Inside BERMUN 2025: AEG Students Experience Diplomacy in Action

This year’s BERMUN Conference was an unforgettable experience for us — Adriana, Paula, Sirio, Giacomo, Milo, and Hanife — as we proudly represented Latvia and the United Arab Emirates on an international stage.
BERMUN, hosted by the John F. Kennedy School, brings together students from across the globe to step into the shoes of real diplomats, debate global challenges, and experience firsthand how international cooperation works.

The 2025 theme, “Building a Rules-Based Order to Withstand Authoritarianism,” challenged us to think critically about fairness, global stability, and how nations can stand strong even under political pressure. Throughout the week, we dug into topics such as human rights, security, and international partnerships, discovering just how complex — and important — global decision-making can be.

The conference kicked off on Wednesday (11/19/25) at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Adriana opened the event with an ambassador speech representing the UAE, setting the tone for a week of thoughtful debate. After listening to inspiring guest speakers and delegations from around the world, we split into our committees and got to work.

From Thursday until Saturday morning, our committees tackled two major topics connected to the conference theme. The process was intense and exciting: lobbying, negotiating with potential allies, merging clauses, and finally crafting resolutions. Once the papers were ready, the real debating began — speeches, questions, amendments, and plenty of diplomatic strategy — all leading up to the final vote.

Of course, BERMUN wasn’t all formal debate. Cookie breaks, spontaneous dance sessions, and entertaining community observations kept the atmosphere fun and light. Guest speakers also provided valuable insights, including discussions on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, helping us understand the real-world impact of the issues we were debating.

On Saturday afternoon, we gathered at the FU campus in Zehlendorf for the closing ceremony. Delegates placed their country flags on the podium, and the BERMUN student president and committee chairs looked back on the week with summaries, jokes, andreflections. The conference wrapped up perfectly with an evening dance at JFKS — a celebration of new friendships, teamwork, and the resolutions we worked so hard to pass.

BERMUN wasn’t just a chance to improve our English and deepen our understanding of international relations — it was an opportunity to connect with people from all over the world and grow as global citizens. We’re incredibly grateful to have been part of this year’s Fall Conference. A huge thank you to Ms. Träger, Ms. Engelhardt, and Mr. Vrdoljak for supporting us throughout this amazing experience!

written by Hanife and Milo (2nd semester)