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Harvard World Model United Nations
Amsterdam, Holland
24-27th March 1996
In 1996, Harvard University (USA) held its MUN conference in Amsterdam, Holland. Three students from the University of Bristol participated in the conference. The delegation we sent was comprised of Anahita Eshghi (2nd year Law), Priya Shah (1st year Russian) and Richard Williams (1st year Psychology Ph.D). Below is a recount of the team’s experience.
The Hotels
The conference did not begin until 1pm on Sunday 24th March so, by flying out on Saturday the 23rd, we were confident that there was plenty of time to arrive, unpack and unwind. The first day was a nightmare!
Arriving at Heathrow Airport on Saturday morning was a regular affair. In fact, by entering the department lounge with 30 minutes to spare, we felt terribly conventional. It was not until we reached Amsterdam that our troubles began.
We had been assured by everybody that it was difficult to book accommodation in advance and unnecessary to do so. "Amsterdam is renowned for its capacity to accommodate tourists", we were told. However, our advisers had not anticipated our arrival on the weekend which two of the most popular football teams in Holland were playing in Amsterdam for the first time in ten years!
The hotels experiencing a 99% occupancy rate meant we could not be choosy. Far from having a selection of quaint bed and breakfasts from which to choose, we were presented with a choice between the Dutch equivalents of the Savoy, Ritz, or Hilton. Feeling a need to economise we chose the Hilton. Sharing a double room kept the cost down, but the three of us were thankful for the opportunity to resume normal sleeping arrangements the following evening at a budget hotel in the centre of the city.
The Conference
The conference venue was the five-star Hotel Mercure, where many of the delegates were staying. In keeping with the real United Nations scenario, all delegates were expected to wear smart clothes when "on duty". The time schedule was well organised, but "tight". The itinerary was as follows:
Sunday March 24th
12:00- 1730 Conference registration
19:00- 20:00 Opening ceremonies
20:00- 20:30 Rules meeting
20:30- 23:00 Committee meetings
Monday March 25th
09:00- 12:00 Committee meetings
12:00-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-18:00 Commitee meetings
19:00- 21:00 Dinner
21:00- 22:30 Cultural gala
Tuesday March 26th
09:00- 14:00 Free time to explore Amsterdam
14:00- 17:00 Committee meetings
17:00- 18:00 Discussion groups
18:00- 20:00 Dinner
20:00- 23:00 Committee meetings
Wednesday March 27th
09:00- 12:00 General Plenary Session (all committees)
12:00- 13:00 Closing ceremonies
Each delegation represented one country. Due to the late registration of our delegation, we did not have a great deal of choice as regards countries. Although we had originally requested a former Soviet republic or European country, we were assigned Zimbabwe. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise since few of the other delegates were aware of such a small country's policies. This made us far more effective at debate as few people could contradict our domestic and foreign policy arguments.
The committee session was comprised of five committees:
- Special Political
- Social Humanitarian and Cultural
- UN Environment Programme
- UN Development Programme
- Security Council
Zimbabwe was represented on three committees, with one delegate sitting on each. The committees were the Social Humanitarian and Cultural, the UN Environment Programme, and the UN Development Programme. All committee sessions took place in separate rooms, not joining until the General Plenary session on the last day.
The City
Amsterdam was a surprise for all of us. Tuesday morning was allocated to explore, which was sufficient time to view most of the sites in the small city. The big ones included Anne Frank's house, the City Hall on Dam square, the Van Gough Museum, and the Magna Plaza (Holland's version of "Selfridges").
Arriving in Amsterdam we were full of interest and anticipation for this capital city whose liberal culture has such a mixed reputation. However, we were pleasantly surprised that although soft drugs and pornography are an evident aspect of Dutch culture, they are restricted to certain areas and do not impinge on the historical beauty of the city. Indeed, although small, Amsterdam is testament to the fact that two, almost opposing cultural systems can operate in the same city.
The Benefits
The Benefits for the University and the MUN society are hard to quantify. But, the major benefits include the following:
The most important benefit for the delegation, the University and the United Kingdom, was that we attended! We were the only delegation from the UK to attend this important international event and, as our country is sill synonymous with any serious discussion of international affairs, the conference would not have been the same without a UK delegation.
An important aspect of attending conferences is "networking". This is especially important when travelling to a conference abroad as it is easier to meet international delegates. These contacts will be useful. They may even attend Bristol events and future society events. Moreover, if they organise conferences of their own, we are confident that Bristol representation will be keenly sought. Finally, many of these people will remember their time spent with Bristol University students.
In addition we have obtained a healthy supply of material for future meetings. We have amassed a host of papers from the various committees and events on the internal workings of the United Nations. These have been sifted into a file, to be used by current and further Bristol MUN society members.
During our time at the conference, we met and spoke with the organising committee. They were very helpful and provided much advice on what needs to be done in order for Bristol to arrange and host their own conferences.
