Even though there is no possibility of letting the plans for the OLMUN 2020 become reality, the Inner Circle (IC) has been preparing this year’s conference since long before the pandemic took over the world.
The noticeable planning started in August of last year and had later been structured into small but frequent Inner Circle Meetings to communicate what else had to be taken care of. These meetings started in September 2019.
The main decision which had to be made early on was what topics the conference should cover in 2020, deciding on the subjects and issues the committees should discuss. The committees were chosen based on which topics were and still are current and relevant in the world. At the IC-weekend on the 24th of November 2019, ten panels were decided upon that the Secretariat thought of as appropriate for the 20th conference of OLMUN. These include familiar task forces like the first and third committee of the General Assembly or the Security Council, discussing topics like "Securing Indigenous Ways of Life in a Globalized World" or "Establishing Guidelines for the Use of Unmanned Weaponry in Conflict Zones". Furthermore, there were a lot of ideas for new committees such as the United Nations Women, the Pacific Island Forum, or the Arctic Council which would have covered interesting topics like "Promoting the Importance of Hygiene Products for Women’s and Girls’ Health" and "Counteracting the Effects of Climate Change on Oceania".
In January all the student officers and chairs were selected and proclaimed and additionally photographs of the Inner Circle were taken.
From that day on the chairs and student officers started familiarising themselves with their respective tasks, until the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
From that day on we were forced to communicate with all the other members of the Inner Circle via internet.
Of course, the consideration of how to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the OLMUN during the conference week played a part in the preparations.
The IC-members had many great ideas such as banners, OLMUN themed cakes or/and cookies, indoor skating through the main hall, an orchestra or band performance, and even fireworks had been requested.
While it is not certain yet if anniversary celebrations can be made up for next year, we should all hope for the best outcome and celebrate 20 years of OLMUN in our hearts. Happy Birthday, OLMUN!
Now, to make up for the lost OLMUN session, the IC has come up with an alternative called OLMUN@home to let people experience a little piece of OLMUN in 2020 such as conducting research, writing a policy statement, etc. just at home.
The participants will have to create a poster in small groups which will be reviewed by the Chairs and the best poster will be rewarded. OLMUN@home is a great way to make up for the lost conference and connect to people in Oldenburg and all over the world since the project is international. We are excited to see what the participants come up with! Keep in touch with the project by looking at the OLMUN homepage from time to time.
Stay safe and tuned for further articles!
Read more about OLMUN@home under https://www.olmun.org/News/
Check out the OLMUN Instagram account to see what we would have done by now if there was a conference on https://www.instagram.com/olmun_official/
Janna Griem & Cosima Scherbening