HMUN; a collaborative conference
From the 31st of March till the 2nd of April, our school's MUN club attended the Haarlem Model United Nations conference of 2023. One of the biggest conferences in the Netherlands, it provided the chance for our delegates to debate and seek compromise with peers from over 10 other countries!
The opening and closing ceremonies were held in the beautiful St Bavo Church, with speakers including the two Secretary Generals, the mayor of Haarlem, and many more! As the theme of this conference was "power; what makes the world go round", in both the physical and metaphorical sense, it was highlighted to all present that conferences like these should not be about forcing other member states to agree with one's perspective, but about seeking compromise to find a solution which benefits all.
This sentiment was echoed by the collaborative nature of HMUN, with an incredible mix of experienced delegates and newer participants. As usual, our school's delegates knew how to impress, with Karolina Stec winning the Best Delegate award in GA3! Other important congratulations go to Adithya Vijay, who, as a first-time chair, was deputy chair of the Human Rights Council (HRC)! Both are very impressive achievements, and we as the ISHMUN club are incredibly proud of them both.
"HMUN was a lovely experience, and I greatly appreciated the opportunity to chair for the first time. It showed me a lot, and I felt how it was to sit on the other side of the table for the first time. All around, It was very enjoyable, and I would love to do it again."
- Adithya Vijay, Deputy Chair of HRC
Due to the size of the conference, but the intimate setting of most of the committees, it was a very social conference. Just like last year, HMUN encourages the creation of friendships, some of which may last a lifetime. The HMUN box, a revised, improved, gossip box, provided a break from the serious debate at the end of each day.
On a personal note, HMUN has always been one of my favorite conferences, particularly for its ability to accommodate all experience levels. This is reflected in our participants, six of whom were first-time delegates. They reported feeling comfortable asking their chairs point of parliamentary inquiries at any (appropriate) time, leaving them engaged and excited to continue the debate. However, also attending on behalf of our school were two 6-time MUN’ers, myself and Aadeta Makvana, and we similarly enjoyed challenges in this conference, further developing our skills.
“I really enjoyed this conference and I can recommend going to anyone.”
- Sebastiaan Aleman, delegate of South Africa to SPC2
Overall, the Haarlem Model United Nations conference of 2023 was a fantastic experience for all our participants, with many learning incredible amounts about their topics and the rules of procedure - whether as a first-time delegate, or a first-time chair. As always, we are grateful for the invitation and hope to attend next year’s conference.