It was the first ever trip of an ETHMUN delegation to EUROMUN (representing Japan), which enjoys privileged reputation and attracts increasing attention over the globe, only three years after its birth. So what did the five of us bring back? One best delegation award, a unified and energetic team, further enthusiasm into regular training, world-wide friendship circle, experience for further MUN voyages, of course, as well as unforgettable anecdotes.
A well-designed Brussels pre-program has remarkably lifted the curtain on our “mission”, when exchanges of trust and ideas with other delegates began prior to the formal sessions. Visits to European institutions also augmented our understanding of compromise and negotiation; the former one was interestingly interpreted by Wim van de Camp (a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal party) as under most circumstances “making everybody equally unhappy”. Edified in these glamorous frontiers of diplomatic atmosphere, we were all very much looking forward to thecoming debates. With the proceeding sessions, we gradually concluded several capabilities that fully and successfully engage oneself into fruitful debates:
(1)Rough grasp of positions of your “country” /”organization” and hunch of probable allies;
(2)Familiarity of rules and ability to apply them;
(3)A constructive role among blocks for consensus if possible;
(4)Improvisation ability due to ever-existing information asymmetry;
(5)How to efficiently write up working papers and thus draft resolutions.
We all had the impression that Japan’s a country able to play bridging role in between, with its strong economic, financial and cultural advantages.
Besides the intensive debates, social activities in Maastricht would never disappoint you. Alternation of work with rest and recreation refueled the engine of daily sessions, together with informal exchanges of viewpoints. Personally the conference also has boosted one’s self-esteem, worked out one’s speech and negotiation skills, expanded the potential social circle, etc. I would describe it as a meaningful training worth investing good amount of energy and efforts.
The delegates for this conference were:
Headdelegates: Anton Lebedev, Stephan York
Delegates: Rao Xi, Mathias Rodenstein, Julius Natrup