Excursions 

 The following excursions have been arranged during TEIMUN 2008. The excursions will take place on thursday the 17th of July in the afternoon.

If you are a participant and have not received an e-mail about the excursions from the TEIMUN Board, please contact us at: excursions@teimun.org as soon as possible.

1 - Hivos

Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organization inspired by humanist values. Together with local organizations in developing countries, Hivos seeks to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world in which citizens - women and men - have equal access to the resources and opportunities for their development, and where they can actively and equally participate in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future.  

Hivos organizes a workshop about “Gay and Lesbian Rights in International Cooperation”. At first, the subject appears to be odd in terms of development cooperation: LGBT rights, rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals , or any other sexual minority. The rights are, however, intrinsically connected with freedom, self-determination and access to chances and opportunities. This has everything to do with emancipation and development. Hivos is firmly convinced of the importance of this relationship between sexual emancipation and opportunities for development, which is the reason why Hivos wholeheartedly embraces the theme and will continue to do so during the next years. Among others, to correct the misconception that LGBT rights merely are a Western issue. 

The LGBT programme has been part of the Human Rights and Democratisation theme since the nineties. 

For further information: www.hivos.nl/english 

2 - Binnenhof

The Binnenhof is a collection of buildings in The Hague. It has been the location of the Dutch parliament since 1446, and has been the centre of Dutch government since the creation of the Dutch Republic in 1579. 

The grounds on which the Binnenhof now stands was purchased by Count Floris IV of Holland in 1229, where he built his mansion. More buildings were constructed around the court, several of which are well known in their own right, such as the Knight's Hall, where the queen holds her annual speech at Prinsjesdag. One of the towers, simply known as “het Torentje” (the small tower) has been the office of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 1982. The Binnenhof was also the site where statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was executed in 1619. 

The excursion starts with a film about the history of the buildings at the Binnenhof. Subsequently you will visit the Hall of Knights and the House of Representatives.

3 - Oxfam Novib

Oxfam Novib, a member of Oxfam International, is fighting for a just world without poverty, through projects and lobby, both on a local and international scale, because poverty and injustice are global problems. They are about unjust economic and political relationships. That is why all the Oxfams are working together to have more influence and achieve more in our struggle for a just world without poverty. 

Milions of women, men and children do not have access to health care or education. It is a task of governments to guarentee these basic human rights, however, many developing countries simply do not have the means to guarentee them. The build up of qualitative basic provisions, which are available for everyone, demands a lot of effort. Teachers and medical staff must be educated and receive a proper salary. Especially in the African countries this is one of the main concerns. 
 

In this excursion, Oxfam Novib will tell you about their organization, their point of view on budget support as a tool in development work and they will provoke you into a discussion on this subject. Karibu! 

For further information: www.oxfamnovib.nl
 

4 - International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

The ICTY is a body of the United Nations and was established in 1993. The purpose of the tribunal is to prosecute former government and military leaders from the former Yugoslavia for crimes against humanity, genocide and breaches of the Geneva Conventions. Since then, a number of leaders has been brought to trial and were convicted. The tribunal is an ad-hoc court and is located in The Hague. The ICTY is the court where the late Slobodan Milosevic, former president of the former Yugoslavia, was on trial.
 

The excursion to the ICTY consists of attending a hearing and a general presentation by an ICTY representative.
 

For further information: www.un.org/icty
 

5 - International Criminal Court (ICC)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of the most serious crimes at an international level, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ICC is based on a treaty, joined by 105 countries.
The ICC is a court of last resort. It will not act if a case is investigated or prosecuted by a national judicial system unless the national proceedings are not genuine, for example if formal proceedings were undertaken solely to shield a person from criminal responsibility. In addition, the ICC only tries those accused of the gravest crimes.
 

The excursion to the ICC consists out of attending a hearing and a general presentation by an ICC representative.
 

For further information: www.icc-cpi.int
 

6 - The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization that serves as a forum for political dialogue. Its stated aim is to secure stability in the region, based on democratic practices and improved governance. The OSCE is an ad hoc organization under the United Nations Charter (Chap. VIII), and is concerned with early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation. Its 56 participating States are from Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North America and cover most of the northern hemisphere. It was created during the Cold War era as an East-West forum. 

During the visit to the OSCE they will give you a presentation about the High Commissioner on National Minorities institution. 

For further information: www.osce.org  

7 - Peace Palace  

The Peace Palace in The Hague is home to a number of international judicial institutions, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the renowned Peace Palace Library, and the Hague Academy of International Law.
 

You will receive a guided tour through the Palace's corridors, Grand Staircase, Small Hall of Justice, Japanese Room, courtyard, as well as the Great Hall of Justice, in which the international Court of Justice holds sessions.
 

For further information: www.vredespaleis.nl

8 - Red Cross

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide whose stated mission is to protect huma life and health, to ensure respect for the human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering, without any discrimination based on nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. 

National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies exist in nearly every country in the world. Within their home country, they take on the duties and responsibilities of a national relief society as defined by international humanitarian law. Within the movement, the ICRC is responsible for legally recognizing a relief society as an official national Red Cross or Red Crescent society.
This excursion will be held at the Netherlands Red Cross Headquarter. During this approximately two and a half hour excursion “The ICRC and its activities in the field” will be discussed. Furthermore, participants will be introduced to the principles of international humanitarian law. 

For further information: www.rodekruis.nl