Alumni News |  From Spirited Debate to Leadership in Action: BEIMUN XXXIII at ISB

From spirited debate to leadership in action, Beijing Model United Nations (BEIMUN) has been shaping globally minded students for more than three decades. This academic simulation of one of the world’s most important diplomatic institutions is run by the members of ISB’s oldest club – MUN.  

One of only two Model United Nations conferences in China affiliated with The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN), BEIMUN brings together student delegates from across the region to tackle real-world issues and practice diplomacy firsthand. 

This year’s conference, held Friday, January 23 to Sunday, January 25, opened with a special opening address by distinguished alumni parent His Excellency Jaime FlorCruz, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to China, offering students a powerful connection to real-world leadership and global perspectives. 

For Ambassador FlorCruz and his wife, Ana, stepping back onto campus after more than a decade felt like a homecoming. Ana worked for many years at ISB’s former Lido campus in various roles, including helping guide the school’s transition from paper records to a schoolwide database system. The Ambassador himself fondly recalled playing pick-up basketball in the ISB gym. Their children, Joseph and Michelle, attended ISB from Pre-K through graduation and are now successful professionals. 

Faculty, parents, staff, and their children of Filipino citizenship and heritage also gathered to greet His Excellency, marking a meaningful moment of community pride and connection. 

During his visit, the Ambassador stopped by the ISB Library to donate three books. The first, The Class of ’77, is his memoir chronicling his journey in China. The other two were published by the Philippine Embassy to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China: #MadeItInChina, a collection of profiles of Filipinos thriving across China, and Intertwined, which documents the stories of Filipino diplomats posted to China from 1975 to the present. Together, these publications highlight the power of human connection and the role people-to-people exchange plays as the bedrock of relations between nations. All three books are now available in the ISB Library for students to explore. 

Reflecting on the value of Model United Nations, Ambassador FlorCruz shared that through MUN, students gain a deeper understanding of foreign policy and begin to see how complex and interconnected global challenges truly are – learning that diplomacy requires cooperation, patience, and respect for differing perspectives. 

This was not the first time ISB students have heard from His Excellency. Eighteen years ago, he served as the Commencement Speaker for the ISB Class of 2008. In that address, he spoke of his unusual journey in China – arriving in 1971 as what he called an “accidental tourist.” What was meant to be a three-week study tour became a 12-year stay. He later remained in China as a student, mastering Mandarin, studying Chinese history, and forming lifelong friendships, emphasizing one of ISB’s Strategic Focus Areas. And indeed he has remained connected to the ISB community.   

Before his diplomatic service, Ambassador FlorCruz studied Chinese history at Peking University and built a distinguished career as a journalist, reporting for TIME Magazine for 16 years and CNN for 14 years, including his role as CNN’s Beijing Bureau Chief. 

In his remarks to BEIMUN delegates this year, the Ambassador also referenced another prominent ISB alumni: Mattie Bekink (ISB ’96), Regional Director and Chief China Representative of the Ford Foundation, and winner of our alumni achievement award in 2024-2025. Mattie also sent a recorded opening address for BEIMUN XXXIII. A self-described “MUN nerd,” Mattie was the first Secretary-General of BEIMUN more than 30 years ago. She recalled that early conferences focused heavily on nuclear disarmament and the conflict in Yugoslavia – very different from the urgent and complex challenges facing delegates today. 

Together, they reflected on how today’s discussions feel both more immediate and more urgent – immediate because of students’ constant access to information and global connectivity, and urgent because of ongoing conflicts and the erosion of long-standing norms in international affairs. 

Ambassador FlorCruz concluded by posing a series of open-ended questions to delegates: What will the new world order look like? Will it be guided by universal values, justice, and equality – or by division, power politics, and inequality? Can we build an economy that supports dignity and justice amid rapid technological change? Will global institutions like the United Nations endure? 

While acknowledging the uncertainty of the current moment, he left students with words of hope. In times of crisis, he reminded them, there are also opportunities – opportunities for new ideas, new paths, and a better future architecture for global order.