Newsletter February 2023
Distinguished Delegates,
We would like to warmly welcome you to the new semester! We hope that you had a good first week back on campus.
Enjoy our newsletter for the month of February - it has a lot to offer!
Brands for Students Partnership
Dear students,
We are delighted that all UZH students now have access to the Brands for Students platform thanks to our partnership with the MUN Team UZH. We hope that you will find a suitable offer for you or your loved ones in the next few weeks. With this in mind, we wish you a successful start to the semester!
What are the benefits of Brands for Students?
The guaranteed lowest prices in Switzerland
Offers from the areas of multimedia, fashion, sport, household, travel and more
Completely new offers every week!
Direct registration through SWITCH AI
How does it work?
Go to www.brandsforstudents.ch
Register directly via SWITCH AI
Set your personal password
Confirm e-mail address (check your spam folder)
First Weekly Session
The spring semester of 2023 has begun, and along with it so have our weekly sessions. We started off the semester with quite an interesting topic: "Preventing and Combating Trafficking of Human Organs". We got the opportunity to hear some lovely opening speeches stressing the important of human rights and speaking out against the exploitation of vulnerable peoples. I look forward to seeing how the debate evolves in the upcoming weeks.
- Melkon Yengibaryan, Head of Operations
Guest Speaker Event
We are happy to announce that the MUN Team UZH will be hosting a guest speaker event with Prof. Em. Dr. Michael Ambühl on Thursday, 2 March 2023 at 19:00h in RAA-G-01. This event is open to the public.
The topic will be "Switzerland's role on the UN Security Council and future UNSC reform".
Professor Ambühl with more than 30 years of experience as Swiss diplomat and many other distinctions will be able to provide unmatched insights into this interesting new phase for Swiss multilateralism.
We would like to thank the Institute for Global Negotiations for helping us set up this event!
MUN Team UZH
At 9.20pm on a cold Wednesday night we all gathered at platform 9 3/4 to board the Hogwarts express. Wait wrong story…
We boarded the Night Jet from Zurich to Vienna on platform 9. After going through the schedule for the trip, it was time to relax and catch up with each other. The following day at 7am, the conductors woke us up with breakfast in bed and some warm and cozy coffee and tea.
After we arrived at Vienna main station at 8am and got ourselves ready at the hotel, we made our way to the Vienna International Campus (VIC). Our visit to the UN started off with a tour through the various buildings. We learned a lot about the history of the UN in Vienna, their respective organizations and offices. At 11.30am, Mr. Nesirky, director of the UNIS, welcomed us and gave us a presentation about the role of the UN in our society, modern challenges that the UN is currently facing and how communication plays an important role in all of this.
Right after we headed over to the UNODA. Their entire team welcomed us warmly and was present during the presentation. We learned a lot about their work as well as career opportunities and how to get started at the UN.
Afterwards we made our way over to the Swiss Mission in the city center. We got to hear about the daily tasks and pathways of diplomats. Especially what the focus points of the mission in Vienna are. They invited 2 Swiss nationals that work for the UNODC to talk with us about their work to counter human trafficking. Even though the schedule was intense - the experience of meeting all these professionals and hearing their stories and their passion in their work was truly inspiring.
At 5pm, when we left the Swiss Mission, everyone got to enjoy some leisure time before dinner. Some went to relax at a coffeehouse while others went shopping. For dinner we traveled to a Serbian grill restaurant with live music. For me personally, one of many food highlights on this trip.
The following morning started at the Museum Café, where we ate breakfast to warm our bellies and strengthen ourselves for the 2.5h free walking tour in the freezing cold right afterwards. The free walking tour took us all across the Universitätsring in the city center. It was packed with history, architecture, royals and culture of Vienna.
The group split up for lunch and the early afternoon and regrouped again at 4.30pm to experience a cultural staple of Vienna: The coffeehouse. We visited Café Jelinek, which not only served great coffee but also had an amazing selection of cakes. Before dinner, some of us went to the bookstore across the street: Buchhandlung Analog. They had an amazing selection of books that you usually do not find in commercial bookstores and also served Turkish çay for free. For dinner it was time to check of the stereotypical item on every Vienna bucketlist: Wienerschnitzel.
On Saturday it was time for everyone to do the things they wanted to do before we leave Vienna. Some visited the castle Schönbrunn or the Albertina museum others went over to Bratislava. At night we met up again to go and watch „Der Zauberberg“ at the Burgtheater.
On Sunday it was time to make our way back to Zurich but not before we had breakfast again at the Museum Café. This time we did not take the night train, which everyone above 1.80m appreciated.
For everyone that would like to skip this long text, here’s a short summary from one of our Veterans Andrew Oakeshott: „From the insightful visit and talks at the UN, to the enjoyable tours of Vienna’s stunningly picturesque centre, this trip had a great deal to offer, but it is the city’s weirdly hilarious and pun-filled shop names that left the greatest impression on me“.
- Deniz Yildirim, Head of Events
Young Humanitarian Summit
On March 25 and 26, 2023, we are organizing the first "Young Humanitarian Summit" under the patronage of ICRC to foster an interdisciplinary and intergenerational exchange on the far-reaching field of humanitarian assistance in armed conflicts. Over two days, 200 young people of all backgrounds are welcome to connect to and learn from each other and exchange views with high-level speakers, diverse representative and inspiring leaders of organizations from the ICRC, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), UNICEF, UNHCR and many others. Susanne Biedenkopf-Kürten, Head of the Main Editorial Office of ZDF, will act as the moderator of the Summit. The full programm can be found on: http://www.circleofyounghumanitarians.ch/summit.
Ticket Sale is now open!
You can purchase your ticket (89 CHF) for the two-day event including the charity concert and catering (covering both food and beverages) through our website: http://www.circleofyounghumanitaarians.ch/summit. Student discounts are available, and if you are in need of financial assistance for a ticket, please reach out to us by e-mail at info@young-humanitarians.ch. Our humanitarian gold partner "Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)" has generously offered to partly cover a limited number of ticket prices for individuals who are not unable to afford the cost.
Who are we?
The Circle of Young Humanitarians is a politically neutral non-profit association based in Zurich that was established by students and young professionals in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Spring 2021. We aim to address young people's views on armed conflicts and other situations of violence and humanitarian emergencies. Over 25 members across Switzerland are devoting their efforts to the Circle next to their studies or full-time jobs on a voluntary basis.
Let's Keep in Touch
Be sure to check back regularly for updates on our website: http://www.circleofyounghumanitarians.ch or our instagram page (@circleofyounghumanitarians). We are also happy to answer any questions by e-mail at info@young-humanitarians.ch.
We look forward to another semester full of fruitful debates and memorable events. Stay tuned!
See you soon,
Your Board
August, Darya, Tajana, Melkon, Sebastián, Deniz, Humberto and Aurora
Copyright © *2023* *MUN Team UZH*, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
info@mun-uzh.org
We would like to thank Swiss Re and VSUZH
for being our main sponsors this year!
