Deon Chorley's Report

 

The European Model United Nations Conference 2016

The Hague, Netherlands

by Deon Chorley - Acting as the German Delegate of NATO

BSc Psychology

Model United Nations (MUN) conferences take place throughout the world, covering various world topics with the goal of encouraging students that are interested in global problems to further their diplomatic abilities and knowledge regarding international relations. This is accomplished by simulating conferences of real United Nations (UN) committees where each student represents the political views of a UN country/member state. The European International Model United Nations (TEIMUN) is a conference where students gather in The Hague, Netherlands, from all over the world to debate on topics regarding peace and security. TEIMUN is well known as one of the most revered conferences in Europe, delivering a high standard of procedure. Furthermore, as the international capital for peace and justice, The Hague is the perfect setting to stimulate discussions on some of the most important topics our world leaders are being faced with currently.

The TEIMUN board decided to allocate me the position of the German delegate for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). As a committee which currently consists of 28 member states, this constitutes a relatively small committee. However, as the one UN organisation with military capabilities, its role cannot be underestimated. Although the NATO policy is to pursue political and diplomatic solutions first and whenever possible, it is also mandated to take full military action for the security and defences of member states and associated allies. In particular, if a foreign threat commits an act of violence towards a NATO member, such an attack on one member state is viewed as an attack on all NATO member states.

With the obvious significance regarding the nature of decisions that are made within this particular committee, delegates are required to reach consensus in order to pass any resolutions; these being the acknowledgment of current efforts of other UN organisations, states and non-government organisations (NGO's) and the agreed upon actions to be taken by NATO in relation to the topic of debate.

As the delegate of Germany, I was responsible for researching and then representing the position of Germany; a very influential member with a powerful military presence within NATO. Over the course of the conference, the committee were to discuss two topics. As voted by the committee, the first topic to be debated was 'Combatting Radicalisation'. At the conclusion of this debate the committee would then move on to address 'Energy Security'.

Many MUN conferences run over a weekend (Friday to Sunday). TEIMUN on the other hand runs for an entire week (Monday to Sunday). This allows far more in-depth debate on both topics as well as incorporating additional related excursions into the itinerary. Between committee sessions we visited the Dutch office for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Here we were introduced to the role the UN plays in supporting refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons. It also highlighted the severe need for more to be done for victims of war and conflict, political unrest, famine and other natural disasters.

Throughout the week debates became more serious as news broke of the tragic loss of innocent lives in Nice, France, through the acts of a radicalised French national. This event occurred just three days into the conference and poignantly reminded our committee that the topics we were discussing in these simulated sessions mirror very real threats. Thus, any resolutions passed needed to represent the most appropriate courses of action within the mandate of NATO. A motion was seconded by all delegates to observe a minute of silence in respect of those who lost their lives in Nice.

It is also important to acknowledge the unrest within Turkey as a result of the unsuccessful military coup against the Turkish government, which also occurred during the course of the conference. However, it was voted upon by the committee that this situation would not be considered during our debates, owed to having spent much time working on a resolution to support Turkey at their border with Syria and reduce illegal oil trade along the Turkish Eastern border. The potential implications of the attempted coup were still unclear and would be very complex regarding NATO presence within Turkey and its support of the Turkish military moving forward. Therefore, it was agreed that this would require too much time of the remaining committee sessions to discuss and would have left little time to open debate on our second topic, and so the debate respectfully continued as though the coup attempt had not occurred. From a personal point of view, I voted to include this matter into the debate as, with the events in Nice, it created a very sensitive sub-topic that would challenge the limits of diplomacy and potentially strain the relationship between certain NATO member states; of which Turkey is one such member. Being faced with these challenges would be incredibly valuable to any student wishing to use these experiences to pursue a career in diplomacy and politics.

Throughout the discussions of both topics, I played a very active role in the progression of the debates, often challenging certain states to the edge of their limits. As a Psychology student who strongly believes in finding diplomatic solutions before all other courses of action, I attempted to implement some very simple but effective psychological tactics. An example of this relates to Turkey's alleged illegal oil trade with Islamic State (ISIL). As the delegate of Germany, I presented evidence that such trade was taking place and that this significant source of income would greatly increase the efficiency of ISIL's radicalisation programmes in Europe and other NATO states. Therefore, Germany submitted a clause calling for Turkey to openly condemn any such trade of which the government may be unaware, to open a full investigation into these allegations, and finally to increase the security and control of all major transport links that crossed the Turkish Eastern border. This initially created outrage and the two delegates of Turkey removed themselves from the committee session for a short period. However, during an unmoderated caucus (a period of time where delegates can mingle to discuss certain issues in a less formal and regulated setting), Germany and Turkey were able to compromise to a point that Turkey eventually agreed to all aspects of the clause, with the exception that NATO would not be actively involved in the investigations. Although this may cast Turkey's sincerity into doubt regarding their intended investigative efforts, I am of the opinion that Turkey would not have agreed to the renegotiated conditions of the clause had these been submitted as part of the original clause.

All in all, despite much conflict between delegates throughout the week, the NATO committee were able to reach a consensus on both topics and so successfully passed NATO resolutions for 'Combating Radicalisation' and 'Energy Security'.

In line with MUN tradition, delegates voted on various informal committee awards and at the conclusion of the final committee session, the delegates voted for me to receive two awards; 'Most Patient Delegate' and 'Hardest Working Delegate'. With this being my third MUN conference, having previously attended conferences at Oxford University and Imperial College, London, I can clearly see a progression in my competence and influence. My contribution to all topics of debate, content of resolutions and diplomatic negotiations were more significant than I had anticipated prior to this conference.

Had I not received the Santander Travel Award, I would not have been in a position to attend this conference and experience the highly stimulating and rewarding environment it offered, with all of its associated challenges. My unequivocal notion is that this conference has undoubtedly strengthened my ability to debate on important issues, collaborate in a diplomatic manner with those who hold conflicting views, and act as a strong and dominant leading figure within a highly motivated and competitive environment. Not only will this benefit me as I prepare to commence the final year of my Bachelor's Degree here at Royal Holloway, but it will provide me with more tools and skills which will be invaluable when setting me apart from competitors as and when I re-enter the working sector or pursue further academic ventures.