TIMEMUN, the longest-running Model UN conference in Israel, held its 24th conference from February 18-20, 2024. Sunday February 18 featured two virtual committees, an African Union addressing the conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia over Somaliland, and a crisis committee involving Trump’s legal team. The virtual committees included over 20 participants from 10 countries on three continents.
February 19-20 were on campus at the Walworth Barbour American International School, with 270 students and advisors participating in nine committees. UNEP A and B addressed environmental concerns of rising sea levels and sustainable fashion, CSTD looked at outer space debris and cyber security, the African Union examined political stability and violent non-state actors, and the Knesset committee was tasked with drafting a constitution and preparing for an earthquake. The UN Security Council dealt with conflicts in Afghanistan and Sudan, while the historical Security Council traveled to 1986 to handle the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and the Iran-Iraq conflict. In the Trump Crisis, delegates represented members of Trump’s legal team and even his family, while in the Avengers crisis students took on the roles of superheroes.
The students coming from about 40 cities and towns around Israel, gave speeches, debated, negotiated, cut deals and lobbied to pass resolutions and directives in two intense days of MUN. They also competed in other ways, from flag trivia, to pushup challenges and even an airplane construction contest. The delegates teamed up to consume 100 pies of pizza, 500 sandwiches, and an unknown number of cups of coffee.
After two intense days, it was time for the closing ceremony. Secretary General Maria Cheremina thanked the delegates, admins and chairs for their dedication to MUN, and the advisors, WBAIS team and staff for their support. Undersecretary General Ethan Moncarz commended the students for coming together in the shadow of an ongoing war, noting that they had set a lesson for the adults that “we can choose diplomacy over terror”. Following the speeches, the award winners were called on stage for photos and awards, from Best Position Paper, to Outstanding and Best Delegates, to the awards for first time delegates, journalists, chairs, and the coveted Diplomat of the Conference award. All the award winners can be seen here. The resolutions which passed in the committees can be read here and the winning position papers can be found here.
Debate for Peace 