Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the 35th BERMUN conference and this year’s SpC!
“Today’s IPCC report [evaluating climate change] is a code red for humanity!” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference.
Although climate change affects all of humanity, its causes and consequences are distributed unequally. While wealthier states are able to adapt to environmental challenges, many less economically developed countries (LEDCs) simply lack the resources to combat them. The conference topic, “Resilient & Sustainable Development to Combat Climate Inequality,” deals with an urgent topic that is often overshadowed by wars or military conflicts, even though many modern conflicts are intensified or even driven by climate insecurity. Many current humanitarian crises are linked to climate inequality, affecting mainly those who have contributed the least to global emissions most severely.
To illustrate this issue, we will look at the Sahel region. Countries such as Chad, contributing only 0.003% to global CO2 emissions, are heavily affected by climate change. In 2024 alone, more than 1.7 million people in Chad were impacted by extreme floods. As such disasters become more frequent, many individuals are forced to migrate to neighbouring states, creating additional challenges for both countries. Access to basic necessities becomes increasingly limited, especially in regions already facing instability due to climate insecurity and resulting conflicts. That’s why the SpC addresses migration caused by climate change. Our second committee topic, “Preventing Environmental Exploitation of Less Economically Developed Countries,” is equally important, as this form of exploitation further deepens climate inequality. Foreign actors often benefit from weaker regulations in LEDCs while local communities suffer the consequences. This resembles neocolonial practices as outside powers continue to benefit while local people or ecosystems live with the costs.
On a more personal note, I am 17 years old and in 11th grade at Primo-Levi-Gymnasium in Berlin-Weißensee. The thirty-fifth annual BERMUN conference marks the 18th MUN conference I have attended and my 9th time serving as a Student Officer. Outside of MUN and politics, sports play an important role in my life, especially football. I have played football for many years and have also been coaching younger children for the past few years.
I am honored to serve as your Chair at this year’s conference and look forward to seeing you all in November!
Sincerely,
David Beller
