Content:
> Introductory Letter
> Further Information
> Delegation Structure and Country Selection
> Guidelines and Procedures

Introductory Letter

Dear MUN Directors,
World leaders will meet in June 2007 for the G8-Summit which will be devoted to shaping globalization and helping Africa develop. Undoubtedly, the German city of Heiligendamm, the venue of the conference, will be the focus of great media attention and pro and contra demonstrations. Concurrently, seventy-four young adults, from fourteen countries, will gather for the Third Annual J8-Summit to be held in Wismar, Germany. This gathering will figure less prominently in mainstream media coverage. Nevertheless, at the J8-Summit these young adults will address issues relevant to them and their peers around the world. Moreover, some of them personally will have the opportunity to voice their opinions and exchange ideas with the world leaders gathered at the G8-Summit.

Affording youth the chance to present their viewpoints is not only a manifestation of the growing recognition of the potential of our future global players; it is also an acknowledgment of their rising influence and involvement in civil society. The upcoming meeting between J8 and G8 members is in line with a vision laid out by the former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who in his address to the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in 1998, reminded the adult ministers that “Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline."

With 200 million young adults living in poverty, 130 million young adults illiterate, 88 million unemployed and every fourth HIV/AIDS victim below the age of 24, the idea of empowering future generations to confront their own challenges is slowly taking the center-stage in international politics. Starting in 1995 with its World Program of Action for Youth, which laid out ten priority areas for youth, and an addition of five further priority areas in 2005, the United Nations is in the forefront of promoting youth initiative and awareness. Innumerable NGOs are writing the cause of youth on their banners. Many of today’s 1.2 billion young adults between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four are making their voice be heard in organizations, media, and at youth conferences.

Nevertheless today’s youth continues to be the brunt of criticism and a negative stereotype. It is often labeled as the “MTV-Generation,” and it is portrayed as violent, drug-abusing and the unabashed beneficiary of the consumer society. Based on this unflattering stereotype, a substantial number of adults question the intellectual maturity and preparedness of this younger generation to enter the political and social arena.

Over the past years, our interaction with students in the Model United Nations program has shown us just how aware of and sensitive to humanitarian, environmental, economic and social problems young people are, both at home and abroad. We have witnessed their growing realization that a palette of issues exists which affects them most directly and all too frequently most harshly. To name but a few: HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, illiteracy, employment, and sexual exploitation. The horizon of this current generation is global. Young people are aware that they will soon be the leaders of tomorrow and will be charged with the responsibility of addressing these very issues, of mending the mistakes of the past, and of working to eliminate them. This year’s BERMUN 2007 theme is not only a reflection of our commitment as educators to young people, but also an acknowledgement of the potential they possess:

Investing in the Youth: Empowering Future Generations

Only a generation which enjoys the investment of civil society, including recognition and respect, and which is allowed to work cooperatively to overcome today’s challenges, will be equipped with the necessary skills to serve humanity in solving the world’s future problems.

We look forward to greeting you and your students at the sixteenth annual Berlin Model United Nations Conference.

Sincerely,

Dr. Walter Peterson BERMUN Director

Karin Hövermann BERMUN Director

FURTHER INFORMATION

Delegation Structure and Country Selection

In order to enable as many schools as possible to participate, schools may represent one delegation (5-8 students). Only upon a special request stating the reasons why there is a need for a second delegation, will we be able to revise this policy. The number of delegates your school can send is based on the following guidelines:

All countries are represented by one delegate in the Disarmament Committee (DC), Environment Committee (EC), Human Rights Committee (HRC), Political Committee (PC), and the Special Conference on Investing in the Youth (SCIY). The Security Council (SC) will have two delegates per delegation. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Security Council and the Special Conference are not part of the General Assembly (GA), and they will be in session for three days.

Guidelines and Procedures

Resolutions

Delegates should be well-informed on all topics and prepare resolutions for all issues. Although delegates should adhere to their country’s policy, they should not copy “real resolutions” but tailor their work according to their own understanding of the political situation. Plagiarism is not tolerated at BERMUN.

Lobbying

Encourage students to exchange ideas and to lobby via the web before the conference. An online discussion forum will be available for each of the forums on http://www.bermun.org/. During lobbying on Wednesday and Thursday, delegates will prepare and submit a joint resolution. Delegates are expected to bring ca. 15 copies of each resolution and should have access to a digitalized version.

Conduct and Dress Regulation

Ambassador

Every delegation must appoint an ambassador. He or she has to be a member of the General Assembly. Because the ambassador delivers the delegations’ opening speech, that person cannot be a member of the Security Council, the ECOSOC, or the Special Conference. The ambassador should check the agenda of the Security Council to find out if a topic concerning his or her country will be discussed, as any ambassador might be called upon to elaborate on his or her country’s position before the Security Council. Please specify the ambassador on FORM II.

General Assembly

The rules of debate and the voting procedure are those of The Hague International Model United Nations, a modified version of Robert's Rules of Order. Please refer to the Instructional Guide posted on our website.

DC, EC, HRC, and PC are members of the General Assembly. Only full members of the UN have voting rights, but all delegations (including NGO’s and Official Observers) have full debating rights, such as submitting resolutions and amendments.

At the formal opening of the GA on Wednesday afternoon in the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Opening Speeches will be delivered. They are to be one minute in length. The Opening Ceremonies will take place on Thursday morning in the John F. Kennedy School.

During the plenary session of the General Assembly on Saturday, delegates will be asked to formulate a resolution on the topic of Investing in the Youth. The Recommendation to the General Assembly of the SCIY will provide for the basis of this debate. Delegates will apply the expertise gained from their committee research to write and debate an ad-hoc resolution.

Security Council

The Security Council will once again consist of two delegates per member state. The Council deals with the question of peace and security exclusively. The SC follows different parliamentary procedures than the GA, taking into account the veto right of the Permanent Five members. The delegates should therefore familiarize themselves thoroughly with the UN Charter. As there are only 15 member states, all delegates not only have the opportunity but also the duty to speak on the issues. The Security Council members should be especially familiar with all of the issues and should enjoy working together with a small and highly motivated group of students.

Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council is not part of the GA. The ECOSOC is the UN organ most concerned with stabilizing the economic and social conditions in a country. The Council's main functions include:

• initiating studies, formulating reports, and making recommendations in all fields relating to international economic, social, cultural, educational, and health issues
• promoting human rights and basic freedoms for all.

BERMUN Youth Assembly

We encourage students interested in becoming actively involved with issues of immediate concern to the youth to join the BERMUN Youth Assembly. Students develop individual strategies and projects to address issues they feel passionate about. By engaging in discussion with peers, participants will Recognize, Analyse and ACT. The process of exchanging ideas and developing innovative projects provides young people becoming with the opportunity to become active members of civil society.

For further information, please refer to the enclosed letter by the Youth Assembly Coordinators or contact them via email at youthassembly@gmail.com. If you have any students who wish to apply for this unique opportunity, please have them complete the attached YA application form, and return it no later than May 29^th.

BERLIN MODEL INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE (BMICJ)

The Berlin Model International Court of Justice consists of 15 Judges and two Presidents who also act as Judges. The BMICJ will be judging, in accordance with International Law, a fictional case similar to those under hearing by the ICJ in The Hague. The case will closely follow standard ICJ procedure. For further information, please refer to the enclosed letter by the BMICJ presidents or contact the BMICJ-Presidents via email at icj@bermun.de. If you have any students who wish to apply for this unique opportunity, please have them complete the attached BMICJ application form, and return it no later than May 29^th.

Special Conference

The Special Conference will fulfill a different role for this year’s conference. Picking up on the work done last year, it will now serve solely as an advisory body to the General Assembly and will not debate resolutions on specific topics. Consisting of delegates from selected countries and representatives of NGO’s, students will work on drafting an official Recommendation to the General Assembly. The members of the SCIY will function as experts on the theme representing the viewpoint of their NGO or country. The SCIY will have the opportunity to deliberate on the theme as a whole and thus is looking forward to welcoming delegates specifically interested in discussing the topic of youth. On Saturday, the Special Conference will submit their work to the General Assembly, which will then draft a Resolution on Investing in Youth building on the Recommendation to the General Assembly. Further information on the Special Conference will be included in our 2^nd Mailing.

Important Notice: Those schools assigned a country that is a member of the SCIY will represent that country. Those schools that do not have a country assignment for the Special Conference will be allotted an NGO specifically for the SCIY.

<-- top