What is BIMUN? What was BIMUN? What is BIMUN going to be in the future? None of these can be exactly answered, but I can surely state two things: this is the fourth year of Budapest International Model United Nations, and this will not be our last conference. I am sure that you are well-informed regarding present times, but do you know, how did it start?
In 2009, two students of the Eötvös József Secondary School, Mr. Ádám Bágyi and Mr. Ádám Geiszt returned to Budapest after several consecutive days of debating, negotiating international issues on a conference. The MUN-conception was not widely known in Hungary at this time, yet in a few high schools the thought took roots. The Eötvös was amongst these: Ms. Tünde Holik, a farseeing English teacher of the school took the two students' idea under her wings, thus becoming the so-called "mother" of all BIMUN conferences. Finally, they decided to visit the headmaster in order to start discussing the scope of organising an international Model United Nations conference.
The preparation was magnificent: we had dreams, we had goals to realise. In 2009 and 2010, the conference was amongst the biggest projects of Eötvös, the hosting school. We had to rise to the challenge: we needed suitable persons for posts of merit including supervisors, housing, staff and photographers; last but not least, inviting the Professional Team to the conference had a priority place in the order of importance. I mentioned something that you have probably not seen before the first BIMUN: the supervisors are two- or three-member groups which lead the delegations. Every delegation has a group of supervisors, who help them find their hosts, travel around in Budapest, and set up programs in their leisure time. We invented that!
The first BIMUN was arranged in 2011. Then, 291 registered delegates arrived in Budapest for an unforgettable experience. Of course the event was a novelty in Hungary: whoever visited the downtown area in the middle of April, saw practically only well-suited diplomats arriving or leaving, or possibly having some lunch in the conference breaks. For the delegates, BIMUN was also a novelty among the large-scale international Model United Nations conferences in Hungary.
It might sound a bit controversial that I write “we” in the two recent paragraphs referring to the organisers, because I myself have not participated in the first BIMUN. Today, I continue to consider this one of the biggest mistakes of my life; since then, I took part in every BIMUN conferences in some way. I really advise you to do the same!
Over the following two years, our conference was growing. In 2012, 300 delegates were debating in Budapest, and in 2013 – as we launched at University level that year – we could welcome 300 pupils from high schools, as well as 90 students from universities around the world. In 2014, these numbers increased to 360 and 200, respectively.
2015 was the year when the BIMUN-brand jumped multiple levels upwards in quality. The 5th Anniversary Session of the saga was unambigously the most successful of all. We set a very high standard for 2016.
2016 was the year of stability: BIMUN has become a successful, mature brand, while continued to develop and adapt to new challenges.
A wisdom born at MUN conferences can really describe our relationship to MUN and especially to BIMUN:
“Once you become an MUN-er, you remain one forever.”
Soma Lucz
Photographer in 2012
Head of the Media Section in 2013
Deputy Secretary-General in 2014
Executive Advisor in 2015
Advisor in 2016