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Dear participants of BERMUN 2025,
Welcome to this year's 34th BERMUN Conference's Middle School MUN! I am delighted to greet you and cannot wait to meet you all in November.
The topics of our committee, “Ensuring the freedom of speech” and “Ensuring equal participation of women in politics”, address especially important tasks related to our conference theme, “Building a Rules Based Order to Withstand Authoritarianism”. Freedom of speech is the universal human right which guarantees the freedom to express one's opinion, information, ideas, etc. without state interference. It is the cornerstone of inclusive institutions and one of the first defenses against autocracies. Half of the world’s population remains neglected: women make up less than one third of global parliamentary seats according to UN Women. In order to reflect the entire society and make decisions fit for all genders, male and female participation in politics must be equal. Mexico’s equal proportion of women to men in parliament shows that equal participation in politics is not only achievable, it is necessary in order to reflect the entire society. Amid daily global developments, it is important to continue fighting for the freedoms and rights of our fellow human beings, and bring that fight to our everyday life.
It has always fascinated me to watch people transform when holding a speech or asking a point of information (POI) during debate. They go from the person I know from cookie break to a professional delegate, dressed up for a simulation accurate in all but for the location and participants. And yet, they still keep a part of their personal character present in the debates. This is what determines the difference between a delegate whom any would gladly listen to, and one whom one listens to simply out of courtesy: the obvious intent to bring personal strengths to the table, and a display of confidence.
I am a German-American tenth grader at the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, where I have lived for five years. In Los Angeles, my previous home, I started playing the trumpet, and have since picked up lacrosse and Model United Nations in Berlin as beloved pastimes of mine for when I’m not playing in the concert band. This conference will be my third, and my second as a student officer.
I look forward to meeting you all in November!
Sincerely,
Barry Tabachnikoff
Chair of the Middle School MUN
BERMUN XXXIV 2025
