15 Years of LIMUN

by heenamohammed on March 3, 2014

February saw the 15^th session of London International Model United Nations, marking 15 years of the largest annual university level MUN conference in Europe. LIMUN 2014 welcomed over 1500 delegates from 53 countries across the world. The LIMUN Secretariat is made up of students from various colleges of the University of London, which really encapsulates the scope and diverse nature of the conference itself. LIMUN also represents its diversity in the makeup of the committees and councils it hosts. This year saw 25 committees, ranging from the convention General Assembly committees, more intermediate committees such as UN Women and the League of Arab States, and even a simulation of the United States National Security Council.

The Opening Ceremony at Central Hall, Westminster featured well renowned speakers and high profile individuals including Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Koji Sekimizu and High Court judge, Sir Stephen Irwin QC (Mr Justice Irwin). The conference also included a special UN careers workshop hosted by Jon Ericson, Chief of the Outreach Unit in the Office of Human Resources Management of the United Nations Secretariat in New York.

The Opening Ceremony was held again this year at Central Hall, Westminster

The Opening Ceremony was held at Central Hall, Westminster.

A full house at the Opening Ceremony.

High Court Judge Steve Irwin talks to delegates at the Opening Ceremony

High Court judge, Sir Stephen Irwin QC addresses over 1500 delegates at the Opening Ceremony.

The diverse nature of the conference and the prestige of its guest speakers and location are just a few of the reasons why students from around the world choose LIMUN.

Paola Salcedo (China, HSC): “It was my very first LIMUN, although I have partaken in many other conferences. The secretariat did a wonderful job considering the large number of participants, and it was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends in the MUN community. Overall, an experience everyone should have at least once!”

Raghav Garodia (Afghanistan, DISEC): “Being a seasoned Indian MUNer, I had expected LIMUN to be just the same as any other conference. However, what I experienced had not only exceeded my expectations but had left me wanting more. The level of debate, in terms of committee participation, had been outstanding with even first-timers voicing their opinions. The quality of debate had been commendable with the committee producing not one, not two but six working papers finally resulting in two draft resolutions. LIMUN 2014 was my first UK MUN and it differed in many regards from most Indian MUNs. Most notable of which is the emphasis on research. Indian MUNs tend to be more research centric and sometimes the essence of the debate in lost in facts and figures. LIMUN had a greater emphasis on debating solutions and even though the solutions were backed by research, there was a lot of room to negotiate and go beyond the research. I feel that such an approach to MUN is better as it demands that delegates be more than just good with Google. It requires delegates to go beyond the research, negotiate and come to a compromise all the while promoting constructive debating.”

Imran Bhalauni (DISEC Director): “LIMUN is a shining example of everything that MUN can be: bringing together a huge diversity of people, fostering high-quality debate, and, most importantly, frienships across the world. I had very fond memories of being a delegate at LIMUN in previous years, and as a chair this year I had the chance to give back to the conference. The quality of the delegates and the support of my assistant directors made it a great weekend.”

The testimony of participants shows why LIMUN remains the most popular MUN conference in Europe, and is growing in popularity across the rest of the world too. As more teams from around the world put LIMUN on their travel agendas, LIMUN can only get bigger and better.