12th of September, 2022
Dear Sir, Madam,
On behalf of the executive staff of HagaMUN 2023, it is my great pleasure to invite you to the thirteenth annual session of the Haganum Model United Nations.
This year’s conference will take place on the 10th, 11th and 12th of March 2023, at Gymnasium Haganum, located in the city centre of The Hague, which for many decades now has been known as the international city of peace and justice.
The Hague hosts many international summits and is home to various embassies, UN organs and international organisations, especially in the fields of international law and diplomacy.
Examples include the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the headquarters of EUROPOL. This allows us to invite guest speakers from organisations that are internationally recognised. Besides the international involvement of The Hague, the city is also the seat of the Dutch government, the parliament, the Council of State and the Supreme Court. The Hague has a truly international atmosphere which makes this city a perfect venue for an MUN-conference.
At an MUN, participants simulate the United Nations. This raises awareness among students about both future and current global issues. It gives students with differing nationalities or religions the opportunity to share their opinions and to cooperate. The children of today work towards finding the best solutions for current problems by lobbying and debating during conferences. These solutions, of course, may be realised in the near future.
Every year in March, enthusiastic students from Gymnasium Haganum join forces to organise a high-quality MUN conference. This warm and welcoming environment will hopefully lead to interesting debates and realistic solutions. Every year, HagaMUN proves challenging enough for both experienced and first-time participants. Thanks to the MUN programme, the youth of today will be confronted with current world issues, which helps them improve the world of tomorrow. HagaMUN is known for its friendly character, which is shown through its appreciation for every single participating voice in the hosting of fruitful debate.
These past few decades have seen an increasingly disconcerting rise in natural disasters brought about by climate change, which have affected the lives of millions around the world. As the threat of global warming looms closer with every passing moment, we become more and more aware of the disastrous consequences it can have, both for the natural environment and its inhabitants.
We believe climate change is a matter that should be of great concern to every single individual on this planet. The recent increase in forest loss, ocean ecosystem devastation, mass extinction of endangered species and mass flooding has been affecting the earth catastrophically and irreversibly, with certain communities left even more vulnerable than they used to be.
In this age of sensationalist activism, the adverse effects that climate change can have for vulnerable groups on a local scale are often overlooked. For many of us, climate change seems to be an issue of the future, but millions around the world are feeling its devastating force right now. Many communities directly depend upon the natural environment in order to sustain their vital needs and the current biodegradation is forcing them into poverty and hunger. The recent floods in Pakistan, the hunger crisis in Sahel and the sea level rise in Palau are just some examples of the threats that climate change poses worldwide.
This is why we have chosen to work with Dutch charity ZOA at this year’s conference. They are a non-profit international relief and recovery organisation that focuses on the human aspect of natural disasters, working, in their words, ‘to provide relief to people affected by violent conflicts and natural disasters in fragile contexts’ and to ‘provide assistance to the most vulnerable victims of displacement, by helping them rebuild their homes and their livelihoods and to live peacefully together in stable communities.
The secretariat at HagaMUN 2023 has decided that the conference will be fully engaged and committed to unfolding this year’s theme. This means that you can expect many issues concerning the safety of and human rights threats to marginalised communities, with a special focus on those caused by climate change. Not only will our commitment shine through in our debates, but we will be donating the proceeds of this year’s conference to ZOA and selling merchandise to support the cause at our theme stand in the entrance hall of our venue. Donation boxes will also be made available and we will have guest speakers help raise awareness for the theme. Further information about the ZOA and their organisation and goals can be found on their website, https://www.zoa-international.com/about.
This First Mailing contains all the information you need regarding our upcoming conference. For an impression of a typical HagaMUN conference, please have a look at the HagaMUN Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/hagamun2021/. You can find pictures and videos of the last conference here. On our website, you can find more information on every aspect of our conference.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to our school and to The Hague, our bastion of international cooperation. This year registration will be possible both through MyMUN (using the following link: https://mymun.com/conferences/hagamun-2023), and through the links found here. The deadline for registration is the 18th of November 2022. Of course, we are more than happy to answer any questions or inquiries that you may have, so please feel free to contact us any time at hagamunsecr@gmail.com.
We hope to see you all at HagaMUN 2023!
Yours sincerely,
Ana Bădără, Secretary-General at HagaMUN 2023