Milestone MUN Succeeds at First Ever Virtual Conference – A Look Back at BERMUN 2020

Written by Bianka Kovács and Bianka Bodon

  • This was one of the largest Milestone delegation ever, with fourteen delegates participating
  • It was also the Society’s first time attending a conference online
  • We wrote over ten resolutions and hundreds of operative clauses
  • This was the first year of the MUN Society’s Three Branch program, in which we taught newcomers, held weekly sessions, and prepared delegates who attended conferences using workshops and sessions

Emil Mészáros (WHO), Péter Szász (SPC), Márk Weiler (ICJ), Kinga Pőcze (YA), Ádám Pólik (ECOSOC), Áron Péchy (WHO), Csanád Váradi (EC), Anna Sáránszki (HRC), Ádám Horváth (ECOSOC), Máté Kádas (PC), Flóra Juhász (EC), Max Lee (WHO), Anna Majoros (SPC), and Bianka Kovács (HRC) were the members of this year’s Milestone delegation to BERMUN. 

This year brought about a lot of changes in our lives. Everyone felt these changes and they were not always easy to adapt to. But student life at Milestone couldn’t stop. Despite all the hardships of online MUN, the members of the Model United Nations Society kept working hard. After taking part in both prep sessions and weekly practice sessions, having done long hours of preparation and research, finally, the fourteen delegates were ready to attend their first-ever online conference!

Participating in BERMUN has allowed me to get a glimpse into the world of international politics,  even though it is not my main field of interest.

-Ádám Horváth

However, we had a lot to do before the conference. First of all, after we were assigned to our countries, we did thorough research, attended MUN sessions and on top of that, we had the opportunity to take part in a preparation program organized by the amazing Presidency of the society, and this was all online. We must admit, not being able to meet and help other delegates in their preparation was extremely challenging. Still, we managed to bring out the best of this situation as we could regularly discuss our research and take part in workshops held by the Presidency.

“The prep sessions were extremely helpful and I learned most of the information that I needed for the conference.”Max Lee

“I really enjoyed the prep sessions because they were well organized and in my opinion, it built a closer relationship between the laikas who attended the conference, and also between the delegates and the Presidency.”Flóra Juhász

“For me, the sessions when we presented our research and got feedback were the most helpful.”Márk Weiler

“I found Bia’s research guide extremely useful.”Ádám Horváth

“The others from Milestone helped every time I needed them and I was there when they asked me for help, so there weren’t many problems.”Máté Kádas

Weekly sessions, workshops, and the preparation program helped delegates feel confident and ready for BERMUN.

During the preparation, we had a great time getting to know other delegates while preparing for the conference, which was getting closer and closer. Soon, we were sitting in front of our computers, being all dressed up, waiting eagerly for the opening ceremony to start. For most of us, however, it was the first ever MUN conference we took part in. Still, after months of practicing and researching, we were all ready. After the opening ceremony, which was professional and well-organized, we started our first time in session. Since it was our first day, we listened to the ambassador speeches (many of us got to be ambassadors) and then we played ice-breaker games to get to know other delegates better. Right after that, we could start lobbying and we were really surprised how quickly time flew. Our first committee sessions quickly ended. We just wanted to continue lobbying and were excited for the next day’s debate. 

“The topics were interesting and lobbying was a blast.”Máté Kádas

“My committee was really welcoming and fortunately, I became one of the first delegates in a big alliance where I made a lot of friends from different countries.”Flóra Juhász

The Platform’s voting mechanism was adored by every delegate. The Platform in general was a great piece of innovation for MUN.

The BERMUN Platform was amazing because it helped make the debate smooth. Each delegate had their own profiles where they could share some information about themselves, and we also had committee and embassy pages. To make lobbying and getting allies significantly easier, we could complete an international relations page where we could indicate our relationship status with other countries (in a relationship, divorced, it’s complicated). Additionally, we had a great messaging system, which allowed us to cooperate with other delegates and work on resolutions together.

“The platform made by BERMUN was stellar. I am glad we had it, and sort of hope that it will be kept for future conferences.” – Emil Mészáros

On the second day of the conference, we instantly started lobbying without wasting any time. Surprisingly, the time for that was shorter than we thought it would be. After finishing our resolutions, many of which our delegates were the main submitters and co-submitters, they were sent through the approval panel during the lunch break. During that time we could enjoy the program of BERMUN’s Got Talent, where we could support a contestant from Milestone who applied. After watching the enjoyable and funny videos that were sent in, we started our next debate. For that, the BERMUN Platform was of enormous help, since it had an easy-to-use and clear voting system. Resolutions were passed one by one, debate followed debate and we soon realized that another day had passed.

“With the platform you felt professional, like you were really in the UN.”Máté Kádas

Our third day was an “average” day of the conference as we were lobbying, debating and making friends during the breaks, up until the moment when a crisis was announced. Well, it was a new experience for all of us. Our crisis was that the US stopped funding the UN and the Philippines and Brazil wanted to quit. Nothing was left, but to write operative clauses together, so that they could be included in one “super resolution” written by all the committees participating in the conference, which collectively have several hundred delegates. At the end of the day, committees started going through committee observations, also known as the gossip box, which often sounded very similar to a dating app. Some hilarious comments were read out loud, which brought delegates even closer.

On the last day, we only had an hour to finish all our debates, to say goodbye to our fellow delegates and to share our social media accounts to keep in touch with them even after the conference. Happily, many of us made long-lasting friendships with other delegates from all around the world. To end this amazing experience, we all took part in the closing ceremony while we started bombing each other with messages about our brand new memories. As a conclusion to the conference, the Milestone delegation held a session where we all discussed our successes, stories and experiences. 

 “Although the conference itself was amazing, my favorite parts were the conference prep sessions, especially the one we held after BERMUN.”Áron Péchy

The conference really happened so fast and we all wished that we had more time for working on resolutions, debating and interacting with fellow delegates. But that is why this conference was so successful and amazing as it was, because we enjoyed it so much that we all wish it lasted longer.

“The presentations the Presidency gave us and the guide Bia made helped me to become more confident.”Máté Kádas

“I know Model UN is not easy in the beginning and it might seem intimidating at first, but it will definitely get easier if you attend the sessions and practice your skills.”Flóra Juhász

“The amount of work the Presidency of MUN put in this conference is outstanding. Bianka, Szabi and Teo were all great help for us.”Kinga Pőcze

“Don’t be afraid to speak, MUN is really fun and once you get into it, you’ll love it!”Bianka Kovács

“I am really excited to work on my project and see my other committee-mates implementing their own ideas for a better, more sustainable world. It was a great experience, the best during quarantine and I wish I would’ve started MUN earlier.”Kinga Pőcze

“It was an experience of a lifetime!”Péter Szász