ILYMUN 2025 Opening Ceremony: Democracy and security in a world of conflicts -

Written by: Elisa Verdier

Delegates, students, teachers, and guest speakers from numerous organizations and schools have gathered again for the annual ILYMUN conference. This year's theme, Democracy and Security In A World of Conflict, allows delegates to form queries about current world events concerning stability, balance, and conflict. The multiple ILYMUN committees will discuss this theme's impact from their respective perspectives and possible solutions proposed by countries all around the globe. Through heated debates and active collaborations, students can gain insight into today's world while constructing the idea of political engagement. ILYMUN is an opportunity for today's youth to make a change by organizing debates with students worldwide – perspectives are open, and visions are broader. Notably, this year, with a theme so close to current events, everyone is impacted firsthand by what is proposed and can feel concerned by the threat of unsecured democracies. Therefore, the committees’ thorough organization reflects our world's rapidly changing politics and instability. 

ILYMUN 2025 Opening Ceremony - Credits: ILYMUN Press

Speakers present for the opening ceremony: 

Fellow student and Secretary General Yann Leblond from the International School of Lyon kicked off this year's ceremony; he introduced this year's theme and the importance of ILYMUN. Yann explained the complexity of international relations and the importance of shaping our world to be a better place. The ceremony was followed by various guest speakers who insisted on the same idea of bringing knowledge and impact for the future through today's youth. Guest speakers from the Auvergne-Rhone Alpes region conveyed the same idea of investing in today's students to shape a better future, and have stressed the importance of conferences like ILYMUN to happen. The Region has put aid in place for high school students to develop their political engagement through activities like ILYMUN conferences. The region has also focused on everyday scholars and personal funds like textbooks to help students form the best version of themselves. 

Therefore, the Region was glad to host a conference like ours that represents youths making an impact for the future. Speakers of the Region marked the importance of this opportunity for students to see a unique perspective – understanding the finesse of today's international relations and strongly express political views, while still understanding the different standing points of their opponents. The ceremony also included speeches from Secretaries General from both ISL and CSI; Rafael DeLucca (CSI) and Kasia Rice (ISL) made points about the importance of this year's theme as well the importance of ILYMUN to keep students engaged in today's world. To show the significance of this year's conference and its respectable action, principals of both organizing schools, CSI  and ISL, were present to make a statement about this year's conference, as well as Mr. Herd, head of the anglophone section at the CSI. To finally represent the crucial aspect of having a variety of speakers at ILYMUN, Hala Rumeau-Maillot, Director of Institutional Affairs and Deputy General Council at INTERPOL, made an impactful contribution to the opening ceremony by bringing an original perspective to this year's topic. Mrs Rumeau-Maillot made strong points about what happens when democracy is prioritized over security and vice versa, as well as the questions surrounding this year's theme, such as "How do we protect democratic values without compromising security?". On a more musical note, both choirs from the organizing teams appeared to sing powerful songs about unity and power. These moments were decisive for the ceremony as singing voices filled the auditorium to celebrate this powerful gathering of students from numerous schools to make a change.

Guest speaker Hala Rumeau-Maillot - Credits: ILYMUN Press

Ideas shared by guest speakers about this year's theme: 

Ceremony speakers addressed democracy and security in a world of conflict, presenting many perspectives on the topic. All speakers agreed on the importance of this topic in our current world; we are all impacted by the current state of democracy and security and the emergence of conflict. The past few years have shown strong instability in the world's political situation; between wars, rising tensions, and forceful leaders, we are conflicted with many perspectives on dangers in our everyday lives. Speakers emphasized the importance of this year's theme. Secretary General Yann Leblond shared that we are facing humanity's darkest moments and reminded everyone that we need to open our eyes and ears wide. Ideas of justice and equality were shared throughout all speeches, contrasting with last year's theme about justice. Speakers like Mr. Johnson, ISL principal, connected the two themes by speaking of justice being served for crimes against humanity committed by influential leaders during the conflict. History is known for repeating itself, and we must respect justice and human rights in a world of conflict to ensure security. Often during conflicts, crimes are committed, and lives are lost unfairly. With the rising amount of violence and the development of war technology, lives are lost quickly and in larger amounts.

We are facing threats of these large conflicts with the rise of expansionist and authoritarian ideas; the USA is experiencing a power shift with the recent re-election of President Donald Trump, who has not shied away from sharing ideas of "taking over" the world. Multiple examples of current conflict were shared, but more importantly, some speakers spoke about WW2, the founding event of the United Nations, and Western Europe's latest war. Secretary General Rafael DeLucca shared in his speech that Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" was officially written 100 years ago. It serves as a reminder of the atrocities of rising influential leaders committing horrors during wars under pretenses. Mr Herd, head of the anglophone section at the CSI, also spoke of World War 2 with a personal perspective on the topic; Mr Herd shared the glamorization of military and war while citizens were sent to war fronts across the world to fight in the name of their countries. More importantly, these wars were led by leaders whom the people mostly elected. Democratic leaders have, on multiple occasions, led their electing people into war, causing tremendous losses. Our world is currently separated more than ever by political ideas and borders. Rafaël mentioned conflict and what questions arise from it: "How can we ever aspire for a better world when ours seems so doomed and fraught with the interests of the privileged and powerful?". While also sharing the important message that we have to shield ourselves from the conflict surrounding us. Questions about liberty and security were also brought up by CSI principal Mme Geib, who mentioned the constraint of liberty in a world of conflict. Mme Geib encouraged the public to “Resist the discourse of fear”, to resist authoritarian regimes and support the resilience of democracies by learning how to secure democracy and how it is built to ensure its long-lasting presence. The balance between democracy and liberty was not the only one presented, speaker Mrs Rumeau-Maillot shared the importance of  balance between democracy and security. These two elements are not incompatible and one should not be sacrificed in the name of the other. Interestingly, elements like transparency, neutrality and continuous dialogue were mentioned as essential elements to maintain peace. Without pushing these elements forward as a community, we risk plumbing into chaos and insecurity, the world needs moral and fair thinkers for the future. To conclude, Secretary General from ISL Kasia Rice wrapped up the speeches by making a final point on the importance and fragility of democracy and security as pillars of peace and stability in our world. Throughout history, we have witnessed democracy crumble before our eyes and have seen world leaders take advantage of their power to plunge the world deeper into conflict. 

Florence Geib, David Johnson, Simon Herd - Credits: ILYMUN Press

Conclusion: importance of ILYMUN, importance of discussing this subject 

After an impactful opening ceremony discussing such an important topic, ILYMUN’s 500 participants were reminded of how important their work was to shape their political voice and make improvements for the future. By being confronted with a reflection on our political world so early, we get an opportunity to understand and build up knowledge in advance to be able to create a world in which all voices are heard. ILYMUN is an important stop in the right direction and a good reminder to ensure the respect of the international institutions to establish strong democracies. By reuniting students with diverse international backgrounds, we are putting forward a priority for the international community and showing today’s world that we can work together towards a better solution. We are confronted with real world issues that sit at the intersection of democracy and security while staying concerned with maintaining strong and stable democracies in our society.