Dear Judges and Advocates of the ICC,
I am honored to welcome you to the International Criminal Court of BERMUN XXXIV as one of your Assistant Presidents!
With authoritarian regimes and their detrimental effects evident in our world, the theme of this year's conference, “Building a Rules-Based Order to Withstand Authoritarianism”, is much more vital to mankind and the ICC. An international court based on mutual law, which has the authority and power to hold even authoritarian leaders accountable, is immensely valuable in serving this goal.
In this conference, we will be deliberating the case of Rodrigo Duterte, who served as the president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. During his rule, allegations regarding extrajudicial killings of thousands surfaced related to his ‘’war on drugs”; this was met with serious concern for human rights globally, leading to the ICC to open an investigation into these deaths.
The International Criminal Court, bringing real-life cases for us to discuss, allows its participants to not only defend their opinions but also to think critically about arguments and the Rome Statute. Thus, I wish for all to seize such a terrific opportunity to see and evaluate both sides of a case in depth.
MUN has been a part of my life since middle school, but most notably in high school for the last three years. BERMUN XXXIV marks my seventh conference overall, four of them being in the Courts, and my second as a member of the Student Officer Team.
Other than MUN, I enjoy playing the guitar in our school’s Rock and Jazz Orchestra, windsurfing, skiing, and traveling. I also love taking photos, and it’s safe to assume the sea at sunset makes up half of my camera roll. I am currently a 10th grader at American Collegiate Institute, which is in İzmir, Türkiye.
I look forward to meeting and working with you in November!
Sincerely,
Defne Serdar
