The end of the ISB Model United Nations trip to the Hague is in reach, and it can be said that the experience at The Hague International Model United Nations Conference (THIMUN) has truly been one to remember. “Lively”, “enjoyable” and “unforgettable” are only a handful of words that can be used to describe the memories that were created during this conference.
THIMUN holds conferences annually and a select few of our own ISB students from Grades 10 and 11 were honoured to be invited to attend this UN simulation – an extreme version of the BAMUN and MUNTAG conferences held at school and a big jump from a couple hundred students to a couple thousand. However, the sharp increase in participants did nothing to deter the confidence of our delegates, as the four days of debate were simply seen as an opportunity to enhance skills and to interact with people from all over the world.
On Monday the 23rd of January, at 9:00, the World Forum opened its doors to thousands of students from several continents – some flew for 14 hours from Asia while some travelled 10 minutes from their homes in the Hague. Heels could be heard clicking on the stairs and a sea of suits was seen as students made their way to their respective councils and rooms. The World Forum was filled with a certain buzz of anticipation that could not be replicated – it was time for the conference to begin!
The delegates were spread across different committees: General Assembly (4 different ones), Human Rights Council, The Economic and Social Council, Security Council, Special Conference on the Future of Borders and the Sustainable Development Commission. The ISB students were working hard in each of these councils representing the values and beliefs of the nations of Venezuela and Iran. Topics discussed ranged from the question of Kosovo and migration at borders to alleged war crimes and the situation in Yemen. Debates were fruitful, chairs managed the floor and some interesting, with lack of better word, speeches were given – dictators were quoted and song lyrics, like that of Rhianna, were used. All of which were just a handful of the stand-out moments recited by the delegates over dinner when the days came to an end.
Our 25 ISB students should all be extremely proud of themselves for all their commitment and courage – writing resolutions and getting up in front of thousands to give points of information or deliver speeches is nothing to be underestimated.
While the delegates were passionately debating global issues and fighting to pass resolutions, the established press team were deeply committed to releasing the MUNITY newspaper each day. The room ‘Kilimanjaro’ had an air of motivation mixed with joy as rather than having a quiet atmosphere, the room that was called “home” for the week was constantly packed with laughter as UNO was played, discussions were had while everyone moved across the line from colleagues to friends; all while successfully releasing exquisite articles, photographs and illustrations.
At the end of it all, our students looked forward to the closing ceremony where Grade 11s Sebastiaan Hendriks and Noah Crisanto took on their roles as ambassadors and waving the flags of our delegations: a representation of the once in a lifetime opportunities that come from MUN.
Though the concrete purpose behind MUN conferences like THIMUN is working towards resolutions to aid with global issues, the true takeaway is the memories and connections we make along the way. Whether it’s seen through the growing friendships between schoolmates when running around the city to meet curfew or having deep conversations with fellow delegates to maintain sanity during rough debate sessions. It’s truly a beautiful opportunity and the memories will be something that we hold forever.
