General Information

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung will again sponsor the Wednesday afternoon program.

The conference is conducted in English. As a bicultural, bilingual school that challenges students to learn and master a partner language, the John F. Kennedy School offers non-English speaking students the opportunity to practice and refine their language skills. It is important to remember that for the overwhelming majority of delegates at this conference, English is a second language. Nevertheless, all delegates must learn the rules of debate and carry out the necessary preparation and research before the conference so that their work in Berlin is productive and meaningful. Please keep in mind that Security Council delegates must be fluent in English, very well informed about the topics and the current situation in world politics, and ready to present their country's opinion at all times.

Information and guidelines concerning delegate preparation and/or the rules of debate can be obtained by consulting the following publications:

A Guide to Delegate Preparation, Veronica Wayner, editor (United Nations Association of the United States of America, 801 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017-4706)

The Hague International Model United Nations Instructional Guide, Irwin Stein and David L. Williams (The Hague International Model United Nations, 2e van Blankenburgstraat 119, 2517 HC Den Haag, The Netherlands).

If you wish to obtain these publications, please write directly to the addresses provided. The BERMUN INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE is available as a download under the Downloads section.

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

Appropriate behavior is expected of all students at all times. Delegates will be asked to leave if they cannot accept the responsibility for conducting themselves properly. Delegates should dress in a manner suitable for an academic conference. Jeans, t-shirts, torn clothes, sneakers, etc. are not considered appropriate. Please dress accordingly.

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 (GA)

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 SCEW 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 (SC)

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 (ECOSOC)

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.

Membership in the Council rotates periodically. CHECK THE COUNTRY LIST CONCERNING ECOSOC MEMBERSHIP. Work in the ECOSOC concentrates on establishing regional cooperation and consensus on global issues. A student more interested in discussing the broader issues and finding wide-ranging solutions rather than arguing solely from a national perspective will enjoy the work in the ECOSOC.

Additionally, the ECOSOC will serve as an advisory body to the General Assembly. As such, delegates will not only debate their committee topics, but will work on drafting an official Recommendation to the General Assembly. Delegates will represent their respective countries, voicing their viewpoints on Rules for Global Welfare. The recommendation will then serve as the General Assembly’s basis for discussion on Saturday.

Not all ECOSOC countries will be represented as full delegations. Those ECOSOC countries marked with an asterisk (*) on the country list will only be represented in the ECOSOC and not in any other forum.

BERMUN YOUTH ASSEMBLY (YA)

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, Analyze 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 September 1st.

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 bermunicj@gmail.com. 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 September 1st.

SPECIAL CONFERENCE ON ILLICIT TRADE (SCIT)

The Special Conference is not part of the GA. As an independent forum, it addresses the annual BERMUN theme. In the past delegates experienced an especially innovative variety of topics linked directly to the conference topic. The Special Conference convenes for three days and reports its findings to the General Assembly on Saturday.

BERLIN MODEL ADIVSORY PANEL (BMAP)

The Berlin Model Advisory Panel introduces a new element to the Berlin Model United Nations Conference. It will provide a blue-print for the General Assembly, by drafting a recommendation to be debated in the plenary. The topic to be reviewed is “Legalization of the Trade of Narcotics.” This controversial issue will be studied in depth by the BMAP, a new “think-tank,” with the goal of establishing a substantive working report. The panel consists of ten NGOs, specialized on drugs and narcotics, and ten UN member states, which hold a high interest in the topic. As there are only 20 members, all delegates not only have the opportunity but also the responsibility to participate actively in debate. The Advisory Panel members should be especially familiar with the issue and should enjoy working in a small and highly motivated group.

Students interested in participating in the BMAP must apply separately. Assignments to the BMAP are separate from a school's country assignment. Please indicate in your school's FORM1 whether you have any candidates whom you would like to recommend for this forum. Letters of Motivation must be submitted by September 1st to bermun@gmail.com. Instruct your students to indicate their School Name, relevant MUN-experience, their first three choices (see list for BMAP membership) and a paragraph stating why they want to participate in the Advisory Panel.

BMAP Membership List: