BERMUN in November 2023

BERMUN (Berlin Model United Nations) is a bi-annual conference organized by the John F. Kennedy School in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer and Fritz Ebert Foundations, both of which provide a professional event location and catering for these conferences.

Similar to the many model-UN conferences around the world, BERMUN enables students interested in international relations and how the United Nations takes decisions can take an active part in a huge roleplay as delegates of designated countries – it is important to leave out your personal opinion and fully embrace the opinion of the country your are representing – using the official system to discuss, entirely in English, important issues like climate change, less economically developed countries or even the global economy.

Eight students from the Albert Einstein School participated for the fourth time in November 2023 at BERMUN. During the conference I was a delegate at the economic and social council and I was representing Côte D’Ivoire. We discussed how rich nations should invest more in developing countries, without taking control over them and stifling their independent growth, and that this approach would benefit the global economy. The representatives of developing countries like myself, the Central African Republic and many more were of course in favor of this resolution, while countries like China, USA and UK were against it.

The system put in place was very well organized and worked like a charm, helping the discussion to be well structured and civil. Everyone could take part easily, but no one was forced to speak up nor to pick a side in the debate.

The days were just as long as usual school days, but we had two cookie breaks and a lunch break. The food was fine, it was certainly better than that of a usual school canteen, and the cookies tasted much better after a day of debating.

The participants are not only from Berlin but come from schools in the Philippines, UK, Denmark, Mexico and many more – altogether more than 500 students participated.

In the autumn conference, the debates are held at the JFK school, while the Friedrich Ebert Foundation generously hosts the opening ceremony at which the first debates also take place. There was also a special opening ceremony at the Estonian embassy this time, which was hosting the initial session of the Youth Assembly, a special committee at the conference.

Pietro Maischberger, class 10e

In der Estnischen Botschaft

Auf dem Gelände der JFK