Dear Participants of BERMUN2 XXI 2026,
Welcome to this year's 21st BERMUN2 Conference's Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian (SOCHUM) Committee! I am delighted to greet you and cannot wait to meet you all in February.
When thinking about our conference theme, “Decolonize.”, many may assume that decolonization is a thing of the past, the infamous colonies of the early 20th century are long gone, and decolonization is no longer relevant. However, they would be mistaken: there are 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGTs) yet to be decolonized. Additionally, even after the Member States administering power in a colony or NSGT terminates its presence, the social structures and institutions are not always dismantled. The SOCHUM Committee’s topic, “Addressing post-colonial ethnic divides”, challenges delegates to realize the ethnic cleavages that colonialism has often caused or exacerbated, leading to great social, economic, and political differences between ethnic groups, and find solutions for the nearly 100 Member States that were under colonial rule.
It has always fascinated me to watch people transform when holding a speech or asking a point of information (POI) during debate. They go from the person I know from a cookie break to a professional delegate. And yet, they still keep a part of their personal character present in the debates. This is what determines the difference between a delegate whom anyone would gladly listen to, and one whom one listens to simply out of courtesy: the obvious intent to bring personal strengths to the table, and a display of confidence.
I am a German-American tenth grader at the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, where I have lived for five years. In Los Angeles, my previous home, I started playing the trumpet, and have since picked up lacrosse and Model United Nations in Berlin when I’m not playing in the concert band. This conference will be my fifth, and my third as a Student Officer.
I look forward to meeting you all in February!
Sincerely,
Barry Tabachnikoff
