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| From left to right: Christian Wagner, Ann-Cathrin, Timo Schulz and Stephan Klose. Photo: Gijs van Ouwerkerk. |
According to the students, the largest and most prestigious of the Model United Nation conferences is the World MUN in which they may only participate as part of a delegation. Since discovering it is to be hosted in The Hague in March 2009, the UT group leaped into action, acquiring the necessary support to form a delegation.
The World MUN is a yearly event that attracts delegations from over 40 countries. The serendipity of The Hague being chosen as the next host city prompted the group of four European Studies students to create an association for the UT.
Schulz says, `We set up the website to get people interested in attending the World MUN, but the long term plan is to establish an association that will enable us to send members to many different MUNs. Right now, time is critical, as students need to apply to do the preparatory course by December 7 if they want to go to the World MUN in The Hague. We are hoping to be partially funded for the conference and plan to send a delegation of 15 people.'
The preparatory course of one lecture a week will run for the entire third quarter. According to the group, preparation is crucial for the success of delegations. Schulz says, `The course teaches things like the rules of procedure, debating, negotiating and speech training, and will include a micro-simulation of the UN.' But he emphasized it is also necessary to prepare for the assigned country and the topics.
MUNs are academic simulations of the real United Nations, where delegates are assigned a specific country position whose interest they must represent. They then have to debate on specific topics in order to arrive at a workable solution for their assigned country.
`I represented Burkina Faso at the last MUN I went to,' says Wagner. `The topic was about finding a long term solution for Western Sahara, and my partner had a completely different position on the same topic. There was a lot of debate to find a solution.' Roensch adds, `When I represented Bangladesh and India, it was really interesting to argue against your own opinion on a topic.'
The UT group is excited by this year's venue. They see it as a unique opportunity for Dutch and international students alike. Although they expect applicants from all fields of study, fluency in English is essential.
`It's a big intercultural exchange. You get to meet people from countries like Djibouti, a place I'd never heard of before,' says Roensch.
And it's not all work. Social activities abound. The conference culminates in a four day sample of Dutch culture with trips to Amsterdam, Nijmegen and The Hague.
Schulz says, `There are social events every night. You might sit at the bar next to someone from say, Russia, and ask them: “Hey, did you really believe what you said a couple of hours ago in the debate?”'
`You get to know many perspectives on world politics,' says Wagner. `It's a great place to make lots of friends.'
The World MUN kicks off on March 22 and promises to be a rewarding week of diplomacy and fun. The website http://utgoesmun.wordpress.com is aimed at informing students about the conferences and invites them to sign up as a participant in their delegation to The Hague. In order to select the most motivated students for their delegation candidates will have to submit an essay. Details are available on the website.
