General Assembly 2 (ECOFIN)
Head Chair
Ryan Pan
My name is Ryan Pan, a junior at Taipei European School. I have been doing MUN and debate for more than 2 years now and have found my passion in public speaking and discussing political issues. It is my pleasure to serve as the chair of GA2 alongside my deputy chair Edmund Tsai.
I have always found MUN to be a refreshing format of forum-based discussions where everyone contributes their perspectives beyond simple for and against debate, allowing us to engage in nuance that we could never have considered had we pondered these issues on our own. Too often, we see the world through the opaque lens of “with or against me”, which hasn’t done us any favours with our current fragmenting political climate that we will grow up to. MUN teaches valuable skills beyond what is practically useful for a CV; you may be here for the suits(I wouldn’t blame you), but you will walk out of conferences with a little more understanding of others, whether you want to or not.
I started MUN in 2022 at TASMUN, where I did a frankly terrible job as the delegate of Argentina. But since then, after no small number of further mistakes, I have become more confident in speaking, so delegates shouldn’t feel afraid to speak out even if they think they will do a terrible job. The fact is, you probably will, but that’s okay. Take me as living proof that if you’re bad at something for long enough, you’ll become mediocre at it, so speak out.
I hope to manage a fruitful debate at TAIMUN, and I will see you all there soon.
Deputy Chair
Edmund Tsai
Greetings delegates!
I am Edmund Tsai, a senior from Taipei American School, and am honored to be your deputy chair for GA 2 alongside Ryan Pan.
As a human being living on earth, I feel compelled to keep in touch with the issues threatening security happening around the world. Looking at news articles keeps me updated, but I wanted a more active way of knowing these issues. When I discovered MUN in tenth grade, my journey to enriching my understanding of the world began. I have delved deep into issues from promoting circular economies to repatriating colonial artifacts to their rightful owners. After each conference, I will be empowered with the sense that I am understanding the world a little better now. Hopefully, you will feel the same way about this conference.
In this committee, you will become experts in helping nations become more economically dependent through ISI policies and finding ways to address neocolonialism. In preparation for the conference, I encourage you all to read one or two articles a week on the issues. The more you know, the more prepared you are. I’m sure you will learn plenty from the topics we will be deep-diving during the conference.
During my free time, I enjoy biking around the riverside parks, playing my clarinet, and eating delicious Japanese foods.
TAIMUN XXIII marks my 9th conference, my third time chairing, and my last MUN experience.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. My email is @25edmundt@students.tas.tw and Instagram @edmund.2581.
I look forward to meeting all of you!
