Honorable justices, attorneys, witnesses, and members of the jury,

I’m Alexander, a junior at Shanghai American School Puxi Campus.

It is my utmost honor to launch the International Criminal Court – a pilot committee for SHAMUN XXIII. The founding of this committee represents our efforts to explore the depth of Model UN.

In a world where the rule-based order is continuously challenged, upholding the principles that define modern-day international government and enforcing the rules themselves have become ever so important. The reality is, the ICC, along with the United Nations, is only as strong as the member states would like it to be. However, providing a platform that signifies the equal protection of all parties involved, as well as a just and open court of arbitration still holds great significance in reminding us why those orders exist, and they are more than just empty promises.

The case of Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir is a real, ongoing case under the ICC. As the former president of the Republic of Sudan, he has committed countless crimes against humanity and genocide in the Darfur region. This isn’t to say that the defendant automatically loses, as the spirit of a mock trial is to evaluate the ability of each side to establish and defend their respective cases.

I am excited to meet all of you in October!

Hi delegates! My name is Azalea, hailing from YCIS Puxi, class of 2024. In this conference, I will be chairing for the International Criminal Court. A little about my experiences in MUN; my MUN career had a later start than most. I only started when I was in year 10. But since then, the addiction has not stopped. I co-founded the MUN conference at my school and acted as Secretary General in both YCISMUNs, and I was delegate in many THIMUN conferences. In addition, you might remember me from CISSMUN as the chair of the Environmental Committee. I’m looking forward to meeting and working with you all, and hoping for a fruitful conference.