KLMUN Day 2 Stretching our Comfort Zone

Second day of KLMUN arrived with everyone ready to go...suits pressed, shoes shined, smiles on!

There are four committees at this small conference. The General Assembly with our very own Chirag as the President. Prue and Grant are delegates from the United Arab Emirates and Finland. Prue was the main submitter of one of the first resolutions. Her resolution focused on providing safety precautions for extreme weather i.e. Tsunami warning systems due to Climate Change passed!!

 

Another committee is the Human Rights Council with Stephanie as the President. Fir who represented Iraq as a first time delegate, did an excellent job stepping out of her comfort zone by asking many POI's. 

 

ECOSOC (the Economic and Social Council) had Izzy as the President. Thibault as France and Jay as Russia had an action-packed day with Jay's resolution about Renewable Energy being passed.  Way to go Jay!!

The final committee, Disarmament, had Jane as the President. Shane, representing the Republic of Korea and Joon, representing Syria had a challenging day as they discussed Chemical Weapon Use in Syria. Joon stepped up to the challenge and represented his country well with Shane speaking against Chemical Warfare.

 

This local conference has given our chairs and delegates a perfect opportunity to put their MUN skills to work. All of the committees  have our students proudly serving as President, two of the committees had our delegates as main submitters and every one of our students spoke several times throughout the day. This has been an excellent day and one that we should all be proud of.

THIMUN 2018 - Day 8

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Today marks our last day in The Netherlands, and we all got up to have a leisurely breakfast together and reflect on the week's most fun events. We all then finished packing, checked out, and stored our luggage at the hotel so we could go on one final outing to Delft on the tram.

Although it was very grey and drizzled for most of the day, we still had a great time looking at the square, cathedrals, and shops. Delft is very beautiful! Everyone loaded up on cheese and stroopwaffles to take home, bribing Ryan and Victor to carry the goods in their lighter checked baggage. We stopped for some hot cocoa, and everyone tried some bitterballen, a delicious traditional Dutch snack which can be described as balls of breaded and fried gravy served with mustard.

Since it was cold, we stopped at another restaurant not long after to have our club lunch together before heading back to the hotel to collect our luggage, most of us having to do some repacking to stash away our souvenir loot. We were finally on the bus and headed back to the airport! 

This past week has been an amazing conference, and I have been so proud to see how much all of our students have grown as chairs and delegates. I am sad that this will likely be my last THIMUN conference, but I am very pleased to know that Jane and Stephanie will carry the torch next year at M'KIS, as they have proven themselves to be incredibly capable young women. Victor might even introduce MUN to his new school in Denmark, which would be an exciting project for him! Ryan will likely have opportunities to go to some of the same conferences we've attended in Singapore next year, and if not, perhaps he too will spread MUN to his new school. Regardless, the skills and friendships they have cultivated over the past several years will last a lifetime, and I have been exceedingly proud of all of them.

- Ms Andi Januskiewicz

THIMUN 2018 - Day 7

Friday, February 2, 2018

With a day full of passionate debate and lighthearted laughter, the closing ceremony marked the end of the 50th THIMUN conference. The day started off just like the last four: a briefing with the other student officers, some quick announcements for the delegates, and clauses with the entire committee. Today, however, was the last of this annual conference. My committee, the Historical Security Council of the Year 1968, was a committee that I am proud to say that I have chaired due to the level of passion and diplomacy the delegates took on. Throughout the past four days, the 30 delegates and Arthur, my president, Davina, my other deputy president, and I have gotten to know each other much better. We could have casual banter, and had a couple of committee inside jokes by the end of the debate. We focused on our last issue throughout the day, which was the "situation in Mexico" in 1968. The entire session flowed smoothly and productively, much like the past four days. With free time at the end, we read out the gossip box filled with notes that had accumulated throughout the last two days, and did superlatives for the delegates with categories like “most likely to join the UN” and “best accent”. The closing ceremony was bittersweet and wrapped up the conference as we listened in on speeches from the committee Presidents, Deputy Secretary Generals (DSGs), and Secretary General (SG). After the final chair debrief, we all said our sad goodbyes, but were hopeful we might see each other again. THIMUN has been a conference where I’ve learned many more chairing skills and their applications, as well as being able to meet so many new people. I couldn’t possibly explain just how many memorable moments have occurred on this trip, it has been a blast!

- Jane Chea

Today was the final day of the 50th annual session of the THIMUN conference, an all the delegates in my committee had a chance to speak. It was also the day many delegates showed their true colours, which sparked controversy, and humour. Sadly, today was also the day the closing ceremony was held, which marked the end of the conference. Today started off with the first resolution on urbanisation, and because of many convincing speeches, the resolution unfortunately failed. We debated three resolutions, two of which had the same fate. Throughout the week, we all managed to become closer socially. As the final day neared, many delegates took the chance to make rather funny but undiplomatic speeches, which surprisingly were sometimes very convincing. The final issue was on food waste, and regardless of the many attempts to get the house to vote against it, it managed to pass. It was great to end the conference on a good note. Overall, the week was great and it was a very good experience for me, as it was my first conference out of Asia, and I got to meet lots of new people from different places and with difference cultures. With roughly 20 minutes left, the chairs read from the gossip box, which contained rather cheesy MUN pickup-lines and jokes, and many amendments as many people mistook the gossip box as a box for amendments. We also exchanged contact information with each other, which was great as we could still continue talking to each other even though many of us might not meet each other in person again. After, we all went to the closing ceremony, which was a bittersweet end to the conference. I was sad, as I knew I won’t be meeting a lot of the friends I made again, as many of them would be graduating and moving on to college or university, or it would be a long time before I would get to see them again, as their schools don’t go to conferences far from their country. However, I was glad to have taken part in this conference. It taught me a lot of new methods of debating, writing speeches, and I am glad to have met so many new people in this conference. No other conference I have attended created this many memorable moments, especially when we would start cheering support for the delegates of the DPRK and Germany when they would go up to make a speech due to their controversial positions. Again, I am very glad to have attended this conference, and I am saddened by the fact that this possibly could be my last THIMUN, but it was a fun trip, and the conference was a blast!

- Ryan Chua

With today being the final day of THIMUN 50, I can gladly say that this conference was one of the best MUN experiences I have ever had. The day began with the last morning student-officer briefing of the conference, with lively debate, just as we had experienced over the past four days, continuing in the Special Conference II. As we got to the end of debate with the final resolution to be debated, my co-presidents and I decided to try something different - we tried to encourage delegates who had not spoken to do so, in order to make the most of their THIMUN experience, by calling for more relaxed and shorter speeches for a short period of time in debate. This was done in order to make delegates feel more comfortable and confident in voicing their stances during debate. With a positive response from both experienced delegates and delegates who had never spoken before, I truly realized the degree of trust and respect that had been developed and fostered in the Special Conference II over the past five days. After debate was over, my co-presidents and I proceeded to read out notes from the Gossip Box that we looked through at lunch, which was very enjoyable for everyone and a great end to a wonderful conference. We then proceeded to the closing ceremony, where we listened to speeches from the Presidents of each committee, the Deputy Secretaries-General, and the Secretary General. Finally, all the student officers attended the final chair debriefing after the closing ceremony. This was a very bittersweet experience, as I had to say goodbye to the friends I had made and spent the past five days with over the course of this conference. However, we all hoped to meet again, whether it be in university, or even in another upcoming conference. Overall, I had an incredible experience at THIMUN this year, from learning how to progress in my chairing skills to making new friends. I had a wonderful time, and I will always remember this experience!

- Stephanie Kannimmel

Today finished off with a bang! Debate was more heated today than it had ever been, with many new delegates making speeches, and regular speakers making very moving and effective speeches, and some Points of Information (POIs) calling out a lot of people. The session today was perhaps not the most productive, but definitely the most entertaining. The World Health Organization (WHO), miraculously managed to gain sovereignty in order to house refugees and the land would be provided by Nicaragua. It was almost a unanimous vote for the amendment, and subsequently the resolution. The World Bank, who sat next to me, also managed to submit about 15 pick-up lines to the Gossip Box, but for some reason, the chairs only read out about one or two of them. As it was the last day of the week and the conference, understandably, many delegates were uneasy, and Morocco, who had been sending “notes” to other delegates throughout the conference, was getting called out a lot in many of the speeches made by new speakers. Among some of the other delegates who were getting called out were; Zambia for many, many reasons, Dominica, simply because he is unintentionally hilarious and sometimes a bit offensive, again unintentionally, France, for simply making some outrageous claims and statements, among which were “refugees don’t remember their home countries.” When the closing ceremony came around, I was sitting with some of my friends, and then the flag parade finally came around, where everything went according to plan apart from when we went further upstage. It really caught me by surprise, as I wasn’t really paying attention, and I was just kind of doing my thing, and suddenly I just see the whole group move forward. Overall, this conference is definitely one of the best, if not the best, that I have ever been to.

- Victor Skjoldby

THIMUN 2018 - Day 6

Friday, February 2, 2018

With today being the fourth day of the conference, everything was in full swing with lively debate, sorting out things that came up in committees, and presentations by some incredible guest speakers throughout the day. Debate in my committee, where I (Stephanie) serve as one of the Deputy Presidents of the Special Conference on Building Civil Society Through Education (SCBCSTE), continued to be lively and engaging, with delegates submitting countless constructive amendments and always eager to make speeches. The Special Conference is a committee that focuses on the theme of the conference, with issues specifically chosen and curated to explore this theme. Therefore, being a student officer chairing the Special Conference at the 50th annual session of THIMUN has been a great honour and an incredibly interesting experience.

The conference today also went well for Deputy President of the Historical Security Council, Jane, who said she enjoys chairing a smaller committee that is knowledgeable and passionate about the issues being discussed. Ryan, representing the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Sustainable Development II, commented on interesting (yet questionable!) points raised by other delegates within his committee during debate.

In addition to fruitful debate occurring in committees today, there were also insightful presentations held by two guest speakers throughout the day. The first presentation, given by Her Royal Highness Princess Mabel, discussed the goals and vision of the organization Girls Not Brides. Being a human-rights activist, HRH Princess Mabel discussed how Girls Not Brides aims to address and eradicate the issue of child marriage by changing the mindsets of people who see child marriage as a societal norm. The second presentation, by two medical students from England, discussed their work on behalf of the charity Naya Qadam Trust in creating prosthetic limbs for impoverished amputees in Bangladesh, using local materials, such as drain pipes and rubber tires. Both presentations were profound and inspiring, reminding us all that we can and should do anything we set our minds to, and that young people do not need to wait for "someday when..." to make a difference.

We are all looking forward to a great last day of the conference tomorrow!

- Stephanie Kannimmel

THIMUN 2018 - Day 5

Today has traditionally been a half-day for the conference so that delegations can have a chance to see some sites around The Hague. Despite that, we remained productive through the half day. We debated the situation of the Biafra region of Nigeria, and have begun lobbying on the situation in Czechoslovakia. Both issues took place in the year 1968, as the committee I am chairing is the Historical Security Council.

After the half day of intense and passionate debate, we (Ms. J, Mrs. Fidalgo, Victor, Ryan, Stephanie, and I) traveled down to the central part of The Hague to do two activities.

First, we went to the Prison Gate Museum. Here, we saw how they kept prisoners in the Middle Ages and their living conditions. The tour we went on in the Prison Gate Museum was in Dutch, but we were given a pamphlet with all the information in English so that we could follow along. The tour around the museum was grim and reflective as the tour guide passionately describe what went on in the individual rooms. There was one room that was labeled the “torture room” which the tour guide and pamphlet explained was used when a confession was needed from a prisoner.

After finishing the Prison Gate Museum, we had to quickly walk to the escape room since our appointment was at 4pm. We got there a little late and started as soon as possible.

We were briefed on the story that was happening at our specific escape room situation and were given a set of rules. Soon, we were let into the puzzle and the first room. With some difficulty, we managed to get past the room and into the main puzzle area.

We scattered around the room, working together to look for clues and figuring out the multiple problems. We had 60 minutes to complete the entire escape room and we had 45 minutes left in the main room.

We managed to figure out the beginning without too much difficulty, but eventually reached a stalemate. Finally, the guy watching over our progress via the video monitor gave us multiple clues until we figured the remaining puzzles. Finally, with only 10 minutes left to spare, we finally arrived at the last room. Feeling stumped at first, we managed to figure out the final puzzle by finding the treasure and reached the end goal.

There was less than a minute to spare until we realized that we had to get back out of the room to complete and “win” the escape room. Watching the timer countdown from only 5 seconds, we all sprinted out to the entrance and was panicked when we couldn’t open the door! Finally, Victor realized he had the key and opened the door.

We burst out of the room, until we realized we left the treasure inside the box, and dashed back in to retrieve it. Despite this, the guy in charge of us congratulated us for completing the escape room just in time, and we all felt exhilarated from the experience.

After the escape room, we made our way back to the trams, went for dinner, and then headed back to the hotel to end off the day.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Jane Chea

THIMUN 2018 - Day 4

Tuesday, 30 January 2018

Our delegation arrived in The Hague on Saturday morning. We then took the train into Amsterdam and had some fun in the city centre. We had the world’s number one french fries or “patat.”

When the conference started on Monday, I was very excited to see who the people in my committee would be, and even more so those in my group. I have made a few new friends, all of whom are exceptionally nice and are funny in their own ways. So far, it’s been a great conference, and I hope it gets even better as the debate heats up.

Tuesday was the first day of debate for all committees, and the first resolution (a document that presents a solution to a current issue) to be debated was on the issue of establishing a technology bank for Less Economically-Developed Countries (LEDCs). It was submitted by the DPRK (North Korea), and everyone who signed it really only did it as a joke. I’m pretty sure the delegate representing the DPRK submitted it as a joke, as all it did was establish a bank that any country, with or without sanctions, could use, and as many people know the DPRK has a massive number of sanctions. This technology bank would also focus massively on nuclear energy, however even nuclear waste can be weaponized, so it was clear that the DPRK was just trying to further its own agenda. Many people made speeches on it absolutely bashing it for what it blatantly was, and I even wrote a five-minute speech, though sadly I wasn’t picked to speak. My role as our delegation's ambassador and as the delegate representing the World Trade Organization (WTO) on this issue isn’t really that large, considering it didn’t have much to do with trade, but I probably could have swayed some of the people who voted for this resolution. This resolution, thankfully, did not pass.

The next resolution to be debated was concerning the monitoring of minors’ bank accounts. It was pretty boring considering that it isn’t really much of a problem, and there isn’t much that we can do that isn’t already being done by the UN and other organizations and countries themselves. I had basically nothing to say on this matter, as the WTO, or as myself as, once again, it’s not really a huge problem and it doesn’t concern trade that much. Not a lot of delegates said much, and I can’t blame them because it was quite a boring topic, and all the resolution was doing was implementing the same things that are already being done, except a bit stricter. This resolution did not pass either.

The final resolution we debated that day was on the issue of apprehending the exploitation of refugees by criminal organizations. This is actually a huge problem, especially in eastern Europe, where many countries are already unstable in their own right, and a sudden influx of refugees doesn’t really help them. The WTO, realistically, would not have much to say on this issue, but I myself had a lot to say, as many of the refugees go to Europe, and that’s where I’m from. I’m also personally very against discrimination, but very much for tight security and lots of scrutiny, and this is simply because many refugees come from low-income families, and often find it very hard to assimilate into the new country, making them perhaps at risk to become even lower income than they already were, and thus can be detrimental to the economy of the host country. What this resolution did was to assess each individual refugee and send them to the country that best fit them, meaning, even if it was a country already struggling with employment, such as Macedonia, there was basically nothing they could do about it the influx of refugees.

Some of the most notable things I have done so far include making some very good POIs (Points of Information - comments or questions on a delegate's speech), and collaborating with my group to come up with perhaps the best resolution I have ever worked on, and maybe even the best in the entire committee, which will focus on micro-finance and encouraging entrepreneurship. I am excited to see my resolution debated and I wonder what other delegates will think of it, and how they will try to improve it with their amendments.

More updates on the way!

- Victor Skjoldby