Dear Advocates and Judges,
Welcome to this year’s BERMUN 2025 International Court of Justice!
With regard to this year's conference theme of Building a Rules-based Order to Withstand Autocracy, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will be deliberating the application of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) regarding armed activities on their territory. There will also be deliberation on the claimed abuse of human rights, breaches of international law and violations of humanitarian law. Long-existing tensions rose between the DRC and Rwanda rose to a boiling point, particularly during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, resulting in two wars. Rwanda was accused of carrying out armed aggression on the DRC’s territory by engaging in armed conflict and violating their sovereignty. Despite the countries’ attempts to invoke peace agreements, conflicts still remained and the attempts therefore were unsuccesful. Therefore, this case was brought to the ICJ in 2002.
This conference, I will have the honor to serve as an assistant president of a court for the first time. I have been an active participant of the MUN program at my school since last year. I have participated in three conferences and my last experience as a judge for the ICJ sparked my interest and deepened my knowledge of the ICJ and their solutions to international disputes using international law. Furthermore the ICJ created a space where one could voice one's own opinion during the deliberation, which I greatly enjoyed.
On a more personal note, I am 16 and attend the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin. Outside of school and MUN I enjoy singing, dancing, playing the guitar, as well as spending time with friends and family.
I look forward to meeting all of you in November!
Sincerely,
Karma Zilberkweit
