Between the 1st and 3rd November, Oxford University was yet again host to over 500 students from across the world for one of Europe’s premier conferences; the 11th Session of Oxford International Model United Nations 2013. The OxIMUN Secretariat showed again just why this conference remains one of the most oversubscribed conferences in Europe owing to the high level of debate standards as well the exclusive social events over the weekend. With 500 delegates from across the world from over 100 participating institutions, OxIMUN truly reflects a diverse audience from a range of different backgrounds contributing towards a variety of views and opinions and innovative solutions for the world’s most pressing problems. OxIMUN is an important annual conference for both the delegates and chairs that attend, as well as to the members of the Secretariat. Participants at the conference shared with Best Delegate’s Felipe Cuello the reasons that make OxIMUN particularly special:
Alexandra Pike (Secretary General): There’s a sense of achievement in everything you do. There’s also a sense of community which spans across the whole MUN movement and when you are involved, you meet all those people. For 11 months it’s been one of the main things on my mind, it’s like my baby!
Duygu Yilmaz (Representative of India, UNESCO): I had quite high expectations for OxiMUN. Even on the American circuit people knew about the conference and it was held in high regard, so I expected a high quality of debate. I certainly think my expectations were met. First of all, the venues were of course first class and the social events unlike anything I had seen before. In addition, the chairs for my committee were very experienced and professional. We were never bored or lost during the debate because we were always kept on topic and guided in a direction that fostered constructive debate and productive resolution writing, so I very much appreciated that. Finally, the delegates in my committee were also very knowledgeable and a delight to work with, which very much shaped my experience in a positive way.
Anshu De Silva Wijeyeratne (ICJ Director): The broad range of delegations and countries, the international perspective. One of the benefits of MUN is to promote intercultural understanding and in that sense a truly international conference achieves that more than most.
Miguel Costa Matos (Crisis Chair): Prestige, Facilities bring together a uniquely talented, bright set of aspiring diplomats and debaters to come together and discuss the pressing issues of the world; unparalleled in its coverage. Also it’s my first time here!
Tom Vesters (Crisis Chair): It’s my third time here so you kind of grow attached to the conference, it’s very well organized and as far as British conferences go it has great socials! High quality debates with a great atmosphere for everyone from delegates to the secretariat and Faculty Advisors. A good conference for both beginners and experts, it caters to all levels.
OxIMUN 2013 embodied all the components that make a conference successful from its levels of diversity to branching out beyond conventional MUN to include Non-UN/regional bodies and an intensive Cabinet Crisis. OxIMUN 2013 kept in line with its academic standards with an exceptional set of Chairs who ensured that their delegates participated to the fullest. However, academic standards were matched with an equal amount of fun and both social evenings were nights to remember! The well deserved awards this year went to MUN Society Belgium (Best Large Delegation) and the United States Military Academy at West Point (Best Small Delegation). Other delegations that did particularly well include the Leiden MUN Foundation and United Netherlands. Congratulations to all individual award winners! As always, the OxIMUN Press team continue to work hard after the conference on OxIMUN Live, make sure to check out their updates. Thank you OxIMUN for a great conference, see you next year!
Special guests included Sir Emyr Jones Perry, former British Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) and former UK Permanent Representative on the North Atlantic Council, and Ambassador Karen Pierce CMG, The United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Other International Organisations in Geneva.
An evening of sophisticated fun at the Masquerade Ball.
Crisis solved?
Crisis Directors
We’re not sure if the Drugs Committee were trying to solve the drugs problem, or create a new one..
Delegates danced away the evening at the Club Night!
The Press Team worked tirelessly all weekend to provide regular updates.
Leiden MUN Foundation had a particularly successful weekend. Congratulations to all award winners!
The Secretariat at the OxIMUN 2013 Closing Ceremony
Pictures courtesy of Sonja Huttunen and Mao Isobe.
