Franklin D. Roosevelt Model United Nations – FDRMUN for those who have world crises to resolve in committees – would’ve been a random string of letters less than a year ago. Now, with the dedication, involvement and passion of an extensive organising team, FDRMUN represents global involvement, indiscriminate equality of opportunity, ambition, cultural exchange, and a plethora of other phrases that would still fall short of describing the magic of this conference. Nowadays, FDRMUN likes firsts and superlatives. The first conference in Romania to be NATO and UNICEF affiliated, first to have a financial aid programme, first to hold multiple sessions at the Palace of the Parliament, boasting the highest diversity ratio in Romania, first to donate all proceeds to charity – FDRMUN likes making history.
In answering the burning question of where we came from, we invite you to take a trip to the past. “The only limit of our realisation of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” The inspiration behind the conference lies in the 32nd president of the USA, and perhaps having Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wise words in the back of their minds, our original organising team ambitiously embarked on a journey filled with trepidation, a venture in the dark. In July, they witnessed their outcome; a massively successful, three-day conference that tackled and resolved global issues, encouraging debate while also placing an emphasis on collaboration. And then, in late August, as the foliage was beginning to brown, an announcement shook the MUN community: FDR was back. And so commenced preparations for one of the biggest conferences held in Romania.
The second edition of FDRMUN fogged up the glasses of all onlookers, bringing mystery and a chilling feeling of expectancy of what was to come to anyone who prior to this thought they had us all figured out. New faces quickly filled the vacant places of the contemporary version of our organising team and to the likes of its delegates, it was as diverse as ever; Encompassing not only students from ISB and other private and public schools, but passionate members who have made their way from foreign countries to join in on the extensive organising process.
Intimidating was the adjective lining everyone’s lips when they chronicled about the conference's image and creating that narrative was no short of intentional. We wanted every aspect of our marketing to exude power and seriousness, to show the myriad of eyes following our every move just how much work and unwavering dedication went into the creation of FDRMUN. After shedding blood, sweat and tears, carefully engineering every aspect of the conference, we powered up the biggest spotlight of them all, as the Palace of the Parliament constituted the stage on which our speakers shared their thoughts about what was to come.
The opening ceremony of the conference took place under the majestic chandelier in the ‘Avram Iancu Hall’, marvelling at the fruit of our labour. As the delegates sat down, blue and black specks at the oval table, the experience went from being a string of text on a document to reality. After an array of speeches, some inspirational, some insightful, and all empowering, by a multitude of specialists, including the esteemed representative of UNICEF, one of the most well-recognised subsects of the United Nations. Benjamin Wall, the history teacher at ISB, asked the delegates to reflect on the decisions they’ll make today – perhaps one day they will be sitting at a real UN conference, passing resolutions that will have real-life ramifications on existing individuals. Meanwhile, the organising committee marvelled at the metamorphosis of the conference, from an ambitious idea to a stupefying reality. Finally, after a brief lobbying period, the conference moved to the second location – the International School of Bucharest, where the mock debates and the informal committee sessions began, setting the stage for the next five days of fruitful debate.
As the sun was rising every morning throughout the 5 days, the organising team was constantly working on making sure every committee was perfectly prepared to receive the oncoming delegates. The conference did not hesitate in beginning committee sessions every morning, as well as commenced exciting and enriching debates, attempting to bring contradictory viewpoints to a progressive middle ground by highlighting healthy communication and collaboration. With astute delegates working together (and in some controversial cases, against each other), exciting resolutions would undoubtedly be drafted, and insight into the complex topics would be gained. Love, hate, debate and alliances blooming at FDRMUN.
After proceeding with the opening speeches, during which many delegations presented numerous solutions to the ongoing crisis and stressed the need for a peaceful resolution, the GSL was established. During the last days of intense debating and problem-solving sessions, the delegates impatiently filled their seats in the committees, awaiting the moment they’d been working towards: the writing of the resolutions. As the last day was approaching, the delegates prepared their final resolutions to present in the much anticipated GA session.
So far, I have to admit, we have probably painted the picture of a coldhearted, diplomatic and highly calculated conference, where no one and nothing was allowed to move without a strategic plan of how every action would be carried out and of how to express every word before blurting it out. However, that impression could not be farther from the truth. Despite the stern outside allure of FDRMUN, on the inside, it was a conference which had welcomed with open arms participants of all backgrounds and among many other things aimed to foster bonds between members of the blooming and united MUN community. During these faithful 5 days, both heated debates and exhilarating team activities prompted by delegates of different committees wed to create the bright amalgam that was ultimately our conference. Fierce Just Dance competitions plagued the 6 committees one by one, as they used this opportunity to let out some steam after feverishly debating each of their specific topics. Impromptu inter-committee football matches broke out at the request of a very inspired GA1 delegate, pivoting the competitive spirit from the stuffy classrooms to the spacious ISB pitch. Not just that, but many members of the organising team and press have taken it upon themselves to answer the age-old question of who the “hottest” delegate is, causing a polarising debate to arise. And to answer this question which has set ablaze witnesses, as well as the contenders themselves, ECOSOC 1- Labour’s delegate representing Germany was elected by his competitor and previously most voted contender, GA1’s Russia, to take home the title as “ The hottest delegate”.
And just like this, the last debate session was followed by the long-awaited closing ceremony. Delegates filling the same glossy halls they’d previously walked on in their very first day of the conference; Carrying the satisfaction of having written successful resolutions and of having enriched themselves through the fruitful debate with their fellow delegates. Proud tears were shed, as the chairs of each committee had the unparalleled opportunity to stand in the Senate’s Plenary, under the brightly coloured mosaic sealing and grant diplomas and awards to the most hard-working of the delegates they had the pleasure of overseeing during the duration of the conference.
Wishing upon a star every night, we aimed to achieve the most important goal, to outdo last year's edition. Managing to reach that goal has filled all of us with pride and excitement for, hopefully, the future editions of FDRMUN. We would be lying if we said it was easy, it required many sleepless nights and a lot of time spent on meetings between members of the organising team. However, we can confidently say that it was an unparalleled experience and we are unspeakably thankful for having the opportunity to organise such a brilliant event and work alongside so many incredibly hard-working fellow students.
Good night for now. The sun will rise again upon FDR much sooner than you think.
Sweet dreams,
FDR Blue @ISBTV
