Dear Delegates of the SOCHUM,
Welcome to this year’s BERMUN Conference!
Our conference theme this year is “Building a Rules-Based Order to Withstand Autocracy”. To withstand autocracy, it is crucial to strengthen international cooperation, ensuring the preservation of diplomacy and peaceful dialogue.
This is why we will be addressing the essential issue of implementing the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol Status of Refugees, which firstly sought to define the term refugee and set a ground level for basic refugee rights. As many regimes close off their borders and oftentimes neglect humanitarian aid, this discussion fits perfectly under the overall conference theme. It highlights the critical role of international law in defending human rights and countering authoritarian regimes that undermine the protection of vulnerable populations. The baseline has been set, with 142 signing the accords, but in a world in which we move farther and farther towards closed-off borders, it is important to fully implement and if necessary, reevaluate the accords.
This conference will be my second time chairing at BERMUN, and I look forward to having constructive and insightful debate on this pressing topic. Your preparation and understanding of the subject matter will be crucial to fostering a meaningful dialogue, and I hope we will all explore both the legal and humanitarian aspects of the topic thoroughly.
On a more personal note, I am 17 years old and I spent the last year in the US and am now attending the John F. Kennedy School here in Berlin. In my free time I enjoy playing basketball and spending time with friends. My goal is to create an environment in which all of us feel comfortable contributing, sharing their perspectives, and engaging in debate.
I am looking forward to meeting you all in November!
Sincerely,
Ben Lukas Vogt
