Newsletter December 2021
Distinguished Delegates,
We hope you enjoyed this semester of MUN as much as we did and wish you a well-deserved winter break! In this newsletter, we look back at three great topic blocks of debating and update you on our team's recent activities.
BIMUN 2021 Recap
MUN Team UZH’s second conference of the year was a great success! We were delighted to send 11 of our team members to BIMUN 2021, ZuMUN’s partner conference. Our members were joined by a delegation from ETH MUN, which also travelled to Germany’s UN-city in Nordrhein-Westfalen!
We would like to thank VSUZH, our student association, for supporting this valuable experience for our delegates! Additionally, we are grateful to our main sponsors Swiss Re and ICC Switzerland as well as our other supporters UZH and UZH Alumni. Thank you for enabling us to attend these international conferences!
Our delegates were able to show off their negotiation and public speaking skills in different committees, including UNDP, FAO and the Council of the European Union while debating about a variety of different issues all in the context of this year’s conference theme: “Human Rights in a Digitalizing World”.
Participating in the United Nations Development Programme, a trilingual committee, was a particularly unique experience. The BIMUN organizing committee collaborated with a translation and interpreting school to allow delegates to hold their speeches in English, French or Spanish with them being translated simultaneously into all three languages. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience!
We would like to congratulate our members who were presented with an award at the end of the conference for their outstanding work:
Daniel Schmidt (Best Position Paper)
Simon Meier (Honorable Mention)
Gustav Reutter (Honorable Mention)
Lorenz von Arx (Best Delegate)
A big thank you goes out to the organizing committee of BIMUN 2021 for organizing such an exceptional conference! We are already looking forward to attending the next conference with our members!
Fall Semester Weekly Sessions Recap
This semester we debated a broad range of topics in our weekly sessions.
Starting with “Refugee Camps and the Right to Adequate Shelter” our delegates discussed if refugee camps represent a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Taking place in the General Assembly the first topic block provided the ideal introduction into MUN and our association’s rules of procedure. The high level of debate from many of our rookie members allowed for a variety of problems concerning refugee camps to be addressed. A record number of countries were represented, which made the discussions all the more diverse and interesting.
In the second topic block, “Sustainable Use of Outer Space”, our delegates were given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). With a focus on the strategic use of outer space, issues such as accessibility to space for developing countries, the prevention of more space debris being created and multilateral cooperation in ensuring sustainability in space were covered. Despite the difficult task of balancing national interests with collaborative efforts to preserve space for future generations, our delegates developed two detailed and well-balanced draft resolutions.
“Security in Afghanistan: New Approaches for Old Challenges” was our last topic block of the semester. Debated in the NATO council, the limited number of delegations allowed for highly focused discussions and gave all participants the chance to shine. Leaving no possibility unconsidered, many creative ideas for addressing the situation in Afghanistan were brought forward. The most contentious point of whether to work with the Taliban or not was concluded only after intense discussions. Another important matter was how to enforce highly targeted sanctions and minimize their negative impact on the civilian population.
We would like to thank our Head of Operations, Ridika, for preparing such captivating topics and for ensuring the most optimal debating conditions. Furthermore, we would like to express our appreciation for all people chairing our weekly sessions this semester. Lorenz, Darya, Andrew, Eliseo and August, your contributions were invaluable!
MUN at Kantonsschule Rychenberg Winterthur
Ever since 2014, MUN Team UZH has collaborated with English and History teachers at Kantonsschule Rychenberg to provide students in their last year of high school with their own MUN experience. In this year’s KRW MUN, 15 delegations discussed “The Freedom of Religion or Belief”.
After well-timed opening speeches and an interesting moderated caucus with astute questions, the students had the chance to develop amendments to the Draft Resolution. The delegates proved their diplomatic capabilities by recruiting supporters for their proposals and making purposeful compromises. In the final vote, the draft resolution passed with an overwhelming majority.
We are grateful to have been able to chair a committee with such motivated students and already look forward to next year's KRW MUN!
MUN Team UZH Secret Santa Recap
Last Wednesday, after the final weekly session of 2021, our team members exchanged their Secret Santa gifts. Ranging from classic winter essentials to very specific wishes, the presents brought joy and holiday spirit to everyone!
For those who have not been able to pick up their gift yet, please contact our Head of Events, Eliseo.
A big thank you to everyone for participating!
ZuMUN 2022 Chair Applications
Dear MUN Team UZH members,
Chair applications for ZuMUN 2022 are open until the 27th of December! Don't miss your chance and become part of the ZuMUN experience by chairing in one of our committees or by doing valuable work as a crisis staff member.
Use this link to apply: https://zumun.ch/zumun-2021/zumun-2022-chair-application/.
For more information visit our Website.
Be sure to sign up! We are looking forward to meeting our future chairs and crisis staff members!
Your ZuMUN Co-Secretary-General
Manuel
Thank you for your support!
We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to our main sponsors Swiss Re and ICC Switzerland. Additionally, we would like to thank our supporters VSUZH, the University of Zurich and UZH Alumni.
Your support over this last semester has been invaluable. Thank you for allowing us to attend MUN conferences in Warsaw and Bonn this fall. You make it possible for us to continue providing great opportunities to our members!
Season’s Greetings!
We wish the best of luck and success to all of you who are writing exams this winter!
We look forward to seeing you soon at upcoming events and our weekly sessions in the spring semester.
Enjoy the break and have a great start into the new year!
See you soon,
Your Board
Lorenz, August, Darya, Ridika, Patrik, Eliseo, Amin and Jenny
Copyright © *2021* *MUN Team UZH*, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
info@mun-uzh.org
We would like to thank Swiss Re
for being our main sponsor this year!
