Model United Nations, for those who are not familiar with it, is an activity where students come together to assume the roles of politicians in the United Nations. During an MUN conference, each student gets a country to represent, and gets sorted into a committee to discuss a topic. The student, or delegate, has to represent the views of the country she or he is representing and, keeping that in mind, come up with solutions to the topic or problem at hand.

A few weeks ago, a delegation from SIS went to the MUN conference in Berlin. We asked one of the participants, Raphaelle S., what she thought of MUN: “The reason I joined MUN this year is because it not only makes you think about politics and world affairs, but it also gives you a chance to try and come up with creative solutions to those problems. It really puts you in a position of power and makes you understand that, if not today, some day you will have, to a smaller or larger extent, an impact on these world issues.” Each delegate wants their resolution to be passed, their speech to be heard, but it is all in good fun.

The topic at BERMUN was countering extremism to foster international peace and security. The topic became unnervingly relevant after the tragic attacks on Paris on the 13th of November. Europe especially, which prefers a reclusive foreign policy, got a grim reminder of the threat that terrorism poses. Extremism is not a problem isolated to a particular region, but a global one. Extremists are not isolated to a particular view of the world, country or religion. They are merely people who are intolerable of others’ beliefs. The vision of the United Nations is to promote a peaceful world where diversity is respected, and that is a world we should all strive for.

We are all global citizens and must share responsibility for ensuring a bright future. That it what the conference reminds us of. There were participants from all over the world present. The importance of global cooperation, and prepares us for whichever career we choose to pursue in the future. We practise public speaking, improvisation, creative problem solving, cooperation and patience, some days we spent over 8 hours in session.

From the moment we stepped into the conference to the closing ceremony, we were impressed by the showmanship of the hosts. The entire conference had a very professional tone. The opening ceremony was held in the headquarters of a charity called Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, in the direct vicinity of many international embassies. The conference itself was enriched by guest speakers, who shared their expertise with the delegates. 

Even if the conference itself is academically demanding, you does not have to be experienced in order to attend. The important thing is to be willing to work hard and eager to learn. In addition, the trip is about more than just work. We had the opportunity to spend a few hours sightseeing in Berlin and to try things such as apfelstrudels and pretzels. The delegates dance was also great fun, and was a perfect conclusion to the conference. It was a very interesting and thought provoking conference.