We did it again – Profile Internationality at Model United Nations of Hamburg 2023 (MUNOH)

The main room of the festive “Mozartsäle” fully packed with more than 200 pupils and about 20 teachers, all wearing smart suits and fine dresses. The walls decorated with United Nations’ flags, the organizing team shuffling its feet on the podium and one lonely speaker’s table waiting at the front. There’s only one conclusion what that means: Profile Internationality of Gymnasium Rahlstedt was taking part in MUNOH once again!

This year’s conference was opened at the Mozartsäle and once more pupils from different schools from all over Germany and abroad (e.g. Israel, Italy and Cyprus) attended. With 35 people, the GyRa delegation was the largest and consisted of: 26 delegates representing a country, seven (!) chairs who were in charge of leading their committees, and two MUN directors. This time, we again represented some really interesting nations: The French Republic (one of the big 5!), The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. After the grand opening on Wednesday, our GyRa delegates had to work hard until Sunday to join together and discuss current issues of global importance and – just like the real UN – come up with their own effective solutions. Some of the hottest topics being discussed were:

  • Enforcing the ban of bio-chemical weapons in regards to the Russo-Ukranian war
  • Counteracting forced marriages especially concerning minors
  • Tackling the issue of water pollution
  • Discussing the destabilization of democracies due to virtual reality and artificial intelligence
  • The ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in Sudan

But is MUN only hard and serious work? NO! It is also very much about meeting new people, socializing and making friends. On Thursday, for example, there was the notorious MUN Party for the delegates. And on Friday, each committee had an evening together where they had some good food and chat to get to know each other better – some even formed new friendships.

After five days of debating in English, finding solutions to the world’s most pressing problems and getting to know many new faces, the closing ceremony on Sunday meant the end of MUNoH 2023. The GyRa delegates went home exhausted. Very tired, but happy about what they had accomplished. The GyRa award winners for best delegates were:
· Kyana Nejati and Lojain Haridin (both delegates of France, from the S3)
· Best first-timers: Susanne Pelich (South Africa, S1), Talia Eker (UAE, S1)

A big THANK YOU goes to the organizing pupils and teachers at our sister school Gymnasium Meiendorf, who have again done an outstanding job of welcoming the MUN community to Hamburg once again. As is was the 15th conference, they celebrated on Saturday night, inviting MUNoH alumni from all the previous years. Even the NDR featured this year’s MUNoH conference.

MUNOH, we did it again – and we hope to see you again in 2024!

Report by Thomas Köhler