Student League of Nations was created in 1953 at Ecolint. Today hundreds of thousands of students engage in the Model United Nations system worldwide.

The early architects of the Student League of Nations, which was originally called the Student United Nations, wanted students to experience international diplomacy in order to better understand the world around them; it was part of our design to open the minds of young people beyond national boundaries. But from the start and to this day, the exercise was – and continues to be – much more than a practice of diplomacy, in fact it’s a vision for what diplomacy could be, as it was in the very first model of the League of Nations before the right to veto was given to certain countries in 1945.

The brainchild of this extraordinary and visionary approach was Bob Leach, a famous history teacher at Ecolint who was also the driving force behind the creation of the International Baccalaureate. Like so many great teachers, Leach was fairly eccentric.

One of his ex-students gives us a fascinating and telling anecdote about him:

“Bob was teaching a class as a Vice-Principal was approaching with the parents of a prospective student. As the Vice-Principal opened the door of the class Bob was explaining how WW1 was started and at the point the door opened was saying how conventional explanations were ‘Bullshit’. The Vice-Principal quickly closed the door and went on to another classroom!” (https://alumni.ecolint.net/teachers/robertleach.html)

I tell this story to reinforce the passion, nonconformity and courage that was at the core of his project, whcih could explain why the model used is slightly different to what actually happens in international diplomacy (we’ll get to that in a second).

The Student League of Nations, far more than a mere simulation, is a crucible for forging the seven global  competences we stand by at Ecolint. These are: lifelong learning, self agency, interacting with others, interacting with diverse tools and resources, interacting with the world, transdisciplinarity and multi literateness.

By dissecting complex global issues, analysing diverse perspectives, and constructing well-reasoned arguments, students engage in a masterclass in communication and collaboration, learning to negotiate with diplomacy, and build consensus across diverse viewpoints. 

The Student League of Nations nurtures a profound sense of global empathy. By stepping into the shoes of different nations, we transcend our own limited perspectives and cultivate an understanding of the interconnectedness of our world. 

This act of empathy is tremendously powerful as it is precisely empathy which is missing in political interactions that go sour. 

If the type of learning that emanates from this wonderful project could only touch more students and – further – the corridors and hallways of real political decision making, then perhaps we would get even closer to that elusive yet persistent dream of Ecolint: world peace. 

While the United Nations Security Council plays a crucial role in maintaining international peace and security, it’s worth exploring alternative models like the Student League of Nations. In this model, each member state’s voice holds equal weight, reflecting the principle of the equal value of each human being, as enshrined in Ecolint’s charter.

The Security Council’s veto power, while intended to ensure stability, has at times presented challenges to achieving consensus and swift action. This mechanism, granting the permanent five members the ability to block any resolution, can inadvertently create a sense of unequal representation among member states. History has shown instances where the veto power has hindered timely intervention in humanitarian crises or prolonged conflicts:  key political decisions in Rwanda, Israel and Palestine and Syria have been affected by one P5 member’s right of veto.

If we can continue to dream, in this, our 100th year of international education across frontiers, then let’s be audacious to dream that this model, where no single delegation could veto an entire assembly, would predominate for a world where peace would flourish, where every voice would be heard and the principles of justice and equality for all nations would be even stronger.

Vive la Société des Nations des Étudiants, vive le chemin qui mène vers la paix et vive Ecolint!

Speech made at the United Nations in Geneva on the 12th of December, 2024