“Very little change can be made without partnerships”- a fitting quote for an exciting yet meaningful weekend.
On November 19th, the anticipated BAMUN conference that our ISB Model United Nations team had been working so hard towards kicked off with six schools from all across Switzerland in attendance: International School Basel, Black Forest Academy, Swiss International School Basel, Haut-Lac, International School Rheintal and the International School Lausanne.
Spirits were high as a number of delegates, chairs, admin and press were treated to an energising breakfast in preparation for the lively weekend ahead. At 9:15, the opening ceremony commenced with Allison Bourne, a Grade 11 student resuming the role of Secretary-General, who gave a motivational speech that highlighted the importance of “Prosperity through Partnerships” – the relevant theme of our conference that signified the need for unity to incite change. To follow, the attendees of the conference were honoured to view a message from Sheba Crocker, the US ambassador to Switzerland, who enthusiastically shared her experiences working for the U.S Mission of Geneva and how delegates are changing our world in real time. With that, the sound of the gavel rang throughout Aula and the debates began.
This year’s BAMUN conference consisted of a colossal eight unique councils: Security, War, Legal and Finance, UNODC (UN Office of Drugs and Crime), UNESCO (Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation), World Health Organisation, Human Rights and Sustainable Development. Within these councils, the many eager delegates took part in fruitful debates, focusing on topics ranging from the role of NATO to the legalisation of drugs; all in which opened the eyes of those involved to the events of our world.
On the second day of the conference, all delegates and chairs joined together in the General Assembly and were graciously given the opportunity to take part in the UNHRC challenge; a competition where resolutions that emerged from debate were put before a jury composed of real UNHRC members and independent experts. The topic of focus was “Ending Staleness” and the best ideas would be shared with policy makers. As a result, the motivated delegations worked hard to put forward a variety of creative resolutions, allowing for passionate and interesting discussion all morning. This was an incredible opportunity for the simulation of MUN to be taken one step forward into a possibility of true impact.
To gain more of an insight into the various happenings of the BAMUN weekend you can check out The Daily Shift, a student newspaper featuring articles written on the days of the conference by the dedicated ISB press team. You can find this year’s edition on the MUN website (mun.isbasel.ch) under the “Daily Shift” tag. Additionally, more photos and videos from the event can be found on the MUN instagram account @isbaselmun and on the website.
Article By Sian, Grade 11