Notes from THIMUN 2011

Twenty-seven Burroughs students joined 3150 students from 100 countries at the 43rd session of The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN). In this English-speaking conference simulating the work of the real United Nations, Burroughs represented the country of Argentina and the Non-Governmental Organization of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In addition, one student served as a Judge on the International Court of Justice and three students worked with 30 other students from around the globe to produce the daily conference newspaper, MUNITY. This year's conference theme was Crime and Punishment.

Day One:  Travel and Tour of Amsterdam
The group arrived safely in Amsterdam to a damp, but balmy 40 degree Saturday morning. Jackets came off and most students enjoyed the open, back deck of the canal cruise, breathing in the crisp morning air and photographing the architecture and many Dutchman on their bicycles. After a self-guided tour of the Van Gogh museum, the returning seniors we were led by Mr. Bang on a walking tour of downtown while Ms. Lorencz took the first-time THIMUN students to the Anne Frank House. The groups met up for a traditional Indonesian Rijsttafel (Rice Table) dinner where we were joined by Julie Ruterbories and her husband, Dan Hildreth. Ms. Ruterbories is the current Consul General in Amsterdam, with 17 years of experience as a Senior Foreign Service Officer. Her husband is also a Foreign Service Officer. The group enjoyed their time with such distinguished guests before being swept away by their coach to Scheveningen, their home for the week along the North Sea.

Day Two:  Tour of Den Haag  and Conference Check-In
After a delicious breakfast, complete with a breathtaking panoramic view of the North Sea, we started our walking tour of
Scheveningen and Den Haag. A constant drizzle and winds that picked up throughout the day did not dampen the spirit of the group as they visited Centrum, the Buitenhof (old government seat), and the M.C. Escher Museum. After lunch the group met briefly at the conference center for check-in, informal lobbying, a few meetings and then went on to the Gemeentemuseum for contemporary art.

Day Three:  Lobbying
Burroughs students were in the thick of debate, positioning themselves for top leadership roles in a majority of the conference forums. It was awesome to listen to them speak with conviction about their topics and command attention from the delegates who gathered around to join their resolution. ICJ had a busy day and were rewarded with a tour of the Peace Palace in The Hague. Munity successfully met their deadline with two minutes to spare! Click HERE to read the Munity articles and see more pictures. 

Day Four:  Let the Debating Begin
Intense debating began in all the forums today after opening speeches were presented. Many early resolutions were fiercely picked apart and "shot down" while a select few were so well-constructed that they managed to get passed by the forum. Our students reported that either way, picked apart or passed, it was exciting to finally get the chance to take the floor and begin debating. In their first case regarding Japan’s continued use of lethal whaling techniques for ostensibly scientific reasons, Judge Mariel Van Landingham reports that the ICJ is working hard to understand each other and make sense of the ill-prepared witnesses (who are often called last minute to stand as experts on complex topics). A cold drizzle made Munity sales difficult this morning, but that didn't stop the team from producing a stunning 12-page issue for the day. They even finished an hour and a half before deadline! Munity reporter Isabelle Stillman joined three other press members for an interview with Serge Brammertz, lead prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Mr. Brammertz spent an hour with the students answering questions in his office in the ICTY.

Day Five:  Debate and Delft
Our students representing Argentina and UNODC were in the thick of debate again today, arguing points on such topics as Security Council reform, the UN mission in Haiti, preventing terrorism, accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament and addressing systemic poverty in the 20 poorest countries. Mariel reports with a smile  that ICJ has wrapped up their first case and she is sworn to secrecy not to reveal the judgment. Munity wrapped up Issue III that will reveal in the morning a wonderfully written front page article by our own Caroline Ludeman titled "Crime & Punishment: The Timeless Dilemma." Go to Munity Online where you can read all the articles. After finishing her article, Caroline and Isabelle went to the War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY) to hear live, in person, Radovan Karadžić [sic] interrogate an army general. Karadzic is a former Bosnian Serb politician accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo. All work and no play makes for a tired group, so we toured Delft in the early afternoon and enjoyed the town known for its blue delftware and Vermeer. After a group dinner, we headed back to Scheveningen to get some well deserved rest. What an intellectually stimulating and visually stunning day!

Day Six:  Debate Continues
Thursday was full of anxious moments, with delegates positioning themselves for maximum speaking time. With sometimes more than 150 people in a forum, that takes a lot of negotiating with other countries and trying to "get in good" with the chair of the room. Our students did a terrific job finding their way to the microphone, whether that meant presenting an entire resolution (main submitter) or being yielded the floor or simply making a point about an amendment. The Munity team successfully completed a whopping 16-page issue that may very well draw even more positive comments from conference goers than Issue III. Mariel spent many hours in closed door session and reports that things are intense, but good in the ICJ.

Final Day:  Plenary and Closing Ceremony
Many of our students had tremendous success in their forums. Most noteworthy today was the fact that Philip Dearing's resolution, in which he was the main submitter (Argentina), passed in Plenary. That means the resolution will go in the final packet prepared by THIMUN that is presented every year to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The closing ceremony was a sad event for some who were coming to the realization that this was their last MUN conference, but for many, it was cause to celebrate their week together.

That's all this year from The Hague and THIMUN. For the parents, students, faculty and alums who tuned in this year to these updates, thank you for your support for this program.