LIMUN is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current topics in international relations, diplomacy and the functioning of the United Nations. London International Model United Nations (LIMUN) is the largest university-level Model United Nations conference in Europe. Every year, over 1,500 university students from all over the world attend LIMUN. The London International Model United Nations (LIMUN) has been run in the City since 2000. Today, this event has expanded to become a big well-known conference that hosts 50 chairs from around the world as well, whose job it is to guide participants in their debates. As the chair of the charity, Sandeep Rajgopal, explains, “When you start in LIMUN, you fall in love with it”.
LIMUN 2013, the 14th session of the conference, took place in February 2013 from 15th-17th in London, United Kingdom. The opening ceremony kicked off at the Great Westminster Hall with keynote speaker Anne-Marie Leroy, Senior Vice President and World Bank Group General Council was the keynote speaker at LIMUN 2013. Guest speakers include Mr. Edward Mortimer and John Ericson. Ericson spoke about careers at the UN. Another guest speaker was H.E. Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic. It was really motivating to see high profile personalities to address today’s diplomats tomorrow’s leaders.
The First Committee session kicked off at LIMUN 2013
It’s also the first time LIMUN being simulated in three of the official languages of the UN – English, French and Spanish. With a total of 25 committees in total LIMUN 2013 kept to its brand power and made the experience for the delegates and Chairs both memorable and enjoyable.
Across the world, 25,000 underage girls are being married each day – some only 3 years old. ‘Children are our highest hopes and biggest concerns’: The immoral custom of child marriages had been widely condemned by all countries at the first UNICEF committee session of LIMUN 2013. Yet it is clear, amidst the calm atmosphere, that most countries were restrained in promoting their views and communicating with emergent alliances. Some even admitted that “we now just need to realize that we actually all agree with each other in order move on to account on the specifics. (Rowena Lui – LIMUN 2013 Press Team)
During the conference, the majority of UNEF member states recognised the numerous advantages genetic modified crops (GMCs) have, such as a greater potential for increased food production as well as decreased agricultural cost and the use of insecticide. However, many demanded a more comprehensive understanding of the harmful implications for global biodiversity. For example, Cameroon and Uganda both felt that the prospective benefits of GMCs outweigh unpredictable risks; however, “more technical research is needed to investigate their effects on the ecosystem in the long term,” they agreed.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Committee kicked off with a careful enumeration of all the countries represented at its first session and with that, proved a satisfying coverage of most continents of the world. While a committee can serve several different functions, this one demonstrates well-researched topics, passionate speakers and focuses primarily on drafting recommendations on a potential change and further management of the issues on the daily agenda. Two of the topics on the delegates’ plate: drug tourism and children as victims of human trafficking.
The Special, Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL) convened its first session to address the issue of water security. Composed of 90 delegates, most of them having their first MUN experience, the committee rose to expectations and proved itself to be chaotic most of the time, but also fun, lively and intense.
The Funniest Picture LIMUN 2013
Alexandre Fonseca (LIMUN Press team) reports The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) set out to address the “Global Development Agenda Post-2015”, a continuation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed upon in 2000 at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations. Even though almost thirteen years have passed, most countries will not be able to comply with them. Have the MDGs already failed or is the international community just forward thinking? The delegates’ answer was a consensual yes, they have indeed failed. What are the reasons for this remarkable failure? Give a man a fish or teach a man to fish? Well that’s a mystery.
London has always given me Goosebumps; it feels like being home always. There is this vibe about this city that keeps you alive. As they say “what happens in London, stays in London” that’s absolutely correct in saying. My African Union Chairing experience at LIMUN 2013 with Yusra Shani turned out to be super awesome. African Union had one of the most high-spirited, enthusiastic and diligent delegates I have ever had the pleasure of being associated with. We would have liked nothing better than to have presented each of them with an award, and to have given them a standing ovation, but the obligation to reward a select few rendered us incapable of being able to tangibly exhibit our opinion of the efforts and performances made by each one of them. Well Done Everyone from AU reading this! Waka Waka Africa! Most of them were definitely beginners and African Union was an expert committee, so at the end I can proudly say we had one productive weekend out of it. We also wrote and dedicated a haiku poem at LIMUN Closing Ceremony to all those stupendous MUNers in African Union which goes like:
Our Time at LIMUN did not last, but our resolutions passed
The mission in Somalia, the United States of Africa
Were the topics discussed, all the delegates caused a fuss
It was chaotic, but it was fun, and we’d like to thank everyone
The delegates, and all the staff, for a conference that was such a blast
We spent many sleepless nights, deciding who would get a prize
But we hope you realize that you’re all winners in our eyes.
It was absolutely fantastic, and at the same time overwhelming because it was my second LIMUN this year. As a delegate said, ‘LIMUN is about collective hope and enthusiasm. It is the collective feeling and almost collective love to the UN system, and the will to make this a better world’.
Some testimonials
LIMUN 2013 Award winning delegations were as follows:
Best Large Delegation: MUN Society Belgium
Best Medium Delegation: The College of Europe
Best Small Delegation: University of Cambridge
Special thank you’s to Na’im Merchant (USG Chairing) and Anniete I. Cohn-Lois Eusebio (Secretary General) for welcoming me to LIMUN and taking care of all the Chairs and our delegates through out the weekend. Congratulations to all delegates, and the entire LIMUN Secretariat for a successful conference!
LIMUN in James Bond Style by the Media and Press team: See all of the committees http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUfFBKQ-Vrk
Meet the LIMUN Secretariat 2013
