By Mrs N Perry
Our Trip to the Hague was certainly one to remember. THIMUN, being one of the largest MUN conferences across the globe, was an incredible experience.
We spent our first day in the Netherlands shopping and settling in, but when it was time for debate, everyone gave it their all. Four days of lobbying, debating and negotiating followed and all of our Albanian delegates were invested and amazed by the sheer size and standard of the conference in the World Forum. Topics centred around the theme of diversity and culture but included, to name just a few, the issue of early and forced marriage and its implications on the rights of women and children, the issue of Kashmir and the issue of strengthening international legal frameworks against illicit trade in cultural property.
During lobbying, we not only made resolutions and clauses but new friends from across the world. The diversity and range of students was an amazing experience and meeting people from dozens of other countries was interesting and a privilege. The committees came as large as 207 but we still managed to have our voices heard.
However, debate wasn’t the only thing we indulged in on the trip. The three Year 12 students had the opportunity to visit the International Criminal Court. They were fortunate to observe a hearing of the ICC in session; they witnessed an administrative hearing, conducted by lawyers from a variety of countries, in relation to a man accused of crimes against humanity. This was a fascinating experience and one which few have the chance to see. We spent our evenings and well-earned free time exploring the city of The Hague and going out for dinner.
Cambridge MUN
This weekend we were delighted to have the opportunity of travelling to Cambridge for their annual MUN conference. We were honoured to listen to Dame Menna Rawlings, an ambassador and the previous Director General of Economic and Global Issues at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Her speech highlighted the changes she has seen during her time as an ambassador. She also highlighted 5 things that are currently threatening diplomacy: technology moving faster than ever, crises which are ‘simultaneously colliding’, the preference for dispute over diplomacy and a backlash against diversity and inclusion. Her final message of resilience and determination was summed up in “know yourself, be yourself and back yourself’.
The weekend was filled with fruitful and inspiring debates in some very controversial committees. Queen’s College students participated in the HIC (Historical International Committee), where delegates debated the trial of Nazi Leaders and the associated reparations. In the Science and Technology Development Committee, the question of AI in scientific research was discussed and the Crisis Committee debated the issue of AI, cybersecurity and cults of personality. This committee, as per its title, proved to be very fast-moving. We are thrilled that Ilya was awarded Best Delegate in his committee; a fantastic achievement given the quality of the delegates in attendance.
Prior to the conference, and as a break from preparation, we walked around Queen’s College Campus at Cambridge University and had time to reflect on the beautiful chapel. It certainly opened our eyes to Cambridge University and all that it has to offer its students. This was an inspiring time where not only did we participate in another MUN conference but it also allowed us time to contemplate our future.
