2025 NATO Summit Opens Its Doors at THIMUN
By Ana Ibanescu and Ina Choe
NATO Summit meetings allow the Heads of State and Government of NATO to discuss important issues facing the Alliance, during its evolution. These meetings are not regular, however they are very important in the Alliance’s decision-making process. Summits are used to introduce new policies, invite new members into the Alliance, and launch important initiatives. This year’s summit will be held in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-25. Although this is still a few short months away, the events leading up to it have already officially begun on January 28, at the 57th annual edition of The Hague International Model United Nations(THIMUN), in the World Forum. This year, THIMUN will simulate the NATO summit of 2025 during the 4-day conference(January 28-January 31). In the simulation, 32 students will take on roles of NATO member states and work together to reach a final decision.
The launch of the NATO summit sparked much excitement for certain students attending THIMUN such as the press which had the great opportunity to listen to the guest speakers, and watch the short ceremony. Among the speakers, Han-Maurits Schaapveld, the director of the Task Force of the NATO Summit 2025, was present. He gave a short speech, welcoming all esteemed guests, and introducing the commencement of the NATO 2025 tour through the Netherlands. He claimed that along with the tour they “will have a program with schools, grammar schools, and secondary schools, to introduce NATO, to tell them why it’s important.” When asked about the importance of NATO, director Schaapveld said that NATO “has been our security guarantee for the past 75 years,” and we need it now, more than ever, as the world is getting less and less secure. As he puts it, the world is changing. “We have the war in Ukraine, we have had wars in Israel and Gaza, look at Sudan and look at Congo.”
The decision to commence the NATO 2025 tour at THIMUN might seem like an interesting choice, however director Schaapveld has a perfectly good argument. He confidently stated that “the whole tour through the Netherlands is focused on youth, so we thought it would be good to start with THIMUN here.” He is positive that the youth attending THIMUN is “the future. It’s the whole idea of THIMUN as well. If we inform or help educate the youth with what we think is important, then they’ll be able to continue it later.”
The commencement of the NATO Summit at THIMUN was definitely a busy, but very exciting event. It is greatly hoped that the event, along with the wise words of director Schaapveld, will inspire the students attending THIMUN to work hard for themselves, as they are the future, and they are the only ones who can determine their destiny, and provide security to the people of the world.
