Dear Advocates and Judges,
Welcome to the International Court of Justice at BERMUN2 2025!
In light of our conference theme “Fighting Inequality”, the ICJ will be deliberating over the case Armenia v. Azerbaijan, which addresses alleged violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
Armenia and Azerbaijan declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991; however, both Member States lay claim to the formerly autonomous region, which Armenia refers to as Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan as Garabagh. Situated within the territory of the former Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic with a largely Armenian ethnic population, these competing claims have resulted in two wars in May 1994 and September 2020. Despite diplomatic attempts to solve the conflict, the situation remained unstable resulting in Armenia invoking jurisdiction under Article 22 of the CERD in 2021. By addressing accusations of racial discrimination, this case upholds principles of equality and justice.
In preparation for this conference, I recommend you review the ICJ procedure handbook. This is a great way to prepare for the conference, as court proceedings differ significantly from those of General Assembly committees. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact bermunicj@googlemail.com.
On a more personal note, I'm a 17-year-old German-American student at the John-F.-Kennedy School in Berlin, Germany. BERMUN2 2025 will mark my tenth MUN conference and fifth as a Student Officer. Outside of MUN, I enjoy playing tennis and spending time with friends.
I can't wait to meet all of you in February!
Benjamin von Schweinitz
