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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2017
MUNITY
VOLUME XXV ISSUE III
by: Emma Benoit
Did Orwell Get the Date Wrong? by: Peter Nguyen Minh It was a bright cold day in February, and the clocks were striking nine. The Orwellian classic 1984 about a dystopian totalitarian world has always been popular, from its debut in 1948 to its recent resurgence when it reached number one on the Amazon charts. This does raise the question of why has it struck a chord with people again? It may be that the four main themes of 1984 play a role in its appeal. The first of these themes, Nationalism, is most apparent in the cult of personality around Big Brother (the leader of the Party and embodiment of the nation). The second main theme is Censorship as showcased by the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue) which specialised in rewriting history and designing propaganda. The third theme being Surveillance is a very important theme with the especially well known phrase “Big Brother Is Watching You”. The final theme is the promise of an unchangingly bleak future. As sales of the book have risen, some have asked whether or not this literary resurgence is because they see these themes prevailing in today’s world, and question whether Orwell might have simply predicted the wrong date. We can definitely observe nationalism in the world with the resurgence of the right, often citing promises to put their country and people before all. This is most apparent in the election of Donald Trump whose slogan was “Make America Great Again”. In fact all bar one of those interviewed at THIMUN credited Trump as being the main benefactor to the book’s current level of success. Olivia Casamento Delegate of Belgium described it by stating “The presidency of Donald Trump has really added to the sales of 1984 just because of the way he approaches the situation within the US”. Censorship is something we wouldn’t think of as being really as relevant as in the past but this was challenged by all of whom were interviewed at THIMUN. Delegate Xenia Gouras of the Russian Federation states “George Orwell’s 1984 really focuses on totalitarianism and how a government or a body of government can ultimately hide the truth.” They see elements of this mirrored in today once again citing
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Trump and Vladimir Putin alike who are both known for not being entirely on the best of terms with the media. This is further backed up by a statement released by his press secretary, Sean Spicer “We have a free press — I get it. But the press doesn’t like it when you call out their errors the same way they call out everyone else’s.” This was in response to the fact they had released facts that were demonstrated to be untrue. Surveillance is incredibly present in the modern world. Ranging from the NSA incident to the very fact that one cannot walk down a street in London without seeing a camera on every corner. Being monitored isn’t confined simply to cameras as most if not all of our devices can be checked. This part of 1984 is almost exactly identical with the real world according to delegate Nigel Rising of the Russian Federation. “As the US becomes more of a surveillance state under the new regime, it’s sort of become the whole story of 1984. It’s no longer a science fiction novel.” Participants of THIMUN were also asked their opinions on certain quotes from the book and to state wheth-
er they thought it was applicable to today. The final one asked was “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.” Delegate Hannah Gross agreed stating “If you look back 3,000 thousand years ago, people have always been stepping on each other’s faces”. Others, however, had a much more optimistic view with Lydia Green, MUN Director at Royal Russell School, simply saying “I’m a glass half full person”. Therefore, the final question asked was “Did Orwell get it wrong?” Most delegates answered that he did indeed despite there being a small discussion on whether it was 2016 or 2017. The vital detail however is that many seem to feel the world is dangerously close to having the perfect environment for a dystopia like that of 1984 to not only be born but flourish beyond any government or organisation before.
Playing the Role
page 3 Being a Chair Prestigious Affair or Nightmare?
page 8 by: Alyce Hammer
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Red Envelopes in The Netherlands?
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2 / NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2017
MUN from a Guest’s Perspective On Monday THIMUN had the honor of hosting several distinguished guests. Some were from embassies in The Hague and one was, of course, the keynote speaker from Europol, Mr. Wil van Gemert. MUNITY asked them a few questions about Model United Nations to see what they thought of our conference. “I’m very impressed by the engagement and the courage of quite young people, all the work they do to prepare for this, summit, you could say,” said Ms. Sabina Koenen, the Second Secretary of Legal Affairs from the German Embassy, while other guests nodded in agreement. For Ms. Koenen, it was her first time attending the opening ceremony of THIMUN, and she was in awe of both the scale of the conference and the amount of talent within. Mr. Marko Stucin, the Deputy Head of Missions from the Slovenian Embassy, agreed with Koenen and said, “It’s a very nice occasion for all the young people from the world, and for them to have the opportunity to speak about the current global problems. We welcome such organisations that actually everybody benefits from”. Ms. Koenen and Mr. Stucin were not the only ones impressed by THIMUN and its operation. Mr. Gemert, the deputy director of Europol, said he was honored to be here. He thought that MUN, especially THIMUN, was of great value, not only in personal development but also in finding new answers to global problems and being able to think in
different ways. The Estonian Embassy’s Counsellor Mr. Mati Murd agreed with him and said that the MUN-style education gives students an opportunity to see from a global perspective and think outside the box. He continued, “It’s an opportunity to see and learn different views and to learn [how to] understand the international order and relations”. With all this praise also comes high expecta-
by: Joel Vasama tions. The interviewees believe in the youth participating, saying that they perhaps have the possibility to become ambassadors and international politicians one day. “In my opinion, they are already acting as ambassadors for the youth of the world,” said Ms. Koenen. Most can agree that great things can be expected of these talented and skilled individuals.
by: Brian Kim
Speeches Showcase Delegate Passion by: Sarah Kim
After long hours of lobbying during the first day of the conference, General Assembly members began their opening speeches on the morning of the second day. The broadest and largest forum in the conference, the GA was di-
by: Aseel Einury
vided into six different committees to discuss specific issues that require global attention, tackling issues ranging from economic coercion against developing countries to modern slavery. One important issue in GA1 is the territorial disputes between Sudan and South Sudan. The delegate of South Sudan herself spoke about the conflict, emphasizing her desire to peacefully and respectfully deal with the struggle at hand. She went on to elaborate on the “prominent levels of sexual violence against the women in the country,” advocating for the development of a resolution that would tackle similar crimes not just in South Sudan, but also in other regions of conflict. Likewise, GA2 saw multiple delegates take the podium to deliver their opening speeches. The issues discussed in this committee were more focused on developing a universal code of ethics for the tourism industry. Alexandre Cahill, delegate of El Salvador in GA2, emphasized the importance of cultural practices for achieving sustainable development goals. “El Salvador has never belittled the population’s well-being, and therefore is committed to achieve the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations for the year 2030,” Cahill said. “The delegation believes that culture and accessible transport is key to sustainability, and increasingly promotes activities such as cultural tourism and the creation of
international transport systems. El Salvador hopes that this conference goes on to produce decisive, safe, and effective resolutions on these important issues.” In larger committees, it is common for only a subset of delegates to be active, with the rest of the room paying little attention. However, THIMUN 2017 seems to be an exception. According to Jeffrey Park, Deputy Chair of GA5, the committee was full of diligent delegates that allowed for opening speeches to not just be a sequence of a single delegate speaking at the podium, but a conversation between opposing sides of an issue. “The opening speeches I saw this morning presented a prospect of successful and fruitful debates in later days,” Park said. “Delegates were not hesitant to speak up about issues significant to their respective countries, or even about simple matters such as the need for other delegates to speak up at the podium. Despite being in an extremely large room full of more than a hundred delegates, I felt the active energy permeating throughout the whole room.” The first few opening speeches of the day definitely served to represent the fervent and passionate attitudes of the delegates participating in the conference, as well as their commitment. Hopefully, such conviction will continue to make room for successful debates on pressing issues not just in the GA, but also in other committees as well.
3 / NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2017
Playing the Role news, it is impossible to ignore the shift in attitude that the delegates from the USA will have. There are bound to be crucial changes that will impact the debates here in THIMUN. With Donald Trump now being the President of the US, delegates have to change
changed all the views that America has. Delegates have had to do all their research again.” When asked about the recent events in the USA, Reis said, “With the recent changes and especially the rapid ones, something happens everyday. There were friends
their resolutions consistently in order to successfully fit into their new roles. Not only this, but other countries participating in committees will have to change their views and attitudes towards the USA. When asked about her thoughts on the delegates representing the USA, Saskia Buijs, a delegate representing France in the Special Conference 2, said, “I think it must be difficult for the delegates of the USA; the current change in leadership of the country has
of mine who had to write their resolutions over and over again because of this.” Maya Lugani, a delegate representing the Russian Federation in ECOSOC, stated, “It’s quite interesting especially to represent Russia and I think it’s actually the most interesting to represent a country that is not from Europe or from that sort of perspective that you are usually used to. I think it makes the approaches to the problems that we want to solve, a lot more
realistic. If I was representing a Western Nation for example, then my beliefs would probably be more in line with what that nation was saying. But that would make the resolution or the conclusion that the committee comes to more realistic, because we still need those perspectives because in reality they do exist.” Another important aspect to consider is the amount of research one does beforehand on the policies that their country holds. For delegates who have their own opinions that contradict those of the country, more research is needed. When asking Shafi Sardar, a delegate representing Libya in Special Conference about the amount of
research that needed to be done, he said, “Representing a country that I don’t know much about at first, requires a lot of research. You have to research into your country itself, about what the economy is like and what is needed to make sure that the economy and the country can thrive.” If your country is strongly involved in the topic discussed in the conference, then your participation in the debate will most likely be higher. But your participation and the success that you have in THIMUN mainly depends on your knowledge of the subject and the research that you have done beforehand!
by: Alyce Hammer
When participating in Model United Nations, most delegates end up representing countries that are not their own, which means changing their perspective to match those of that country. While being an immense opportunity to learn and explore different aspects of MUN, it can also be quite a challenging process! For countries such as the Russian Federation and the USA - both core countries in the debates - it is crucial for delegates to remain in character and truly understand the values of the countries being represented. It is also critical for these delegates to research in depth in order to get a clear idea of the ideas they need to support, and those they need to be against. The delegate of the United States in the Security Council, Yasemin Reis stated, “It’s challenging, but it also gives us new perspectives because you get to see issues in ways that you’ve never considered them before. Sometimes the country that you are representing has policies that directly conflict with your own or your own country’s. It’s really interesting to see the differences and to address issues from that point of view and it’s kind of fun. You get to say things that maybe you don’t necessarily believe in and maybe you completely disagree with, but you have to support them and you get to see the underlying reasons and the justifications behind them”. When considering the events occurring in the USA that have been all over the
by: Holly Roberts
Editors in Chief Madeleine Schulz Yashwini Sodhani Text Editors Andrea Blattler Michelle Liu Joel Vasama
Reporters Sarah Kim Quentin Aubert Chitvan Bansal Amanda Dagron Abbas El Menjra Saady Peter Nguyen Minh Holly Roberts Chang Qu Lindsey Yu
by: Alyce Hammer
Layout Irina Chen Vivian Chen Melat Gebreselassie Joonhee Han Christine Heidbrink Artwork Samantha Arnold Emma Benoit
Photographers Tahlia Briscoe Aseel Einjury Alyce Hammer Brian Kim Lucy Kirkwood Ginger Schuppan Maxine Russel
4 / NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2017
Get Housed at the Drop of a Hat THIMUN Hague is the largest United Nations simulation in the world. High-school students from all around the world travel to the wonderful city of The Hague to participate in a week packed with fruitful debate. While a majority of students stay in hotels with their MUN Directors, others are individually housed with families living in The Hague. Some students might feel anxious about living with strangers for a week; fortunately, it often ends up building lasting relationships between participants and their host families, and also makes them feel more at ease with opening up to new crowds. Luckily, the overall experience of housed students seems to lean towards the positive. Here is some gratifying feedback from students: ‘’I’ve been housed for the third time. I’m actually really happy with my housing family. I get along with the son of my housing parents really well. He’s my age, really cool, [and] the food is great. Yeah, [I] can’t complain; it’s nice. The first time I was housed, I was kind of nervous and anxious. But honestly, in all my years of MUN, I’ve never had a bad experience in housing… I was housed with a friend, so that again alleviates some of the stress.’’ shared Phillip Sonnenschein, Delegate of the Russian Federation, General Assembly 2 ‘’It’s incredible. At first I was a bit nervous, but then I met the family. Everyone is just really nice to you and it feels like you’ve known them for a long time and not just for a day.’’ commented Deah Bengardi, Delegate of Iraq, Legal General Assembly 6. However, Daeh also pointed out her uneasiness about them not liking her or not being able to talk to them. Last but not least, the delegate expresses her positive feelings
by Amanda Dagron towards the housing program which gives a student ‘’the full experience’’. ‘’It’s very flexible, you stay in a real house, [and] it’s really comfortable. It’s a nice place to stay. The housing family is super nice, strict but loose. I recommend housing.’’ stated Senia Gouras, Delegate of the Russian Federation, Environment Committee 1. As dubious as housing may sound, giving it a try might just introduce one to new and interesting personalities; as well as enhance knowledge about the local culture.
by Emma Benoit
Keys To Being Heard At THIMUN by Quentin Aubert you have both, you will surely be recognized”. Furthermore, according to Hugo Hayard, the delegate of Germany in ECOSOC, “It’s all about your approach and in my point of view it’s more about the content”. These points tell us that the content of your speech needs to be rich and deep. This opinion is also shared by Amadea Hofmann, the delegate for Oman in the General Assembly 3, “Anyone can have an amazing speech, but it’s really how you talk to the crowd”. Perhaps the indispensable aspect of being heard is how you’re participating and your determination. As Marande expressed, “You need to participate a lot.” And Ibn Hadj Mohammed added, “Don’t be afraid of using threatening words”. The representative of UN Women in GA3, Gabriela Parra best emphasized this point when she stated, “You maybe don’t believe in your speech, but you need to create this passion”. Huge, impressive, crowded, frightening these are just a few words one often hears from delegates participating in THIMUN. Lots of delegates are fearful of speaking in front of a committee, but some succeed in standing out. At THIMUN, most of the delegates may ask “How I can be heard?” Well, MUNITY has gathered some tips on how to be heard and recognized during the conference. Some may think that you need to wear unusual clothes to make yourself more visible, but according to Alabane Marande, the chair of Special Conference 1, “THIMUN is not based on your clothing style”. However, Malo Ranzetti, a delegate for Germany in the Economic and Social Council, said “If you make a fashion faux-pas, how could you be taken seriously?”. Considering
this, one must conclude that clothes are not the key to being recognized, but there are mistakes to be avoided. In addition, “You can be distinguished by the colours of your clothes ”, notes Anastasia Krogh, a representative of Germany in the Environment Commission sub-Commission 1. Instead, the crucial keys to being heard are the quality of one’s speech and the motivation you put in it. “A delegate has to be interesting if he wants to be heard,” said Ranzetti. As Krogh explained: “People don’t focus on how you look, but mostly on how you act”. This means you must work hard on your speeches to have the best performance possible, because as Marande told us, “The most important thing is to have passion and to be motivated. If you can show
by Brian Kim
5 / NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2017
Fired Up in SC! by Michelle Liu
ECOSOC
To Cut Food Waste
by Andrea Blattler
ECOSOC, or The Economic and Social Council, began the week on the right foot and are making headway in their discussions and resolutions. There are a number of different issues that are being discussed this year, including Tuesday’s discussion on “Promoting Sustainable Consumption Patterns: Reducing Global Food Waste at Consumer and Retail Levels.” The goal of ECOSOC is to deal with economic, social, cultural and health matters as well as human rights and fundamental freedoms. They also promote higher standards of living, full employment and economic and social progress in member nations. According to Antonia Potyka, Representative of Switzerland in ECOSOC, her goal in this conference is “ representing such a unique nation and being able to enrich the debate by representing its unique perspective.” The ECOSOC committee has 54 member countries and two representatives for each of those countries. Seats on the Council are based on geographical representation with 18 allocated to African states, 13 to Asian states, eight to East European states, 13 to Latin American and Caribbean states, and 13 to West European and other states. A third of the members change every year in the THIMUN ECOSOC committee according to the member countries that were present in the UN ECOSOC conference the previous year. With opening speeches continuing throughout Tuesday morning and then preparing to debate the first topic, the enthusiasm of the ECOSOC members continued to rise, and each member was eager to participate in the creation and modification of new resolutions.
In the cozy room of Central America on the second day of conference, the delegates were fiercely in debate. “As of now, delegates have been discussing the situation in Yemen,” explained Assistant President Felipe Félix Méndez. “We are currently in staggered debate, so half of our delegates are [outside] lobbying on the situation in Mali.” Achieving compromise on issues as complicated as the situation in Yemen proved to be a difficult task for some delegates. Fortunately, delegates were able to work together and not only proposed, but passed some clauses during the morning session. The other half of the delegates were engaged in discourse over what they, as representatives of their respective countries, perceived as the best road to take for the issue. As a result, conflict quickly arose in the room. Méndez reflected on major disagreements he saw. “The delegate of the Russian Federation left the forum in light of what they saw as an inhumane discussion.” Such a drastic move became the talk the town in the Security Council. One of the delegates of the Russian Federation, Konrad Rohr, further explained his reasons for leaving. “[There was] a clause by the US proposing more frequent use of torture. We didn’t want to talk about such a ridiculous topic.” With all members of the SC later returning to the committee room, the delegates continued to debate and discuss methods of tackling the situation in Yemen, and later, Mali. Though agreement may come slowly, the Security Council is sure to develop a comprehensive resolution.
2017: Bringing Better Bites? It is a cliché to say that the food at large events like THIMUN is unenjoyable. In fact, many people associate this type of food with
factory preparation that lacks the love of a homemade meal. On the first day of THIMUN, participants heard that the
food last year was not as good as expected. So what are people saying about the food this year? Berend Weekhout, the delegate of Romania in Special Conference said, “It would be better if there were some sweet things included with the meal!”. Besides this ‘sweet exception’, the food on Monday was great for him. He thinks that the food delivered during THIMUN is tasty and enjoyable. He doesn’t want to complain because he thinks that having enough food is a privilege in itself, especially when he is thinking about the case of the unfortunate people in the world who don’t have enough to eat. Another participant, Louis Spock, the delegate of Romania in Human Rights Commission, said that the previous year the food wasn’t so good because of the blandness. He said, “The year
by Abbas El Menjra Saady
before - ew,” but we should not focus only on the negative side of what he said. Spock said also that Monday, the food was yummy, and the food company was a real improvement. Overall, many delegates think that the food was exquisite, even if it was too much food per person for some of the people interviewed. Delegates hope that lunches will be delicious for the rest of the week.
by Ginger Schuppan
6 / PHOTOSPREAD
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8 / FEATURES
Prestigious Affair or Nightmare? by: Chitvan Bansal The position of a chair is one of the most coveted posts that one can hold at THIMUN. The chairs have to oversee lobbying, conduct debate, address doubts regarding procedure, provide extra knowledge about the issues, manage time, perform various administrative tasks, and mentor enthusiastic delegates. In such a large conference, performing the duties of a chair with confidence is no piece of cake. When Deborah Asegedew, Deputy Chair of General Assembly 3 was asked why she wanted to become a chair, she replied “I’ve had a lot of chairs that inspired me and made me love MUN, and I wanted to be able to do that for other delegates.” Dharkann Sainani, Deputy Chair of General Assembly 2 agreed, “When you’re a delegate you receive, and when you’re a chair, it’s almost the opposite role, so instead of receiving, you’re giving back. I wanted this opportunity to give back to a community that has given so much to me.” Not just anyone can wake up and become a chair overnight. It needs years of experience, hours of practice, pages of research, and painstaking planning. For them, the conference starts months before, as they need to prepare the Research Reports for delegates to read. They must have excellent knowledge about their individual topics and must be up to date with not only current affairs, but also THIMUN Rules of Procedure. The chairs must try to give all delegates equal opportunities to raise points and speak, which can be difficult while handling large committees in a conference like THIMUN. They must also remain unbiased and impartial during the discussions, as polarizing situations can arise while discussing controversial topics. Ultimately, they are the facilitators of productive discussions and they encourage constructive and creative solutions.Their leadership style must be firm enough to establish authority and lenient enough to encourage cooperation. Asegedew thinks that three essential aspects to become a great chair are confidence, knowledge about MUN, and hard work. The chairing Workshop was the perfect place for delegates who wanted to take their MUN experience to the next level. Mr. Ouriel Reshef, member of the THIMUN Advisory Board, conducted this session which helped shine light on the actual duties of a chair and the selection process, and in his words, “dismiss any mysteries about chairing”. He explained what it meant to be a chair, and how a chair is responsible for the experiences of all the delegates in that committee. Interestingly, Mr. Reshef spoke about the two philosophical approaches to chairing – looking at it either as a “traffic cop” role or as a leadership position. He elaborated on the criteria for the Officers’ appointments, the preparation needed before a conference starts and the difficulties faced by chairs. The hierarchical structure of most MUN conferences, and how a person moves up the ladder through his “MUN career” was explained. Additionally, he spoke about how a passionate Letter of Motivation and a strong Letter of Recommendation by the MUN Director can work wonders for a prospective chair’s appli-
cation. However, he also expressed that being a chair also has some challenges, as they are on stage from 9 to 5, with everyone’s eyes on them, and have to be attentive and focused the entire time. As he says to his students, “If you’re not dead tired when you’re done chairing at 5, you haven’t done it well.” Asegedew said her favorite part of chairing is “interacting with everyone … seeing different people’s perspectives”. Sainani, on the other hand, replied, “Gavels. But also meeting people from different parts of the world… you learn so much from working with people from different cultures, people you’ve never met before.” Thus continues the legacy of chairing, as former Chairs are replaced by the delegates that they mentored.
by: Emma Benoit
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2017
9 / FEATURES
Time for Teachers to Learn
by; Chang Qu
Teenagers acting as diplomatic officials make up the main part of THIMUN: delegations were trained before coming to The Hague, having spent time analyzing conference procedures as well as resolution drafting. Standing behind these distinguished students is a group of MUN Directors from different schools around the globe. On Tuesday morning, a special workshop organized and run by Mr. Avik Chakravarty, Program Manager of Best Delegate (www.bestdelegate.com), was held for MUN directors, serving as a training platform for teachers facilitating MUN back in their schools. What really was fascinating was that the workshop took the form of a regular THIMUN Committee Conference, requiring teachers to form blocs and draft resolutions, but instead of discussing World issues, the debate centered on what kind of salads the cafeteria should sell for conference attendees. This session covered all aspects of MUN procedure, including lobbying, resolution merging, debating, and finally, voting. Directors from various schools stood as delegates, giving speeches, marketing their deliberately designed salads, and passing and objecting resolutions. The whole procedure generated innovative ideas and laughter, but most importantly, the workshop promoted a more careful learning of the
MUN education in a creative way. Directors learned how to improve methods of teaching MUN to students by holding a conference themselves. The leading director of the workshop, Mr. Avik Chakravarty said: “MUN is not easy for students to learn. Students require some guidance and it is the director’s responsibility to teach them. This workshop makes sure that the directors coming to THIMUN are prepared to help their students get ready for the conference. That is very important. ” Mr. Chakravarty also pointed out that the biggest benefit of the training was: “ A clearer structure for all directors and a better preparation for all attendees.” Responsibility for this training is certainly not an easy job, but Mr. Chakravarty handled it well and delivered an interesting and exciting session which promoted the exchange of ideas, collaboration and communication Directors. Mrs. by: Brian Kim among the MUN Muhiba Uwaydat, the Director from the American International School of Jeddah, shared her feelings with our reporter: “I am glad to attend the workshop. It certainly provided me and my students more exposure to MUN conference procedures. This is a continual learning process.” The success of this workshop shows the importance of continued learning as far as MUN Procedures are concerned. The necessity of studying more is always significant not only for students but also for directors!
Giving Their Stamp of Approval by:Yashwini Sodhani
The dreaded Approval Panel opened its doors early this morning, to a long line of delegates waiting impatiently for their resolutions to be judged by THIMUN’s expert panel of MUN directors. Called a “long and gruelling process” by Sten Agnefjall, delegate of Palestine in the Special Conference sub-Commission 1, the panelists scrutinize each resolution for everything ranging from factual inaccuracies and redundancies to spelling and grammar - the quality control of the conference. The delegate continued to say that that the process was still extremely important and helpful, considering it “catches clauses that should not be debated, since it makes debate flow smoother if the mistakes are caught in the Approval Panel itself’. The panelists themselves received stellar reviews from the students who were filing out of the Approval Panel room. Agnefjall said, “The panelist we had was really funny and he was making jokes throughout”, a sentiment that was shared by many delegates who appreciated the light-hearted humor, a welcome relief from the nerve-wracking wait outside the Approval Panel. There were delegates who seemed rather comfortable going into the room; Saloni Sanwalka, the elegate of Brazil in the Economic and Social Council, said “The approval panel was well organized because they gave us tickets, and we didn’t even have to stand in line, and it was very efficient and quick. We were quite confident about our resolution, and everyone else
also seemed chill because the approvers are really helpful and approachable.” The panelists themselves had a lot to say about the delegates and their resolutions. Mrs. Fran Laughlin, the Co-Chair of the THIMUN Foundation, appreciated the quality of the resolutions that were turned in, noting “Some really good ideas and good research. On average [the resolutions] are slightly better [frm the previous years’], the more lobbying time has made the resolutions sounder.” Evidently, the extended lobbying time has had a positive impact on the quality of resolutions. Contrary to what was expected, MUNITY received mostly positive reviews of an otherwise feared aspect of the THIMUN process, which could be credited to the good natured panelists who dedicated their time and intellect to set a benchmark for the quality of resolutions.
by: Aseel Einjury
10 / PEOPLE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2017
Have You Met...? If you could have only one sense, which would it be?
Dressed to Impress
If Nathan could have any sense, he would choose “[sight] because of hearing and books.” Nathan Haux Delegate of Honduras Landschulheim am Solling
If Julie could have only one sense, she would choose touch because she “feels her way through life over other senses.” Julie Spoor Tourist Information Guide
If Jakob could have only one sense he would keep his “hearing, because communication is mostly based on hearing.” Jakob Anton Bull Delegate of Ghana British School of Brussels
Babet Nieman Advisor for UNHCHR Cairo American College
Tos Achten Delegate of Cambodia Gymnasium Beekvliet by: Tahlia Briscoe
Why We Come Back by: Lucy Kirkwood
Daniel Cwik (left), from the International School of Curaçao, has been coming to THIMUN for 13 years. His favorite part of THIMUN is “the opportunity the kids get, I feel that they really grow in an educational way that they can’t do in the classroom…and flying that long flight is really worth it.” Paul Andrew Mooney (right), from the Anglo-American School of Moscow, is in his 3rd year at THIMUN, described THIMUN as “the world series of MUN, the super bowl, the world cup.” He said, “There is the possibility of running into real superstars in what they do… our kids thrive on that challenge of knowing there is somebody out there that’s sniping at them over their resolutions.”
Celia Nater (left), from the Frankfurt International School, is in her 12th year at THIMUN. This conference is unique to her because “It doesn’t matter which part of the world you’re in, you will always find someone that was here at this special conference.” She also feels that “THIMUN stimulates all of the students to participate.” Natalya Marquand (right), also from the Frankfurt International School, is at THIMUN for the 2nd time. She says “When I finally came to THIMUN last year it was like I was coming of age.”
11 / CULTURE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2017
Red Envelopes in The Netherlands? by: Lindsey Yu
The Chinese New Year, also known as the “Spring Festival”, is a major festival celebrated in China and other Asian countries, and is based on the lunar calendar. Each New Year is also marked by one of the twelve zodiacal animals, and 2017 is the year of the Rooster. Traditions play an essential role in welcoming the New Year as family members are usually brought together to celebrate the big day and honor ancestors. The Chinese New Year is actually celebrated for sixteen days - from New Year’s Eve to the Lantern Festival. Preparation even starts two to three weeks before the New Year’s day, with people cleaning their houses in order to welcome in the “New Year” and in order to bring luck. People also go shopping in order to clear out the “old” and bring forth the “new”. On New Year’s Eve, family members come together to enjoy a reunion dinner, and the children in the family receive characteristic red envelopes filled with “lucky” money from their elders. Families also put up red “spring couplets” on the front door walls to welcome “luck” in the New Year. On New Year’s day, people set off fireworks and offer valuable sacrifices to their ancestors. Over the course of a few days, people visit relatives and friends to give out their New Year wishes. Most people go back to work in the peri-
od between the eighthand the fourteenth day of the lunar calendar. The Chinese New Year period ends on the fifteenth of the lunar calendar, called the Lantern Festival. People celebrate this day by decorating the communities with lightings and lanterns, and eating sweet dumplings. As an international conference, THIMUN consists of many Asian delegates from Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong who all observe Chinese New Year. “I usually celebrate the Chinese New Year by having a meal with my family and doing other activities,” said Robert Zhang, delegate of Uganda, Special Committee One. This demonstrates the importance of the family coming together during the Chinese New Year. However, the fact this year’s THIMUN takes place from January 30 to February 3, which overlaps with the first few days of Chinese New Year break has also contributed some challenges for these Asian participants. “To be honest at first I found it [the dates] a bit surprising, as I thought they would recognize it?” said Alice Hu, expert of Syria, APQNE. Further-
more, delegates traveling from Asia had to leave a couple of days earlier, taking them away from more time with their family. Some schools even had to switch flights at the last minute due to the expensive and fully-booked flights during the holiday. “It’s like having the conference during Christmas,” stated Jessie Wu from Taiwan, expert of Lebanon, APQNE. “With the combination of the high travel costs and the expectations of visiting and returning to the family, it makes it very difficult for us to go on the trip.” Even though the Chinese New Year is not widely celebrated in Europe, and Asians who do celebrate this festival do not make up a majority of the attendees of the conference, THIMUN still faces the challenge of adjusting its dates (particularly, since the dates change yearly with the lunar calendar) to accommodate as many delegates as possible.
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Happy chinese new year! year of the rooster by: Emma Benoit
12 / ENTERTAINMENT
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2017
So You Get the Afternoon Off... by: Madeleine Schulz
After two and a half days of lobbying, debating and note-passing, this year’s THIMUN participants have earned their awaited Wednesday afternoon off. Some delegates have jampacked afternoons, whereas others plan on relaxing and rejuvenating, ready for the next two days of conference. Jakob Anton Bull, delegate of Ghana in Environmental sub-Comby: Lucy Kirkwood mission 2, plans on visiting the International Criminal Court with his delegation - if there is a case on. Given that they are from Brussels, he said that “Amsterdam is not that special,” and decided that a visit to the Court is more pertinent as “it’s related to MUN”. Others are taking the chance to explore Amsterdam, and plan on making the 40-odd minute train journey to explore the city. One such delegate is Valeria Sinisi, who represents Nicaragua in the Special Conference sub-Commission 1. She said, “I think my teacher has organized something to go to Amsterdam to look around and do a bit
Maze
of tourist things.” Though the afternoon is likely to be busy, it will give delegates a chance to experience The Netherlands outside of the World Forum and the debates within. Some of the locals have other plans. Jonas Mulevicius, delegate of Saudi Arabia in GA6 said, “since I live here, I’m going to hang out with friends”. Many delegates have conveniently let schoolwork slip from their minds and have shifted their focus to that of the issues being debated. Some, however, are not so lucky! Catriona McCaughrean, Deputy Executive Administrative Officer, has to go to school to take a chemistry exam. “Acids and bases, so that’s my plan,” she said when asked what she plans to get up to on her (not so) free afternoon. There is, without a doubt, an extensive mix of activities set in place for this afternoon, some dictated by the schools and some by the delegates themselves. Whether the plan is to take a trip to the ‘Venice of the North’, or simply to wander around The Hague with friends, the delegates are sure to come in on Thursday ready to partake in some fruitful debates!
Find the MUN Words
ADMINS AMBASSADORS CHAIRS COMITTEES COUNTRIES DEBATE DELEGATES DIRECTORS EXPERTS FLAGS HAGUE LOBBYING PLACARDS RESOLUTION THIMUN
Answers - Monday 30th
Spot the 5 Differences