Letters

Delegates, it is both my honor and my privilege to welcome you to the 11th edition of The People’s Conference. Since its inception in 2015, the PES MUN Society has had the privilege of bringing The People’s Conference (fondly known as PeCon) to PES University. Over the years, we have accumulated a remarkable 4500+ delegates from more than 50 schools and colleges across India, each of whom has brought a different conviction of the world around them. PeCon stands as a testament to the PES MUNSoc’s dedication to creating a platform for exchange of diverse perspectives on global and civic questions that shape our lives.

Taking a look at humanity’s tumultuous yet relatively short-lived history, it is easy to remember the great feats of expansive armies and the extraordinary force nations have brought against each other. Yet, pick any great leader, in any great war, in any time period in human history, and you will see them excel not merely through the strength of their army, but by their judgement on the table.

In October 1962, with the world thirteen days from annihilation, Kennedy and Khrushchev found themselves at the precipice of a confrontation in which the machinery of war had advanced far beyond the margin for human error. The most consequential victory of that crisis was in every way the war that never came to pass, and the legacy of the two men was cemented by the judgement they exercised when it mattered the most.

We now live in an era of increasing complexity, where the ability to negotiate, persuade, and exercise sound judgement has never been more consequential. Unlike popular thought, diplomacy is not confined to the halls of the government. Whether your future lies in engineering, law, medicine, finance, entrepreneurship, or public service, the same instinct marks those who rise to the highest ranks.

This is not expertise in any one domain but rather the capacity to think beyond and see what others might overlook, to command attention rather than demand it, and to exercise decisive clarity when the path ahead is uncertain. This, in its truest sense, is diplomatic finesse. In a world where few consequential problems have simple answers, this is not a skill confined to a profession but is the essence of what separates an individual who thrives in this world versus one who merely survives.

This is the spirit we seek to cultivate at PeCon. For two days, our committees become a testing ground of your ability to grapple with complexity, defend convictions, and negotiate real differences. We hope you leave not merely navigating a committee, but having begun to build the habits of judgement that outlast it. History is not something we inherit, it is rather the achievements and failures of the decisions made by those willing to be in the room when it is written. PeCon exists for the purpose of giving these very individuals a place to question, deliberate, negotiate, and lead.

As we step into our Eleventh Edition, I am thrilled to bring to you seven dynamic committees curated meticulously to cultivate these skills with the standard of excellence that the PES MUN Society has come to be known for. This metric extends in our careful curation of an Executive Board to spearhead each committee and agendas we believe will be the cause for fruitful debate and productive learning.

As the Secretary-General, I wish to see delegates work towards real-world challenges with sound logic and legal precedence. I hope you leave PeCon with the discipline to hold position under real pressure, and the humility to refine it when a better argument earns that right.

We look forward to hosting you at PeCon 2026 on the 17th and 18th of October.

Dear Delegates,

Honestly for me, it’s slightly strange writing a letter like this.

Usually, a letter such as this comes with a very formal welcome, a few impressive-sounding words about diplomacy and leadership, and a reminder that the conference will be an enriching experience for everyone involved. I could do that. It would be stock-standard; very formal and “appropriate” for the setting, and one you could skip past instantly!

Or… I could tell you about why this is important to me.

PeCon itself, along with the PES MUN Society, was what introduced me to the concept of an MUN a couple of years ago. At the time, I had no idea that I would end up caring as much about MUNs as I do now, much less that I would one day find myself writing this letter as part of the Secretariat. Being able to serve as the Deputy Secretary General for this conference is a genuine honour. It is not a position I would have ever imagined myself holding when I first joined the PES MUN Society, which makes being here now all the more special.

More than anything, I hope you come into PeCon without feeling like you already know what your experience here is supposed to be. You might come for the competition, the awards, the people, the experience, or simply because someone told you that you should try an MUN. Whatever brought you here, give yourself the chance to get something unexpected out of it. You might find that you really enjoy committee, you might discover an issue you had never thought about before, or you might simply meet a few people you end up remembering long after the conference is over.

A great deal of work has gone into putting this conference together, and I am incredibly excited to finally see all of it come alive. But at the end of the day, a conference is only as good as the people in it. The chairs, the secretariat, the organising committee and everyone working behind the scenes can set the stage, but the discussions, the arguments, the negotiations and the ideas are yours.

So, welcome to PeCon 2026! I hope you make the most of it, I hope you challenge yourselves, and most importantly, I hope you have an absolutely awesome time doing it.

With that, I’ll leave the formalities to committee.