Swiss Parliamentary Debate

Model United Nations (MUN) is a simulation of the United Nations, used to raise awareness on global issues while improving soft skills such as debating and negotiating. The structure and the protocols used for MUN have been optimised for decades, and have been used for different focus group organisations for different purposes. The intersection between the MUN community and the iGEM community is seemingly small, yet not non-existent.

We have decided to use the MUN format as a way to make our focus group both engaging and interesting. We brought eleven university students from all corners of Switzerland to three online sessions of a committee to simulate the Environment, Spatial Planning And Energy Committees (ESPEC) of the Swiss Federal Assembly.

Unlike the usual MUN format, we asked the participants to defend their own views on the topics at hand. They were provided with a short study guide, explaining the current situation and the scientific background, and a Rules of Procedures document. Each participant was nominally representing a Swiss canton. The results of the debate were presented in two resolutions, written and negotiated upon by the participants, acting as opinion papers pertaining to the ESPEC.

This interactive focus group helped us understand the opinions and the concerns of the participants, while raising awareness on the topics of energy and GMO regulations. This enabled us to bridge stakeholder consultation and science communication, bringing Human Practices and Education and Communication together.

The participants differentiated between the short term energy crisis and the long term energy strategy, and prioritised debating on the energy crisis. They also engaged the GMO legislation with curiosity and vigour, making recommendations such as a distinction in labelling between GMO products and products obtained through a GMO but not a GMO in itself (like the HESTIA project). The application of synthetic biology to different fields being uncharted territory for legislation in many cases, the participants called the Swiss Federal Council to establish an interdepartmental committee to determine the framework of such regulations.

Read the GMO resolution packet: ASBESTOSRead the Energy resolution : CHARGE