RESOLUTIONS WHERE DO THEY GO NEXT?
OUTER SPACE EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE
SOCIAL NETWORKS LINKING OUR WORLD TOGETHER
THIMUN HOW IT CAME TO BE
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PAGE 11 world news
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thimun news
World News
thimun news
Monday, January 23, 2012
SOS: Save Our Seas
BY SOPHIA HENGELBROK John F. Kennedy - Berlin
THIMUN delegates collaborate on a resolution at THIMUN XLVII
Water covers more than 70 percent of the planet we live on and is vital to human survival. People depend on water to hydrate themselves, transport goods, supply them with food, and more. However, the oceans and seas on Earth are facing more and more threats as humans use them irresponsibly as resources. Overfishing is a prime exthimun archives ample of humans exhausting a resource without foresight to its future survival and health. Human demand for fish far exceeds the supply we have on Earth, and many marine biologists see overfishing “You need all the information as the largest threat to our you can get to defend your marine ecosystems. Accordopinion.” It is clear that to ing to figures published by succeed in this conference; the UN Food and Agriculture delegates must come well Organization, almost 80% of prepared and ready to speak the world’s fisheries are fully their mind. exploited, over exploited, deMost of the interviewed pleted or in a state of collapse. delegates stress the idea of This problem can lead to being as prepared as possipopulations of fish dying out, ble, but what are the tricks to throwing ecosystems out of success while at the Conferorder due to alterations in ence? the food web that affect the The delegate who will be balance in other populations. in GA 5, a committee discuss- According to Greenpeace, “90 ing budgets, says, “Be ready percent of large fish … have to work with different types been fished out since large of people and get out of your scale industrial fishing began shell.” in the 1950s.” Unless humans begin to regulate fishing and continued on page two... control this issue, fish may
Advice on being a delegate BY LAURA ANTUNA
Zurich International School
Many of you have been waiting for the 22nd of January for days, weeks, or maybe even months. On this day delegates from all over the world will be coming together for the XLIV Annual Session of THIMUN. Over three thousand two hundred delegates who range from having years of experience in a Model United Nations conference to those who are new to the idea of MUN altogether will be discussing, debating, and negotiating solutions to various problems of the world.
Provisional Programme of THIMUN Events Weather for the week of the Conference
For many years, THIMUN has given an opportunity for young people around the globe to have deeper insight in the world’s problems and help students better understand the interests and motivations of others. But of course, experienced or inexperienced, delegates have many things to learn about becoming the best delegate they can be in order to get the most out of what THIMUN has to offer. Newcomers to the conference and experienced delegates express their thoughts and ideas on what makes a delegate successful socially and politically. One of the main factors
that all the interviewed delegates highlight is the importance of having solid information on their topic. The Assistant President for the Environmental Commission II from Saint- GenisPouilly in France advises, “know your topic really well by not relying on vague information and stay with specific facts and figures.” She also emphasizes the importance of knowing your country’s background so “you know where your country stands on specific topics which are thrown out in your committee.” Another delegate who is representing the Human Rights Committee stated,
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
9:00-17:00 Lobbying; Security Council, ICJ and Advisory Panel in session 15:00-16:30 Formal Opening
9:00-13:00 -
9:00-14:00 -
9:00-17:00 Committee & Sub-commission meetings 17:00 - MUNDirectors meeting with Board of Directors
9:00-11:30 Committee & Sub-commission meetings 16:30 - Closing Ceremonies 20:00-24:00THIMUNDance
Plenary sessions; opening speeches of GA 14:00-17:00 Committee & Sub-comission meetings
Committee & Sub-commission meetings 14:00-17:00 NO SESSION
High: 2°C Real Feel: 3°C
High: 2°C Real Feel: -3°C High: 1°C Real Feel: -2°C
High: 3°C Real Feel: -4°C
T u e s d a y Wednesday T h u r s d a y F r i d a y
become an expensive luxury in the future. Overfishing is an issue with humans taking resources out of the ocean at a harmful rate; however humans also generate problems by placing refuse and garbage into oceans and seas. Pollution comes in many different forms, such as sewage, garbage or chemicals and toxins. Pollution is either deliberately dumped into the ocean as a way to get rid of garbage, or finds its way into oceans and seas through groundwater runoff or through the atmosphere. In the case of oil spills, a dominant issue in the news recently, irresponsible transportation of oil is simply one method oil pollutes our oceans. According to a study by the US National Research Council, 36% of oil pollution comes down drains and rivers as waste and runoff from cities and industry. Oil is extremely debilitating to our oceans and pollutes the habitats of many marine animals, as well as coating their fur/feathers with oil and poisoning them if ingested. Another type of pollution that is extremely common is solid pollution. Plastic bags, bottles, packaging and more are dumped into the oceans and affect organisms living there.
continued on page nine...
2 MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012
INTERNATIONAL THIMUN TRIBUNE
PAGE TWO International Thimun Tribune THE MUNITY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE HAGUE Caroline Ludeman Editors in Chief Isabelle Stillman Editors in Chief Souhyun Bae Text Editor Hannah Hemperly Text Editor Yasemin Parlar Text Editor Lily Rivkin Text Editor Laura Antuna Reporter Anna Bradley-Webb Reporter Sekheena Deslorieux Reporter Mariana Domingues Reporter Leila Elabbady Reporter Maximilian Enthoven Reporter Dina Farag Reporter Sophia Hengelbrok Reporter Vicky Liu Reporter Isla McDougall Reporter Alexandra Miller Reporter Aury Naranjo Reporter Allison Shapiro Reporter Charlotte Smith Reporter Rebecca McDonald Layout Nicole Novey Layout Tyler Payne Layout James Roh Layout Tamara Bastaki Photographer Maggie Bliss Photographer Tomas Clarkson Photographer Leah Cumming Photographer Anna Soer Photographer
Just as THIMUN delegates strive to emulate the work of the United Nations, the MUNITY staff has chosen to immitate the designs of several daily international papers. Each day’s issue we will resemble the layouts of the Kenyan Daily Nation, The Austrailian, Panama’s La Prensa, or the Shanghai Daily, with an MUN twist. The paper you are currently reading is modeled after the International Herald Tribune, a paper printed in London and readily available in most countries. Our aim is to expose you to a variety of global newspapers, bringing attention to worldwide media as we come together to solve world issues.
Advice on being a delegate (continued from page 1) She believes that being a good conversationalist and stating points boldly will help delegates gain the most out of the THIMUN experience. This is a view shared by most of the delegates: “don’t be afraid to meet new people” says the delegate from the Human Rights Sub Committee II. Nevertheless, this social dimension of the meeting can also backfire; as one delegate expresses, “people crush you on the floor and if you do not have anything to say back to them, you will not do well.” In addition to the main concerns expressed by the delegates as described above, most of the delegates also had their own personal advice for how to do well in the conference. Again, the Assistant President for the Environmental Commission of the Committee II says, “take a minute or two to actually get some of the delegates’ names. This helps you make new friends and feel more interacted in your committee.” Another delegate who is from the GA3, which focuses on human rights, has a similar idea, stating, “be
A helpful guide for delegates
friendly and get to know people on a personal level so you can have a close friend.” The same delegate also advises “read a proper newspaper from time to time, especially newspapers from the country you were assigned.” She states that “this was a good way to understand current events, which is what this conference was all about.” Another delegate from the ECO SOC committee advises “You should always
be honest and do not lie just so other countries approve your resolution. Being dishonest in the conference will always backfire at you at the end.” Throughout the interviews of several delegates, it became clear that those with experience at SOER MUN conferences were much more confident with their answers whereas many of the delegates who were inexperienced with MUN were less outgoing and more concerned about the upcoming event. Even though there were mixed feelings of excitement and intimidation, anticipation was present in every delegates counting down the days to the XLIV Annual Session of THIMUN 2012.
On this day... 100, 75, 50, 25 YEARS AGO The world’s first major document about the devastating effect of overfishing Movie Night: Tuesday Night
1912
The International Opium Convention was signed at The Hague by 12 nations to work toward “the gradual suppression of the abuse of opium, morphine, cocaine.”
1937
In Moscow, leading Communists go on trial, accused of participating in a plot to overthrow Joseph Stalin’s regime and assassinate its leaders.
1952
Tunisians battle French in seaport New Air Violation of Truce Area Laid to U.N. by Peiping
1987
A power struggle among the contras is splitting the Nicaraguan guerrilla movement and threatening the rebel leadership just as they are trying to launch a new offensive.
3 MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012
INTERNATIONAL THIMUN TRIBUNE
PAGE three
Come here often? Journeys to the Conference
chairs have academic objectives as well, aiming to improve their leadership and communication abilities while meeting new Thousands of delegates from people. all over the world have eagerly It seemed to take forever for anticipated this one particular this week of THIMUN to arrive, week in January, commonly and each individual participant known as The Hague Internadeveloped his or her own hopes tional Model United Nations and aims for the upcoming con(THIMUN). The Conference ference over the year. Finally, has become such a success, the time has arrived. because it involves a balance The journey for numerof disciplined work and excitous students from overseas ing entertainment.. Long lost sometimes takes longer than friends reunite and that one 24 hours. But what exactly is attractive admin you eyed last going through the minds of the year will roam the halls of the delegates and chairs a couple World Forum Convention Cenof months prior to the conferter once again. Girls and boys ence? How will they travel to alike plan their outfits for each The Hague? What issues do the day in detail, saving their allowdelegates consider to be most vital to discuss during the conference? Most importantly, what are their expectations and goals? Patrick Tan from Brussels, Chair of GA3 states, “I’ve been active as a delegate a lot, but to lead a committee is a completely new experience and what I am looking forward to the most. Also, as a senior and at my final THIMUN, seeing familiar faces and being able to spend some time with good friends is absolutely incredible.” Furthermore he asserts, “of course I hope to improve my skills as a chair and Thimun Archives - Bliss knowledge of the UN but I also Delegates arriving at Schiphol airport strongly believe that leading and in Amsterdam managing a committee will be ance to buy that one beautiful the most essential experience blazer they saw on the mannethat I will gain from this event. quin However, the delegates and It will be my job to be a good BY DINA FARAG
JFK School Berlin
leader and effective takes about an manager in my comhour and a half. mittee, looking over It is quite relaxa group of delegates, ing; since it is so a team of admin staff short, we can get and even a few other up late on SunStudent Officers.” day, still managChris Preining ing to arrive in from Berlin considthe afternoon to ers the Security check in to the Council (SC) topics hotel and get setto be very thoughttled a day before provoking, seeing as conference.” the conflicts in Syria, Furthermore, Afghanistan and SoClaudia Diedmalia are controvererichs attending Bliss sial and significant Preparation for the Conference begins early and takes hours of hardwork the JFK School to today’s global in Berlin exel to Detroit, followed by an 8 community. plains that the hour flight to Amsterdam along Anya Maurus from Zurich journey to The Hague usually with his peers. Even though his who will be active in the Intertakes approximately 8 hours, journey to The Hague is exnational Court of Justice (ICJ), since her delegation will travel declares, “I find the ICJ issues to tremely time-consuming and tir- by train. Even though the trip be of high importance. Yet, I am ing, Hefler is convinced that the is extremely time-consuming, experiences and new friends he afraid to say that I am disinDiederichs confirms that the will gain will be worth the long terested by the overall topic of journey to The Hague is always oceans and seas, since I consider trip to Holland. fun and entertaining, since the The Stoff member Harrison topics such as human trafficking members sit together and play Churchill from the American or poverty to be of more siggames, allowing them to bond School of Paris describes his nificance and magnitude to our further. journey to The Hague as going civilization today.” Each individual participate rather smoothly, lasting only Additionally, Sebastian in the THIMUN conference has four hours. Churchill explains Fischbach, participating in the his or her own expectations and that the journey back home is Advisory Panel and representthings they look forward to, be extremely depressing, especially it reuniting with old friends, or ing the League of Arab States, is since this Conference will be his looking forward to meeting new preparing oneself for a fruitful last one. people from all over the globe and productive debate, THIAssistant President of the while simultaneously mastering MUN entails a range of diverse the challenges presented to him, HRC2 Sana Kothari from possibilities that will contribute Belgium states “We usually considering that this will be his to the great success that the travel to The Hague by bus, and first THIMUN experience. THIMUN conference is famous share the bus with the delegaSam Hefler, representing the for. tions from the International World Bank in GA2, from St. Louis, Missouri, has first to trav- School of Brussels, (ISB) which
History in the making: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia BY Alli shapiro
Heidelberg AHS
With its modern furniture and rows of laptops, the space could be a university classroom. However, far from awaiting students with books in hand, it waits for Radovan Karadzic, former president of the Serb Republic. Karadzic himself awaits a verdict. He has been charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws or customs of war. Now, just across the street from the World Forum, Karadzic is on trial by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). After World War II, communist leader Josip Broz Tito maintained control of Yugoslavia. Independent of the USSR, Tito used his own brand of totalitarianism to repress the ideologies of various ethnic groups within the country. Upon his death in 1980, the tensions between these ethnic groups reemerged, creating seven nations from the splinters of a united Yugoslavia: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. It was in Bosnia-Herzegovina that Karadzic rose to power, becoming the president of a nationalist Bosnian-Serb government that challenged the legitimacy of the
leaders recognized by the United Nations in 1992. During the three-year war that followed, Karadzic pursued an agenda of ethnic cleansing, most visible during the massacre at Srebrenica where 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed. Karadzic was allegedly involved in the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted for the duration of the war and resulted in the
After the war, Karadzic went into hiding for 12 years, during which time he was able to visit family and to publish two books. When finally captured by Serbian forces in 2008, Karadzic was living and working as a new age healer under the assumed name Dragan David Dabic. He was transferred to The Hague to stand trial. Once there, Karadzic delayed the trial for six months with claims
ICTY building located across from the World Forum conference center
deaths of approximately 12,000 civilians. In his opening statements, Karadzic denied complicity in the siege, alleging that the Bosnian army organized the killings in order to gain sympathy from NATO.
thimun archives
that he had not received sufficient time to prepare, but proceedings began in March 2010. Karadzic—an erudite man who studied at Columbia University—has chosen to represent himself. In his open-
ing statement, Karadzic accused the trial officials of having already decided his guilt, saying, “I am surprised and concerned as well to see how the Prosecution is acting in various situations. They would like to have a trial without any corpus delicti*. They would like us to say, ‘All right, let’s just get together and agree to prosecute and find people guilty.’ But this Defense has much criticism to make of that stance and will not allow it to go forward…” His trial will likely continue for a year or more. Formed under Chapter 7 of the Charter of the United Nations, the ICTY creates binding decisions. The organization has informed the Security Council that it expects to complete all trial activity by 2014. The eventual goal of the ICTY is to “assist in building the capacity of national courts in the former Yugoslavia to handle war crime cases.” Aside from Karadzic, there are currently 15 other men on trial. Delegates wishing to attend the trials should be aware that they are held from 09:00 to 19:00, with a break in the middle of the day for lunch. English, French, and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian translations are available. Those under the age of 16 may not attend.
4 MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012
INTERNATIONAL THIMUN TRIBUNE
PAGE FOUR There’s a whole ‘nother world out there... How to “play hard” in Den Haag By Isla McDougall Benenden School
It’s tempting, especially when delegates will not see sunlight for the duration of THIMUN (with the exception of Wednesday afternoon); to think that there is nothing outside of the committee room. Well this would be a grave mistake, because far from just being ‘The Hague’ as an MUN conference, the city of Den Haag is a bustling city that is often referred to as the ‘judicial capital of the world’. Therefore despite the temptation to collapse onto your bed, it is vital that delegates make the most of their sparse free time. ‘Escher in het Palais’ is a mustsee for anyone who is interested in the works of the famous artist MC Escher, the museum features most of his works, including the 7 meter long Metamorphosis III and interactive devices that let you explore optical illusions. Also well worth a visit is the ‘Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis’, a 17th century palace, which houses a world famous collection of art, including paintings from the ‘Dutch Golden Age’ with artists such as Vermeer, Rembrandt, Jan Steen, and Frans Hals. It is also possible to quite literally go ‘where the magic happens’ and take a guided tour through ‘Het Binnenhof’, where Dutch Parliament is held. A 50-minute tour is also held at the ‘Vredespalais’, or ‘Peace Palace’where you can see, amongst other things, the ‘Great hall of Justice’ where the International Court of Justice holds sessions. Watch a film in the cinema either in the center of town or at Scheveningen Beach, where even in winter there are a number of things to do; stroll down the boulevard, go to the theater, have a meal at one of the various restaurants, or play on the arcade games. All of this will make you hungry so to finish off, visit Popocateptl, a Mexican restaurant that serves tap water in Tequila bottles. Another favourite right in the centre of town is Los Argentinos, where you can enjoy good quality and good value steaks the Argentinean way. For Italian at a great price head to Vapiano, a self service Italian restaurant in the centre of town. So use this guide to help you to follow the important trick in life; work hard, play hard!
The Hague Nightscape
Can THIMUN delegates really make a difference? Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary General, says “Yes”
of cooperating with the Taliban and farming opium. A few months later, he read that the
United Nations finds THIMUN resolutions inspiring affirms the change delegates can make
solutions that could bring true change for the better and find the middle ground for all na-
Security Council had passed a resolution with the same concept, “I’m not sure we had any influence on this, but we were proud of ourselves either-way.” Interestingly enough, it is very possible that these students had a say in world affairs. All THIMUN resolutions passed in the General Assembly are edited and sent to the United Nations Department of Publications and Information. After being sent, many of these resolutions are read by the UNDPI representatives, thus it is very possible that they take some of THIMUN’s original ideas and propose them to the UN representatives. Ms. Linda Dubock, Chair of the Board, also mentioned that Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary General, stated that many of the resolutions read by representatives have proven to be very inspiring. The fact that the former Secretary General of the
in the issues of today. People always say that the world is in our hands, that our generation holds the key to the future. As students from around the world gather for this next week to lobby, debate, compromise, and better understand the problems we face in our world, what better time to take this statement seriously? It is a known fact that current politics greatly lack compromise and strong peace-seeking initiatives. As it will soon be our turn to make the decisions, it is vital that people begin to propose ideas they find both realistic and optimistic. One of the reasons THIMUN resolutions are very successful is that delegates follow their countries’ respective foreign policies: however, sticking within the policy’s borders does not mean following it blindly. Take this week to try to pass comprehensive
tions. This coming week provides all students with a priceless opportunity to work in tandem with the leaders of tomorrow. Not only is this practice and experience for the future, but also provides a possibility for THIMUN resolutions to make a difference in today’s world. Knowing that UN representatives read the resolutions puts the importance of the work into perspective. One student rightly commented, “It’s amazing that the ideas of high school students get passed on like that and have the opportunity to make a difference in the world.” THMUN is a rare occasion for students’ effort and ideas to be taken into account by the United Nations. With a full conference week ahead of us, it will be interesting to see what new solutions are presented by THIMUN 2012 to the United Nations.
By Leila Elabbady IS Brussels
Every year, over 3,200 students gather in The Hague, debating and constructing comprehensive resolutions on the current problems in our world today. A common question that lingers on many of our minds is: what really happens to all these resolutions after the conference is over? Current and previous delegates were asked what they thought happened to the THIMUN resolutions after the conference. Cedric Boutsen of Belgium (Special Conference 1) believed, “They are put on the website each year for the archives, where delegates can refer to them for information and THIMUN history.” Thought Emir Younis of Egypt (General Assembly Sub-Commision 5), “I’m not sure if they are used for anything specific after the conference but I think they would get reused as a basis of ideas for next year. For truly commited delegates, these resolutions can be referred to for guidance or kept for future use in such affairs.” As true as all these opinions may be, one response greatly hinted towards the actual importance and influence of the THIMUN resolutions. Matthew Finney, a previous THIMUN delegate and chair from the International School of Brussels, revealed an interesting story about what he thought happened to the resolutions. Two years ago, while debating the Taliban crisis in Afghanistan, Finney’s commission passed a resolution proposing that the UN drop pictorial leaflets in the mountainous and rural areas of the country explaining the dangers
CREATIVE COMMONS
5 MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012
INTERNATIONAL THIMUN TRIBUNE
PAGE Five The faces of thimun Meet Leonie Reese, Secretary General of THIMUN XLIV The story behind the most famous face of the Conference By Charlotte Smith ACS Hillingdon
THIMUN is the world’s most recognized Model United Nations, and our student leader and dedicated coordinator each year is given the title of Sectary General (SG). This year, Leonie Reese has taken the post, and it is clear that she has what it takes to make this week special. Originally from Hamburg, Germany, Leonie attends the International School of The Hague. She’s passionate about MUN, of course, but is also interested in photography, music, painting, surfing, and theatre – she’s attended a school for musical productions for six years. Leonie began MUN in 2007, at JMUN in Istanbul. She describes herself at her first conference as “nervous” – something we can all relate to. ”Just going up to people and speaking English, a language which I had only just started learning
in school was super with the work of intimidating. But the coordinating the Chairs managed to most prestigious motivate me to speak conference in and after that, I was the world, but hooked.” Now sevenLeonie says she teen, Leonie has been really enjoys it. to fourteen MUN conThe majority of ferences, including her work involves last year’s THIMUN, emailing the delwhere she was the egates and others Deputy Secretary in the Student General (DSG). Officers. She’s Trying not to also running a be cheesy, Leonie workshop for all describes how THIof the Chairs, but MUN gives students the main bulk an opportunity to of her work in have their voices the week itself, Evelyn Duindam heard. “We have a where she will be Secretary General, Leonie Reese, has high hopes for this year’s Conference forum through which running around on we are able to reach her walkie-talkie, lucky enough to live in that is the time to conout to real politicians making everything run The Hague, I knew that by vince them you’re the and tell them our ideas smoothly. being a part of the team I one. Although this was and our concerns.” Aside On this year’s theme could contribute to a conthe second time I applied, from that, Leonie believes “Oceans and Seas”, Leonie ference that means very the whole process was still that THIMUN is great for says that all issues will be much to me personally. I so exciting and made me learning about the UN, of high importance. “One wanted not just to attend really nervous. What if I its procedures and how issue that stands out to the conference, but to help didn’t get the position? it changes our world in me in particular is that of make it happen, to make What if I did? The time a peaceful way. Leonie ‘Fair and equal access to the experience of being until I heard back about has met several friends at the natural resources of at THIMUN as special as my appointment was posTHIMUN, and says that the oceans’ in the Special it had been to me in previ- sibly what felt like the lonthe friendships always Conference on Oceans and ous years.” gest couple of days of my outlast the duration of Seas (SCOS). It addresses But how did Leonie life.” Luckily for Leonie, the conference. She also a highly pressing issue, obtain this level of MUN she gained the position, says that the people she’s which is of concern to a stardom? She applied and urges anyone who met have helped her learn large group of nations, directly to the Board of loves MUN and would like about other cultures and if not to all. Therefore I Directors, with a letter the extra push of leaderoutlooks on life - another believe that resolutions of motivation, a refership to enroll for a posigreat skill for the future of discussing it will have a ence and some personal tion at THIMUN. the world. great impact on the world details, and waited for an At the forefront of the Leonie’s experiences we live in and may well interview appointment. THIMUN week, Leonie previously in MUN, as a be able to prevent future “At the interview you get has a team of 4 DSG’s chair and DSG, led her to conflicts.” She’s quick to the chance to meet three - Sandra, Thomas, Laumaking the decision that say that this year’s topic members of the Board rent and Anna. She’ll the Sectary General was shouldn’t only be environin person and of course, be in for the long haul the role for her. “Being mental (I’m sure it was
the first thing to pop into many of your heads), but that the oceans and seas are also “a gateway to trade, a rich store of resources and the element connecting all nations with one another.” She also touches on the importance of natural resources, saying that because of the UN we can regulate the water in a peaceful manner. “The protection of seas and oceans cannot be achieved by a few nations on their own, it is vital that decisions are made on an international scale, as facilitated by the UN.” Like many of us out there, her favorite part of the THIMUN week is the Opening Ceremony, and she has her share of MUN memories - “Last year with the Secretariat, when one of us forgot to switch off their walkie-talkie and we got to listen in to very interesting conversations for 20 minutes or so.” I think we all know where that led…. As a senior, this will be Leonie’s last THIMUN conference. She has university plans, and has applied to British and German colleges with plans to study PPE or International Relations and History. She passes on her luck this week, and hopes you all have as much fun as she has had in her MUN career.
Our one and only: Ms. Linda Dubock revision of the THIMUN
By Sekheena deslorieux Handbook, selecting the key-note speaker, choosMont’ Kiara IS
Little is known about our Chair of the Board of THIMUN, Linda Dubock, who has been involved in MUN since 1996, and worked her way up to the position Chair of the Board with a never-ending supply of effort, concentration and passion. One might wonder: “What does the Board of THIMUN do?” For starters, they begin their preparation for the conference–almost a year in advance. The Board first agrees upon a theme of the Conference and then decides on the issues that will be debated. Included among the small tasks organized by the Board are deciding which schools are invited, completing a
ing the charity of the conference, and organizing housing, bus services and transportation. It is a lot of work but Ms. Dubock says, “We all work as a team and it is fun!” Ms. Dubock’s rise to the top began after working with David Williams, one of the founders of THIMUN. Ms. Dubock became fascinated with the MUN program and after two years of helping the Secretariat of THIMUN, she was invited to join the Board. When asked what attracted her to MUN, Ms. Dubock replied “I love the idea of young people working together for tolerance and sustainable peace throughout the world.” She believes that through the MUN pro-
gramme, better diplomacy and understanding can be achieved in the future. Ms. Dubock stresses the hard work involved with organizing The Hague International Model United Nations Conference. The Board of THIMUN meets at least once a month to prepare for the conference. Though many believe her position is one to be envied, Ms. Dubock emphasises that it requires a good amount of time and energy. “Just answering at least 50 emails a day and checking that all of the Board members have been informed of any significant business is quite a job!” The pinnacle of Ms. Dubock’s THIMUN experience was meeting her great hero, Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, when she
attended the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa. “He has such a great sense of humour and is very modest.” Another highlight was meeting, Kofi Annan – when he came to the closing ceremonies of THIMUN. Ms. Dubock, who has worked with countless teenagers from all over the world, feels she is still a teenager at heart. When asked what she does in her free time, Ms Dubock answered with “What free time?” Though being in the Chair of the Board of THIMUN is a voluntary job that takes up most of Ms. Dubock’s time – apart from her teaching, she enjoys theatre and playing tennis. She also loves sailing but finds that she has very little time to enjoy this hobby.
Ms. Dubock encourages delegates at THIMUN to come prepared and be productive in the lobbying and debate. She also urges participants of the conference to stick to the rules of the dress code. “It is embarrassing for all to see the
knickers of girls when they walk or sit.” She is looking forward to the conference this year and further encourages that delegates enjoy themselves. “Have fun but pace yourselves so you are not too exhausted to debate!”
thimun archives - Bliss
Ms. Dubock at the 2011 Conference, sporting her signature flower brooch
6 MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012
INTERNATIONAL THIMUN TRIBUNE
PAGE SIX World map By Vicky Liu
John Burroughs School
Where do delegates come from? Afghanistan 1 Albania 2 Algeria 1 Argentina 3 Australia 34 Austria 4 Bahrain 2 Bangladesh 4 Barbados 1 Belgium 38 Brazil 35 Bulgaria 3 Canada 45
Cape Verde 1 Chile 6 China 45 Colombia 21 Costa Rica 2 Cote d’Ivoire 1 Cuba 1 Cyprus 25 Denmark 29 Dominican Republic 2 Ecuador 21 Egypt 66 El Salvador 1
Finland 20 France 129 Georgia 1 Germany 328 Greece 89 Guatemala 1 Hungary 11 Iceland 3 India 97 Indonesia 10 Iran 1 Iraq 1 Ireland 26
Israel 8 Italy 89 Jamaica 2 Japan 31 Jordan 22 Kazakhstan 3 Kenya 1 Korea, Rep. of 59 Kuwait 5 Latvia 2 Lebanon 4 Lithuania 1 Luxembourg 2
Malaysia 8 Malta 1 Mauritania 1 Mexico 27 Namibia 1 Nepal 1 Netherlands 238 New Zealand 22 Nigeria 1 Norway 28 Pakistan 17 Palestine 2 Panama 11
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INTERNATIONAL THIMUN TRIBUNE
PAGE SEVEN World map
Philippines 9 Poland 11 Portugal 16 Qatar 6 Romania 7 Russian Federation 18 Saudi Arabia 18 Sierra Leone 1 Singapore 36 Slovenia 2 South Africa 8 Spain 53 Sri Lanka 4
Sudan 13 Sweden 12 Switzerland 20 Tanzania 4 Thailand 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 Tunisia 1 Turkey 142 Uganda 1 Ukraine 2 UAE 15 United Kingdom 197 United States 596
Uruguay 3 Uzbekistan 2 Venezuela 14 Viet Nam 4 Zambia 2 Zimbabwe 7
THIMUN welcomes four new schools this year: Zimbabwe - Chisipite Senior School Romania - AIS Bucharest Denmark - Herlufsholm Skole Colombia - Colegio Biling端e Richmond
8 MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012
INTERNATIONAL THIMUN TRIBUNE
PAGE eight Thimun: new and old THIMUN in review: A brief history of the Conference By Charlotte Smith ACS Hillingdon
In January 2011, 3,150 students from over 100 countries and more than 200 schools participated in the 43rd session of THIMUN. But how did this monumental gathering of globally minded students start? What began THIMUN, and made it the week we all love? As early as 1920, records show that American students were taking part in simulations of the League of Nations, the organization that is now the United Nations. While THIMUN itself did not exist until 1968, MUN experiences, or the like, have been happening for many years. Mr. Paul Sand, from The American School of The Hague (ASH), put together the first Model United Nations in The Hague - little did he know that it would become the most recognized MUN in the entire world. Originally, this little conference was held at the Holiday Inn in Leiden, with around 200 pupils attending. The World Forum Convention Centre was not built for the first conference, but by the second conference the building was ready for use, and THIMUN has been there ever since. THIMUN has changed dramatically over the years. Originally the conference was largely made up of students from American Schools, but in 1974 William F. Hungerford was employed at ASH with a different aim
THIMUN Additions Over the Approval Panels, to improve Years... the quality of the resolutions
An Advisory Board, consisting of driven and inspiring teachers
for THIMUN. His main goal was to internationalize the week, and he did so by inviting the British School and the local non-Englishspeaking schools (German, French, Dutch) to participate. The British School in the Netherlands (BSN) got involved in 1975 with Pamela Senior (later van Driel) as Advisor, and the German School of The Hague (DSDH) joined a year later in 1976, with David Williams as Advisor. The conference then averaged around 700 participating students, and the organization was entirely in the hands of the American School, which provided the Secretary-General, the President of the GA and the President of the Security Council, as well as all the Security Guards (all male) and the Secretaries (all female). The Committee Chairs were selected from applicants from any of the schools attending - but not until they arrived at the conference. There was no MUN newspaper. It was not until 1982 that the conference was named THIMUN, as it was ‘just the MUN conference that just happened to be in The Hague” prior to this. This change in name took place when the organizational abilities of The American School were outstretched, and an association for the conference had to be established to guarantee it would still take place. At this point there were 1,000 students who visited The Hague each year. It was registered as a non-profit
Setting up of a permanent office in The Hague and the appointment of a full-time Business and Conference Manager
Student Officer team, with proper selection and training of student leaders
organization, initially in New York, later in The Netherlands, and the Board consisted of Mr. William F. Hungerford, Ms Pamela C. Senior and Mr. David L. Williams. In 1983, the first conference under the banner of THIMUN was held. Prince Willem-Alexander, Crown Prince of The Netherlands, was a delegate and Her Majesty, Queen Beatrix opened the conference, which has historically been a highlight of THIMUN. In the 1990’s THIMUN began sending its reports to the actual UN and our delegates began visiting actual international conferences. Around this time, Mary Stein established MUNITY, and ever since the press team has run around crazily at THIMUN conferences. Several people have been involved in THIMUN. In 2007 Princess Mabel (the International Advocacy Director of the Open Society Institute which is based in London and part of the Soros Foundations Network) accepted the title of Patron of the THIMUN Foundation for a period of five years – which is almost over. The THIMUN office in The Hague is permanently staffed, and the website receives much traffic in the lead up to the conference. The Board of THIMUN has remained very orientated in The Hague, with teachers from the Deutsche Internationale Schule Den Haag, the British School in The Netherlands, the Lyceé Français Vincent van Gogh, the
International School of The Hague, Gymnasium Novum, the American School in The Hague and the Da Vinci College Leiden on the board, just to name a few. However, THIMUN is now international, with conferences in Qatar and Singapore, as well as the Youth Assembly, which was established in 2001. THIMUN-related conferences are still growing in number – there are over 14 different countries that have their own “THIMUN” conventions. The Hague’s conference has grown to 3,500 participants and above. It hard to think that the delegates didn’t turn up in suits once upon-a-time, but in the early years the delegates use to dress-up in costumes for the countries they represented. The quality of the conferences has improved dramatically, and as the world has grown more racially and sexually open-minded, so has THIMUN. Now we have schools from all 5 continents participating. We also have students from Russia and Eastern Europe, which was not possible before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, THIMUN gives teenagers throughout the world a chance to contribute to the changes in the world. We have opportunities to express what we think should happen in the world we inhibit. This year’s conference will be no different, but you never know what little changes could add up to an absolutely altered THIMUN in twenty years.
The annual Reports Book, in which the results of the delegates’ work are published and distributed to the United Nations and other international organizations
Restructuring of the THIMUN conference in 1993 to include a Model International Court of Justice, the Special Conference and the three permanent commissions on Disarmament, Environment and Human Rights
The acquiring of Roster Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
The accreditation of THIMUN as an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) with the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI)
THIMUN Qatar: Another eye-opening opportunity By Isla McDougall Benenden School
THIMUN Qatar held its first annual session from November 15th through 18th this year at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha, Qatar. The conference was created as a joint project between the Qatar Foundation and the THIMUN Foundation in order to enable young people from the Middle East who are not able to access THIMUN in The Hague to participate in such a large scale conference. Ms. Linda Dubock, Chairperson of the THIMUN Foundation said: “if they can’t come to us, we’ll come to them.” MUN conferences allow youths to develop leadership, be educated about the United Nations and current issues on a global scale. Mr. Cameron Janzen, Director of The THIMUN Qatar Regional Office described the purpose of MUN: “it’s all about developing student leaders, trying to get students to take ownership of global issues.” The format and goals of THIMUN Qatar are very similar to THIMUN; there are regular committees as well as
an Advisory Panel and a Press Team also playing an important role. However, there was also a special committee on the Middle East that discussed current issues in the host region. The conference was a huge success, with 1200 delegates emerging enthralled and captured by MUN. Delegates enthused that THIMUN Qatar, “broaden[s] my view of the world,” “really does help us in real life,” “helps with my studies,” “gives you an idea of how things are run around the world, how decisions are made,” and “lets you make new friends, meet new people.” MUN was clearly fulfilling its aims when a delegate described: “what we’re learning is not only our skills for debating but also about issues that are relevant.” MUN is a vital mechanism for developing links between young people throughout the world, it does not matter where a conference is; we are all connected by the global issues that we face, and that we must face, for we are those who will have to solve them. The flag processional at the Opening Ceremonies of THIMUN Qatar
thimun archives
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PAGE nine Save Our Seas (continued from page one) According to Greenpeace, “It has been estimated that over a million sea birds and one hundred thousand marine mammals and sea turtles are killed each year by ingestion of plastics or entanglement.” Plastic pollution accounts for nearly 90 percent of all marine pollution. Plastic is especially harmful because it takes a long time to decompose, and many marine animals mistake plastic garbage for food or become twisted and tangled in the garbage and eventually starve to death. When eaten, the garbage can block airways and stomachs of these animals, and lead to choking and asphyxiation. Solid pollution
washes ashore and litters beaches and coasts, affecting humans and land animals as well. Another phenomenon that shows the extreme levels of pollution in our oceans and seas is the, “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Ocean currents have gathered pieces of solid pollution into a huge, “plastic soup” that is
estimated to hold 100 million tons of junk. Located off the coast of California, and stretching almost to Japan, this garbage patch is twice the size of the United States. Fertilizers and pesticides that run off into oceans and seas cause problems in oceans and seas as well. These chemicals have been used in increasing amounts since the 1950’s. Fertilizer sup-
plement nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphate are not necessarily harmful but can alter the environment and change the ecosystems. Pesticides are poisons
earth. Rising sea levels, an increase in water temperature and changing species distributions are all signs that global warming and climate change is stressing our oceans and seas. One example of the potential for negative effects of cli-
meant to kill insects that eat certain crops, and if they enter the ocean through groundwater runoff they may harm the coastal ecosystems. Of course, environmental issues cannot be discussed without mentioning the huge topic in today’s world: climate change. Global warming is a huge problem that affects everyone on this
mate change on our oceans and seas are coral reefs. Coral reefs are a habitat for a huge amount of small sea life, and are extremely delicate. Coral bleaching is the phenomenon in which corals, “expel the algae living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white” (oceanservice.noaa. gov). Coral bleaching
occurs when temperatures get too warm, and after long exposure to these overheated environments, the coral will die. Also, as the carbon dioxide levels increase in the atmosphere, the oceans become more acidic. According to an article in The Guardian, this could lead to, “The world’s coral reefs disinte-
Outer space: a cosmic cocktail By max enthoven JFK School Berlin
At the beginning of human civilization, men and women would ask themselves basic questions like, “What is the world made of?” and “What holds the world together?” Since these early days, mankind has come up myriads of ideas and theories, has conducted experiments, and has recorded data. From that knowledge, humanity has evolved in thinking, and the essential questions we ask ourselves are the same, yet in a more refined and specific way. Sophisticated telescopes have now identified nearly 300 planets outside our solar system, also known as exowww.tagxedo.com planets, which could be inhabited by grating living organisms. before the end of the Unfortunately, the launching century.” of NASA’s final space shuttle proThe problems gramme on July 8th last year illusdescribed affect our oceans and seas today, trated the tarnishing passion and the unreadiness to fund these grossly and the hopefully the expensive projects. While we have delegates at THIMUN the technological capacity, the ambiwill keep these issues in mind while debating tion to further explore the infinite galaxies might now shift from the and making decisions. traditional space faring powers RusLiving unsustainably sia and the US to rising superpowers and the consequences of doing so affect all the such as China and India. Desire for organisms on Earth, no scarce land or resources have bred quarrels between nations on earth, matter what country yet now, as Chafer asserts, “we’re gothey live in. ing to have to deal and grapple with that nations view their fundamental interests as being inextricably tied to space activity.” The radically high expenses and dangers of entering the unknown of money owed are far vastness deter many from initiattoo large for the weaking projects or getting involved in ened Union to simply space activity. For example, accordabsolve, a method that ing to NASA, the launch of the space would allow the counshuttle approximately piled up to tries to recover. Instead, $1.2 billion. Moreover, the orbiting the cornered European of the International Space Station Union can only attempt (ISS) costs all contributors $100 bilto rescue these countries lion in total according to journalist with bailouts, pumpJ.R. Minkel from space.com. Due to ing money into not only these perverse costs and its further Greece, but also Italy, uselessness, the ISS will be returning Spain, and Portugal. The to earth by 2020, smashing further thing is, the bailouts are aspirations of experiencing and extiny in comparison the ploring space close to the action. huge debts. The Union is Notwithstanding the criticism therefore expecting the about flight in the unchartered cosbillion-dollar bailouts to mos, man’s curiosity should engennot only produce the tril- der the seeking of extraterrestrial life lion-dollar debt, but also or the exploration of the conundrums to rebuild and rescue the of space in general. After all, we are economies of entire nachildren of the universe. tions. But given its fragile condition and its inability to act as a single country to control the debt by withholding or spending euros, the only option the European Union has to deal with the debt crisis is to produce ineffective but effective-sounding policies, uselessly pump money into drowning economies, and hope for the best. Perhaps it is actually the Union that needs saving.
A beginner’s guide to understanding the Euro crisis In order to understand what the world has deemed the “European Debt Crisis,” a closer look at these countries is necessary.
By Vicky liu John Burroughs School
The European Union. It seemed like a simple idea in 1993; uniting Europe to help support each country in their time of need. And for the most part, the European Union was extremely successful, growing to include 27 countries. However, recently, due to the large and growing debts of various Eurozone countries including Spain, Ireland, Italy, and Greece, the idea that seemed so simple in 1993 no longer seems like a practical idea. Ireland’s debt crisis is the result of a long history of unscrupulous financiers and bankers in the housing sector. The crimes accumulated into a complete crash of the Irish property market that was spurred on by the 2008 global economy crisis. The crash of the housing market angered many of the Irish investors, who believed that they had been unfairly duped by lying financiers. The distrust manifested in Ireland’s huge downgrade of its credit rating
in July 2011, leaving governmental bonds unpurchased and racking up a large national debt. Spain and Italy showed financial issues as well, which both manifested in the form the people’s unwillingness to buy bonds--Spain and Italy are getting desperate for loans and have attempted to motivate investors by promising higher rewards in the future, which they most likely will not be able to repay. Greece, the designated scapegoat of the European crisis, doesn’t deserve all of the blame it has been given. Interestingly, the debt accumulated in Greece was not the government’s fault. The main cause of the debt was mass tax evasion—the people in Greece refused to pay taxes, thereby cutting off the government’s revenue. The Greek government isn’t completely innocent, though. The European Union offered to bail Greece out no less than three times, with Greece’s agreement to austerity measures. However, Greece ignored the austerity measures
and chose to continue spending more than they earned. It’s easy enough to see why these countries are in debt. Bad government calls, and quite a bit of bad luck as well. Why they are staying in debt is easy to see as well. Again, bad government calls and bad luck, but also quite a bit of resistance from the people themselves. For all of the countries in debt, the governments have found it difficult to cut government spending without spurring riots. The hard part to understand is how country debts translate to the fall of the euro. It is essential to realize the purpose of the European Union. One of the most enticing ideas of the European Union is the idea that if one country shall fall, the rest of Europe will unite to save it. However, given the economic crisis of 2008, the Union is not strong enough to save Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland. Because the majority of the debts of these countries are to the Union, and because the amounts
FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS
Earth from space
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PAGE TEN
A year of natural destruction “The Deadliest Year in a Generation” By Mariana Domingues CAISL
The Japanese government has been spending and losing large quantities of money as a result of this closing. “Japan should build a tougher infrastructure with their buildings, and it would be a good idea to specialize a rescue crew/team that is qualified enough for such natural disasters,” states Mohammad El Kahlout from Qatar Academy. Mohammad will be representing Japan at this year’s conference and firmly believes that Japan’s well-educated population and advanced technology will allow for the country to success-
quence. With great regret we have to say that 570 people died and several are still not found. The province Van is a rather rural area where mostly rather poor people live,” states Dominik Szymanski from Martin Luther Gymnasium, who is representing Turkey at this year’s Conference. Countries such as France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan have provided tents, blankets, generators, and rescue workers to aid in the recovery process that the Turkish government has made its main priority. Dominik also
“Last year, the world seemed to go wild with natural disasters in the deadliest year in a generation,” stated Julie Reed Bell in the Huffington Post. This year, countries have suffered profoundly as a result of devastating tsunamis, floods, and earthquakes. Natural disasters occur without warning in numerous places around the world. Precious, innocent lives are lost; however, humanitarian and disaster relief will always provide a spark of hope to those affected. Some countries respond more quickly than others, either through international humanitarian disaster relief or local assistance from the country’s government and army. Nine months ago, Japan experienced the shocking aftermath of the northeast CREATIVE COMMONS coast’s most powerful reThailand hit by massive floods over the last year corded earthquake. The 8.9 magnitude earthquake profully overcome the aftermath mentioned that, “the Turkish voked a 23-foot tsunami that of this natural disaster. government is trying its best claimed over 11,000 lives. In Twelve years after the infor recovery and for this the addition to this, the earthfamous 1999 earthquake that Red Crescent works together quake and tsunami had drastic killed nearly 20,000 people, with an international team of effects on Japan’s economy. another major earthquake salvage specialists.” Due to the One of the country’s larghit the city of Van in eastern damages caused and the apest nuclear power plants, the Turkey. “I think everybody proximately 2, 622 buildings Fukushima Plant, was shut agrees that the death of people collapsed, the Turkish governdown due to fear of leaks. is always the worst consement is also considering re-
forms of building regulations. At the beginning of the monsoon season of 2011, massive floods hit the capital city of Thailand. Since late July, Thailand has been attempting to protect itself against the floods by reinforcing floodgates, to no avail. Over 500 people have been killed and the rising waters have displaced many thousands more. The evacuation of certain districts of Bangkok have already begun and billions of dollars have been set aside for rebuilding the city. According to reports, the severe flooding has cost the country approximately 5.1 billion USD due to damages. Nevertheless, humanitarian organizations continue to feel apprehensive about people living in close proximity to filthy floodwater. In general, the terrible flooding has affected about 13.5 million people. The poor and the rich have been equally affected and it is only through cooperation, assistance from others, and will power that Thailand will see change for the better. In the end, hope and harmony will always reach those who never lose faith. When people as well as entire countries and nations come together and cooperate with one another, anything can be achieved.
Reducing your carbon footprint 101 How to offset the impact of transportation to THIMUN by Vicky liu
John Burroughs School
We are all reminded constantly about the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle—to protect our environment. We feel guilty for throwing away paper, for leaving lights on, for wasting water—as we should. With the huge carbon footprint from flying in delegates from all over the world, perhaps your environmental conscience should be at its peak this week at THIMUN. The THIMUN organization does its best to counteract the environmental effects of delegate transportation by sending most of its notices by emails to save paper and ink and using recycled paper for the printed work it still has. Instead of using eco-unfriendly plastic bags, THIMUN packs our lunches in recyclable paper bags. Furthermore, note that at the conference, there are recycling bins for paper waste, so watch out for those. If you need some inspiration to become eco-friendly, simply look to the participating schools. St. Paul’s British
School (located in São Paulo, Brazil) is surging forward in the fight to be green— and better yet the students are active participants. St. Paul’s challenges its students to think of ways the school could be more eco-friendly: from having annual “Green Weeks” during which students learn about innovative ways to be green, to coming up with ideas to make a new building as green as possible. In Singapore, the students at the Overseas Family School (OFS) are also doing their part. The school’s computers are completely recyclable, and students and faculty make the extra effort to recycle their toner cartridges as well. For its air conditioning, OFS uses eco-refrigerants (most air conditioners integrate refrigerants, which contribute severely to greenhouse gas emissions). And of course, OFS heavily emphasizes the importance of recycling. Not only is it extremely easy to make these changes, but as a teacher of St. Paul’s said, “small changes, which can be easily made, make a big difference.” Being green isn’t a lifestyle, it’s a mentality. Just keep the environmental impact in mind when you make choices, and you will be contributing to the mission to protect the environment as it is.
To get you started on your mission to be green, here’s a list of four easy ways to be greener:
1
Boycott bottled water. Not only is it extremely easy to bring your own water bottle from home, it eliminates tons of plastic waste.
2
Don’t leave your cellphone charger plugged in. Irritatingly, even when your phone isn’t connected, the charger still pointlessly sucks up energy. Similarly, don’t leave appliances on stand-by.
3
Instead of Google, use Blackle! The energy used for a white computer screen is huge compared to the energy needed for a black screen, and this search engine (which runs off of Google) has saved over 2,785,888.859 Watt hours!
4
Use lamps instead of ceiling lights to provide task-specific lighting. By using lamps to light up just what you need, no energy is wasted in lighting up the rest of the room.
Bringing down the regime The UN’s Response to the Arab Spring By Anna Bradley-Webb AS of Paris
In early 2011, Tunisians took to the streets to protest. Amidst the noise of the peaceful protest that soon escalated into a horrific scene of mass violence and police intervention, one chant could be heard: “ash-shab yurid isqat an-nizam”: the people want to bring down the regime. In the months to follow, this slogan spread across the Arab world. In Egypt, nonviolent protest against the autocratic regime of the dictator Mubarak broke out partially in response to the uprising in Tunisia. While it led to the ultimate resignation of Mubarak, civilians were met with police brutality, corruption, rigged elections, and little improvement in daily life. In Syria, civil war erupted as the people attempted to bring down their regime. Torture, violence, and lawlessness prevailed as the government clashed with the rebels and defied all international pressure. These uprisings were clearly modern. In some countries, rebels used Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites to communicate with others and with the outside world. Before he left, the dictator Mubarak attempted to cut off his country’s access to the internet in order to quell the uprisings. However, the internet became a crucial link between the oppressed other nations. For the United Nations, this unrest had severe diplomatic implications. Any support for Arab nations would implicitly challenge the power of the United States of America, Israel’s most powerful ally. At first, therefore, the UN remained silent on this issue; soon the human rights violations, infringement of treaties, and breaches of international codes of conduct became too high to ignore. While numerous UN committees addressed this issue, few were effective. The European Council and its affiliated Arab groups called for an embargo to limit Syria’s resources; however, Syria responded by terminating its membership with the European Council’s Arab group. The Security Council imposed strict sanctions on Syria; this, too, had limited effect. In the words of British Prime Minister David Cameron in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, “here at the UN, we have a responsibility to stand up against regimes that persecute their people.” The United Nations is imperfect in its ways of supporting popular movements against a government, and in fulfilling its capacity as a mediator and defender of human rights. However, the influence of such an organization cannot be underestimated: the popular sentiment was clear, and the UN acted accordingly to help bring down the regimes.
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PAGE eleven
Is the rise of social networking distracting from our attention to local issues? Worldwide trends toward technological interactions broaden our global view; but do they threaten the attention we give to our local community? ALLIE MILLER
American School of Paris
Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Tumblr, Myspace, Google plus, last.fm for the musicians, Linkedln for the business world, Flixster for the movie buffs, Flickr for our photo-loving hipster friends, Qzone, and Tuenti for the Chinese and Spanish communities, Club Penguin for our little brothers and sisters – there is a social networking site for everyone. Most of these websites have become such a common part of our lives that we can hardly imagine day-to-day life without them. However, they are more than just an easy way to communicate and share with the people in the world around us. They have changed the way we act socially, mentally, and politically. Imagine being a teenager, attending THIMUN 20 years ago. True the world was very different: there was no financial crisis, no major conflict in the Middle-East, and earth’s population was a mere 5 billion. Some of the major events you would have been exposed to in your early teens would have included the fall of the Berlin Wall, the resignation of Margaret Thatcher, the Hubble Space telescope launch, Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The journey you were about to embark on was much
greater than the one you have done today. You were about to meet people from all over the world, with different views and knowledge of the events you had heard about on your TV sets at home. Maybe it was the first time you’d left your home country, or heard certain languages spoken. There was no way to get pages of information
with the click of a button; you couldn’t ask the Chair of you committee their opinions on your resolution by simply ‘friending’ them. There was no way you could debate current events outside your immediate community. Your knowledge of the world and the people in it was significantly more limited than people’s today. Social networking has helped close the gap of ignorance and made the world more transparent, but do those benefits have their limitations? Since the introduction of social media, people have become
more politically active and socially aware. People keep up with their country’s politics online, and campaigns, protests, and rallies are easier to organize than ever. In the Iranian general election in June 2009 for example, websites such as Twitter were key outlets of information and opinion. Despite the eventual blocking of the site by the government, many used foreign proxies to communicate with to the outside world. Due to growing knowledge of problems worldwide, groups varying from high school clubs to NGO’s have been giving international aid to a variety of causes, with the luxury of knowing exactly how they are helping. But have our minds switched gears to thinking on too grand a scale? People often forget about what is at their doorstep. When was the last time you read your town newspaper? Did you know anything about the candidate’s running for mayor in your township or city? Look at the community service clubs at your local high school, how many of them deal with the people in your immediate community, and how many fundraise or send students abroad? Maybe Facebook has not made you ‘anti-social,’ a worry many parents have about social networking sites. But it certainly has changed our perspectives on global progress and community interaction. We may have great ideas on how to change the world, but how can we possibly succeed if we can’t create the change we want to see in the world outside our front doors?
The Olympic resolution for peace Continuing the ancient tradition Sophia hengelbrok JFK Berlin
For the first time ever, all 193 UN member states have agreed to co-sponsor a resolution supporting a truce during the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympics in London. The resolution, entitled, “Building a better world through sport and the Olympic ideal” was adopted in the General Assembly on October 17th, and was met with applause throughout the Chamber. The resolution urges member states to end all hostilities. This is a tradition that originated during the Ancient Olympic Games in order to ensure safe travel and a peaceful environment for both athletes and spectators attending the Olympics. This practice was revived in 1993 and has been continued every two years since, in preparation for the Summer and Winter Olympics. This year’s resolution is a
milestone for the UN because all member states have agreed to co-sponsor the truce. The previous record for member states supporting the truce was during the 2004
Olympics in Athens, where 191 states took part. The record number of sponsors of this year’s resolution is due to the efforts of the London Olympics Organizing Committee. British diplomats spent three weeks lobbying and persuading member states to co-sponsor
the resolution. This was not an easy task, as some states were difficult to approach. The states of South Sudan and Kiribati do not have missions in New York, and therefore had to be contacted and convinced through electronic means. Other countries were more
challenging to persuade to take part in the truce. Iran and Syria are two such examples; they were the last to add their names to the list. They agreed to sponsor the resolution shortly before
Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Organizing Committee, presented it to the General Assembly. Coe, a double Olympic gold medalist, submitted the resolution on behalf of the United Kingdom. He stated that, “the extraordinary level of co-sponsorship ... is a testament to the rel-
evance of the truce and the Olympic Games in a time of global challenges.” In previous Google.com games the truce has been established by the UN, however, it has not always been honored and supported. In 2004, during the Olympics in Greece, the United States announced that the terms
of the truce would not apply to its troops stationed in Iraq. More recently, armed conflicts between Russia and Georgia escalated into a war during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. When asked whether the truce will have a lasting effect, Isabel Vicaría Barker, SecretaryGeneral of the Berlin Model United Nations Conference in 2011, replied that she felt the truce was, “an interesting idea, however, considering [situations such as] the relationship between the United States and Iran at the moment, it is unrealistic [for the truce] to have lasting changes.” It is not the purpose of the resolution to automatically create world peace; however, in 2009, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon maintained the importance of such truces. “These pauses in fighting save lives…They make it possible for humanitarian workers to reach people in need. And they open up diplomatic space to negotiate lasting solutions. A truce is a prelude to true peace.”
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PAGE TWELVE Sylvia Earle, diver extraordinaire, to speak at THIMUN Keynote Speaker hopes to “ignite public support...to save and restore the oceans” By CAROLINE LUDEMAN
John Burroughs School
Dr. Sylvia Earle has spent a total of seven thousand hours under the sea. That is equivalent to 291.6 days submerged in water, 291.6 days experiencing a world nearly untouched by human hands, a world that replaces the familiar anthropocentric and chaotic earth. Dr. Earle, world famous oceanographer, was selected to be the keynote speaker for THIMUN 2012 “Oceans and Seas” Conference. Earle was born in Gibbstown, New Jersey, a home that laid the foundation for her love of nature. When she was 13, her family moved to Clearwater, Florida where she remained for her col-
lege years after receiving a scholarship to Florida State. Here, she learned scuba diving and began to transform her interest in the ocean into a lifelong career. Earle received her Ph.D. from Duke University and became a research fellow at Harvard University. Earle’s celebrity status began in 1970 when she led an all female research expedition called Tekite II, Mission 6 in which Earle and four other women dove 50 feet below the surface to the small structure that they would call home for the next two weeks. Earle quickly came into high demand as a public speaker and began to write for National Geographic. In addition to serving on the NACOA (National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere) from 1980 to 1984, Earle was also named Time magazine’s first “Hero for
the Planet” in 1998. Today, Dr. Earle is Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society and has lead over 70 expeditions. Among the more than 100 national and international honors she has received is the 2009 TED Prize for her proposal to establish a global network of marine protected areas. Besides wanting to increase public interest in the sea, she also hoped to raise public awareness of the damage done on account of pollution and environmental degradation. She urges all of us to “use all means at your disposal — films! expeditions! the web! more! — to ignite public support for a global network of marine protected areas, hope spots large enough to save and restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet.”
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Dr. Earle at work
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APHOTIC ARCTIC ATLANTIC BALTIC BIODIVERSITY CHEMICALS CORAL DEBRIS DOLPHIN EEL FISH GARBAGE INDIAN MARINE MEDITERRANEAN OCEAN OCTOPUS OVERFISHING
PACIFIC PATCH PELAGIC PHOTIC POLLUTION SEA SEAHORSE SEATURTLE SHARK SOUTHERN SPONGEBOB SWIMMING TEMPERATURES TIDE WASTE WAVES WHALE ZONE