A spirit of international cooperation

Important and controversial topics where on the agenda of EfMUN in January 2025

Among the delegates discussing and formulating resolutions to tackle them were five Master students from the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences. Raquel Sadith Campomanes Ramírez represented Peru in the General Assembly (GA), while Yasmin Stitou Guemili represented Jordan in the United Nations’ main committee. Diaka Salena Koroma was present as a delegate of Sierra Leone in the Security Council. And Omer Abdelwahid Birema Hamid, representing Iran and Janka Hrossova, representing Ghana, where delegates in the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).

Across the three days of the conference they discussed the following topics: I. Protection of Journalists in Armed Conflicts, and II. Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the GA; I. Fostering Sustainable Management of Chemicals and Waste, and II. Promotion of Sustainable Extractive Industries in the UNEA; and I. Addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Conflict, as well as II. The Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Security Council. Thereby, they passed two resolutions in the GA, five in UNEA, and one in the Security Council.

The conference was opened on Friday, 17th of January, afternoon with a welcoming note by Prof. Dr. Achim Kemmerling, Vice Dean for Internationalization and Advanced Education of the Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Science and Vice Director of the Willy Brandt School for Public Policy.

He claimed: “We are very much aware how big politics plays a role in small places”, referring to the various cities that delegates came from, like Bamberg, Paderborn, or Wurzburg, which are not state capitals, but can play an important role. Kemmerling furthermore reminded the approximately 150 delegates to “stay humble”, adding that they “have knowledge that is often missing” but evermore needed in world politics.

Two delegates from Erfurt spoke in the opening ceremony as well, highlighting the “spirit of cooperation” of the MUN and the need for “peace, cooperation, and common goals”. They said that students will “step into the roles of diplomats” for the weekend and that they will be the “future decision makers”, who might not hold political power yet, but are nevertheless not powerless. The delegates stressed: “Do not let anyone tell you that you are powerless!”, adding that even by holding a speech or just being attentive and engaging with the world around students could have an impact themselves.

The participation of the five students at EfMUN was prepared and organized by Muriel C. Pluschke. The next conference to be attended by a Fulda delegation is NMUN New York 2025 in April, the biggest and most prestigious MUN worldwide.

MUN is part of the curricula of ICEUS and MAHRS, the next two-semester cycle will start in the summer term 2025, organized by Prof. Dr. Claudia Wiesner and Prof. Dr. Philip Liste.