Heidelberg National MUN: Archive
WorldMUN Heidelberg used to be a one-project-per-year society: delegations of 10-15 students prepare for Harvard WorldMUN, the prime destination for the society since 1999. At a University of 30,000 students, only this super-small group of enthusiasts got a glimpse into the wider MUN-world. Luckily, someone had a vision of what we could do locally to promote MUN: Set up our own conference!
2019: The year being shaped by the US-China Trade War, Heidelberg National MUN 2019's WTO General Council debated on 'Reforming Global Trade'. The European Union, somehow between the two defining trade powers, tried to define 'A European Position on World Trade'.
2018: Cooperation and Confrontation describes the contradictive demands in world politics that Heidelberg National MUN 2018 strives to lay bare in 2018. More info on the conference can be found here.
2017: With the focus on Separatism, Heidelberg National MUN 2017 encircled both the regional as well as the international implications of corresponding movements. While the European Council negotiated the framework for the exit of the United Kingdom, the UN General Assembly looked into 'Safeguarding the right to self-determination in the 21st century', while the World Bank Committee allowed insight into the troubles of 'Financing development'. Arttu Makipaa, WorldMUN Heidelberg alumnus (2000-2003), ended his edition of 'From MUN to UN' - in his case to advising and assisting the Personal Representative of the European Commission President to the UN Good Offices in Cyprus - with a citation from the second UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld: "Everything will be allright - you know when? When people, just people, stop thinking of the United Nations as a weird Picasso abstraction and see it as a drawing they made themselves".
2016: For the first time featuring three committees, Heidelberg National MUN 2016 attracted a record 170 delegates from within Germany, as well as from the surrounding countries. Greeted by Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Science, Theresia Bauer, WorldMUN Heidelberg alumna Célestine Fünfgeld (2015) talked about her experiences at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). As in the first conference in 2011, the simulation of the UN General Assembly - Third Committee (SOCHUM) took place in Heidelberg. The conference focus was 'debating #refugees', with the General Assembly touching the global consequences of 'Forced migration - a global solution to a global problem'. The European Council, in the wake of an unprecedented influx of people fleeing war, hunger, and poverty, worked on 'Preventing future migration crises'. The UN Security Council tried to get to the core of the 2015 crisis, with its attemt of 'Stabilizing the Middle East'.
2015: The slogan 'SAVE THE WORLD' was all over Heidelberg, announcing the 2015 edition of Heidelberg National MUN. The UN Security Council tried to 'Contain the Islamic State', while the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was focusing on a more constructive 'Development through Fair Trade'. WorldMUN Heidelberg alumnus René Schlee (2009) fascinated 150 delegates reporting how his way led him from MUN to UN, more specifically to become an officer at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.
2014: Switching to its final home of the Neue Universität in downtown Heidelberg, the topics discussed by 150 delegates at Heidelberg National MUN 2014 were once again a direct news-to-MUN examples - displaying the urgend need for worldwide engagement in constructive discussions with the conference slogan 'We have to talk.'. The UN Security Council resembled its original institution by working on the Iranian Nuclear Progam, while the UN General Assembly tried to repair what the Warszaw Climate Conference a few months before could not: 'Dealing with the consequences of Climate Change'. The opening ceremony keynote was held by WorldMUN Heidelberg alumnus Nick Schneider (2000-2003) talking about his path 'From MUN to UN' in negotiations about tobacco control.
2013: New venue, grown-up name - now titled 'Heidelberg National MUN', the conference exceeded 100 delegates, reaching out to other universities within Germany. Held at the beautiful Institute of Psychology, the large committee was set up as double delegate committee for the first time, resembling working procedures at the large conferences such as Harvard WorldMUN, or NMUN. With the simulation of the United Nations Environment Organization discussing Environmental Governance, the attempt to provide insight in latest issues of world politics was clearly visible. To please MUN veterans, the Security Council argued about the situation in South Sudan. Keynote speaker Dr. Ashis Brahma is still well-remembered for his inspiring report about his work in Africa.
2012: Still at the Campus Bergheim, January 14, 2012, the second conference hosted 40 students from Heidelberg. With an opening ceremony, featuring a keynote by Professor Joachim Funke, the conference grew considerably. The Human Rights Council discussed 'Strategies to combat poverty in the occupied Palestinian Territories', and the UN Security Council worked on 'The Status of the Kosovo'.
2011: This is where it all started. On the historic date of Saturday, January 15, 2011, 20 delegates met at the Campus Bergheim of the University of Heidelberg. The first edition of the conference, dubbed 'CampusMUN' - as it was aimed at those studying at the University campus, featured two committees: the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Trade and Climate Change, and the UN General Assembly - Third Committee: Social, and Humanitarian and Cultural Issues, on the topic of human rights of ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. With a convenient finish at a cocktail lounge, the starting point was set.