The 12th annual session of The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) Conference, Singapore was held from November 21-25, 2016 in Hwa Chong Institute. Participants of THIMUN Singapore come from schools all over the world; 63 participating schools attended THIMUN Singapore XII. As a participant, I was given the privilege to serve as Secretary General of THIMUN Singapore. My role allowed me to overlook and ensure the conference was running smoothly, while also gave me the opportunity to watch all participants in action!
The first day of the conference was on Tuesday, November 22nd; however, the Student Officer Workshop and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Briefing began on November 21st. Student Officers were given an overview of committee management, as well as briefed on THIMUN Procedure and conference management. As for ICJ, Tuesday gave participants a taste of what to expect for the coming week.
The Student Officers of THIMUN Singapore XII . Student Officers include the Executive Team and respective President Chairs, Head Chairs, and Deputy Chairs. Student Officers are selected by the THIMUN Board of Directors.
The Opening Ceremony formally began on the first day of the conference. The ceremony included speeches and a special martial arts performance by the students of Hwa Chong. On the first day of the conference, delegates headed to their respective committees and lobbied for the entire day. The lobbying process, one of the most crucial parts of the conference, gave delegates an opportunity to informally discuss their stances on the committee issues and collaborate in drafting a resolution. This drafting stage was extremely important in order for delegates to produce high-quality resolutions to be debated for the rest of the week. These resolutions were vetted by the Student Officers of the committee and sent to the Approval Panel for a final review. Chirag Sharatkumar, delegate of the Russian Federation for the Security Council, states that before THIMUN Singapore, “I felt pretty scared because THIMUN is a really big and prestigious conference. The Security Council was also scary because the style of debate is really different. After going, I realize that THIMUN is a really fun conference and I’m glad I was able to be part of it!”
On Wednesday, the morning consisted of more lobbying to add last edits to resolutions before being finalized. After lunch, all committees were in session and debate begun! Some delegates were nervous at first, but by the middle of Wednesday, all committees were extremely heated with interesting and thought-provoking debate. All delegates had something to share about the resolutions being debated. Thursday marked the start of the longest day of debate, with many more speeches and Points of Information (POIs) by delegates. It was interesting to watch participants share their policies, while also consider other perspectives in forming alliances with other delegates in the room.
When asked about his role and experience, Anish Welde, Deputy Secretary General, stated that “It was not a conference without bumps on the road, but with a dedicated team of admin staff and Student Officers, the conference was energetic and obstacles were surpassed.”
On the last day of the conference, debate began wrapping up as committees debated their last resolutions. The General Assembly Plenary session took place with hundreds of delegates filling the auditorium to collectively debate. The room was extremely vibrant as avid speakers took the floor to voice their policies. After the plenary session, the Closing Ceremony took place and wrapped up the 12th annual session of THIMUN Singapore.
To learn more about THIMUN Singapore, their official website can be found if you click here.
