The THIMUN 2025 Opening Ceremony
By Jina Song and Ethan Chan
Photography by Lilly Tourville
The house continued to bustle with noise, the continual calls slowly bringing down a veil of silence. With energetic music and dozens of languages filling the King Wilhem Alexander Hall, the delegates and chairs adjourned. The 57th annual opening ceremony of the Hague Model United Nations was led by Philip Angel, President of the General Assembly. After observing a brief moment of silence to honor the deaths from natural and manmade disasters, the conference turned to the work that still needs to be done in our world.
With over three thousand delegates flooding into the auditorium, even the full rows could not house the conference. With “Wave Your Flag” playing, ambassadors flowed into the conference. Colorful flags from 193 countries filled the auditorium, morphing into blue UN and THIMUN organization flags. The display was awe-inspiring, as it showed the sheer vastness of the countries and organizations working together to fight for peace each day.
“You will be sitting in the seat of world leaders. But they don’t know that you will be the next world leader,” Jan van Zanen, mayor of The Hague said. He wished delegates the best of luck, stating if one can make it in The Hague, they can make it anywhere. As van Zanen’s speech ended, the roar of applause filled the auditorium, being inspired by his words.
Alain Meidinger, the director of the THIMUN Foundation thanked the guest speakers and the THIMUN foundation managers. He opened the way for the rest of the ceremony with a session of “eye-gazing mindfulness.” While it is a philosophy of silence, “THIMUNers” burst into laughter. After the amusing moment, Meidinger resumed his commentary on the state of AI, pointing out our common humanity and AI’s role in shaping our world in the years to come.
Notably, a humorous disruption occurred when Hatsune Miku was broadcast on the screen, alongside other examples of how AI can create in the modern age, and in some ways be almost indistinguishable from AI. As the director of the THIMUN foundation made a thought-provoking speech, he provided valuable insights on how the development of artificial intelligence has impacted us all, emphasizing that we should not give up our creativity for convenience and that humans must have faith in the tool that AI could become.
Next, the manager of AI innovation at the University of Rotterdam, Goda Mockutė, delivered a speech about AI. Mockutė acknowledged AI as the modern equivalent to electricity, exploring its impacts similarly touching every facet of society and the most significant technological development of our time. However, it is essential to remind ourselves that while AI carries significant impacts, it is still a tool whose impact we will shape. As Mockutė coined it, “A fool with an AI tool is still a fool.”
The choir of the International School of The Hague entered the stage of King Wilhem Alexander Hall. Performing “Bring Me Little Water Sylvie” with lively claps, stomps, guitars, and dozens of singers, the choir warmed the hall with beautiful harmonies.
Moving forward, the Secretary General of THIMUN, Layan Taher, pointed out how artificial intelligence has touched every facet of the conference. To over 100 countries, and over 200 schools she declared, “AI wields the power of life and death, often with humanity on the sideline.”
At the closing of the opening ceremony, the crack of a gavel reverberated throughout the auditorium, before being swallowed by the thunder of applause, opening the conference with an uproar of noise.
