MUNITY-East

By Ho June Chun, International School of Ho Chi Minh City 

Enthusiastic experts of the Advisory Panel on the Question of the Indochinese Peninsula (APQIP) filled the room with heated controversy. Nobody was taking the debate lightly. Everyone had serious looks on their faces, determined to produce the best solution for the issue at hand. Everyone was in position – ready to give his or her opinion to the rest of the APQIP.

Photo cred: Judy Park Intl. School of Beijing

The main theme that Advisory Panel set for this conference was “The Question of the Indochinese Peninsula.” Some delegates worked to come up with ideas for resolutions for the issue while others rose to balance this by pinpointing potential flaws of the resolutions’ clauses. Yukio (International School Yangon), the expert of UNHCR noted “The Advisory Panel can be very intense and intimidating.”

However, heated debates and formal speeches are not the only features of the Advisory Panel. When the entire committee was asked with question, “What was one of the most interesting parts of this committee so far?” most people pointed to a delegate who had fallen asleep during the debating process. The delegate justified himself, saying that he “reluctantly fell asleep.”

Typically, committees produce a number of resolutions to solve issues assigned to each committee. However, the Advisory Panel is a committee that does not bind to such rules. The Advisory Panel functions like the Security Council: their debate starts as soon as the conference begins and does not lobby resolutions. They create one big resolution together, debating clause by clause. Nobody can veto clauses in Advisory Panel; instead, they continue adding amendments to the resolution. Advisory Panel takes their time to focus on one topic over the whole conference. They branch out to further sub topics, discussing one per day to address all aspects of the main topic. On the last day, the Advisory Panel presents their resolutions to the Security Council. The Security Council then decides whether to pass or fail the resolution.

Devyani Gupta (Mont’ Kiara International School), the deputy president of APQIP, noted that “The experts have been extremely involved in the debate, from submitting detailed and comprehensive clauses to speaking passionately on their stance on the issues to critically analyzing and amending the proposed solutions. Debate has been constructive and productive and a joy to chair.” Just by looking at the intensity of discussion today, there is guaranteed to be productive debate in the APQIP for the next few days.

By Emily Tang, International Bilingual School at Hsinchu 

Photo cred: Cindy Song of Tokyo International School

In the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), participants endeavored to create the best solutions for seven distinct issues ranging from combating sexual exploitation of children to fighting against increasing financial corruption. In the spacious drama center of

Hwa Chong Institution, delegates persevered to work towards promoting higher standards of economic and social progress. This year’s ECOSOC delegates exemplified qualities of professional UN members as they worked intently throughout lobbying. “Though there were few enthralling events during the course of the conference,” noted deputy president Tiffany Wong (Shanghai American School), “there were a lot of passionate delegates who were really dedicated to their issue. Some of them even wrote eight pages for their resolution! I have never seen this before in a conference, and the delegates’ knowledge of their issues was reallycomprehensive.”

The council’s atmosphere was both composed and serious. However, not all delegates were caught up in the action. Hyun Min Kang, (Qindao MTI International School), delegate of an NGO, expressed woe that he was “not

able to actively participate in the lobbying yet because the council was not quite intense enough.” Unlike what some delegates were used to, ECOSOC merged an astonishing eleven resolutions to form one. “It is my first time here, and it was interesting to see so many resolutions merged together and approved,” said Lana Poljak (United Nations International School Hanoi), the delegate of Malta.Other delegates hoped to have an opportunity to submit their own resolutions rather than stay passive.

Though a large part of the conference lacked intense excitement, some embers were sparked in periods of the conference. During the lobbying session, the delegate of Guatemala, Ally Jiang (Beijing City International School), and the delegate of Pakistan,

Esther H. Yoon (Yongsan International School of Seoul) showed signs of discontent as they discussed who should submit their resolution for the issue regarding the effectiveness of long-term humanitarian aid with regards to natural disasters. In the end, a voting process was held between the group of delegates and the delegate of Guatemala’s resolution was submitted. The ECOSOC council even crashed the high school Internet by accident, though it recovered eventually.

As they strive for more exciting debates, ECOSOC participants will continue to discuss economic and social issues of the world, steadily making the climb towards higher standards.

By Chrsitine Choi, Korea International School 

Photo credit: Judy Park of International School of Beijing

Kevin Chen (American School in Taichung), the Deputy President of the Security Council (SC) announced “Are there any

delegates who wish to volunteer? Seeing none, India—you have been recognized.” The alarmed expression of the delegate of India brought an echo of light laughter in the middle of the serious exchange of ideas running back and forth among the students.

The Security Council is responsible for discussing global issues such as foreign aid programs and tourism. “Its primary objective is to propose solutions that are ideally agreed upon by different countries,” added Seung Yeon Kim (Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies), the delegate of the United Kingdom. Agreement is complicated when five countries—China, U.K., France, Russia, and the U.S.—have the power to veto.

Sitting on opposite sides, two groups of delegates were sharing their countries’ stances on providing South Sudan with financial

support. The debate was getting hotter when William Chen (Shanghai American School – Puxi ), the delegate of Lebanon, claimed that providing free health check-ups is unreasonable since MRIs are too expensivethese days; his statement was challenged by another delegate, who argued that his example was too specific. When Chen seemed to admit the minor flaw in his rhetoric, the harsh atmosphere in the room suddenly disappeared, and students began to chuckle in friendly camaraderie.

It is certainly easy for participants to get tense when they have to voice their countries’ beliefs in front of many other people.

However, small glitches during the conference helped them to loosen up and relieve their fear. For example, when the Deputy President realized that not all countries voted for a clause,he had to address each country individually; this gave some time for the delegates to take a rest from their long talks. Similarly, when asked if there were other memorable moments during the conference, many students replied that it was entertaining to watch Aaron Willis (German European School), the delegate of the Russian Federation, accidentally refer to Confucius as an example of a British quote. Although many participants were afraid of making trivial mistakes, these blunders actually made the delegates feel more comfortable amid the heated debates.

Humorous and memorable happenings set aside, the delegates of the Security Council worked hard to solve many international problems. For the remaining days of THIMUN Singapore, they will continue solving problems to build a better future.

Article by Ho Jai Yoon of Concordia Intl. School of Shanghai

At eight A.M. on November 16th, highly passionate students attending the 2012 THIMUN Singapore conference filled the Hwa Chong Institution with a vibe of passion and zeal. However, before the participants dive themselves into the feverishly hot atmosphere, they must first understand the purpose of MUN. Why do MUN debates and rebuttals allure participants? What is so fascinating about MUN that it attracts participants to the annual conference after long hours of flights?

Art by Joo Yeon Lim of CheongShim Intl. Academy

According to Swathi Bhat (Anderson Junior College Singapore), delegate of Cameroon in the General Assembly 1, MUN provides a “nice forum for youth, who usually [have] no seat in politics to discuss global problems and worldly issues.” For youth, who are usually excluded from the political world, MUN is a wonderful opportunity in which they can voice their thoughts. Thoughts expressed by the young generation may be idealistic; however, the true purpose of MUN lies in assisting the fresh and innovative words of youth to be voiced to the world. Julia Choi (Beijing International School), the delegate of Guatemala in General Assembly 3, further strengthens the idea by commenting that MUN gives students a “chance to talk with people they normally cannot meet, and it also allows participants to explore future careers and discover who they really are.”

On the other hand, some participants find that the useful skills and knowledge acquired from MUN can be applied to our daily lives. William Chen (Shanghai American School), the delegate of Lebanon in the Security Council, said, “Issues discussed in MUN are not just political or conceptual, but are actually very practical in that, for example, learning from discussions on humanitarian affairs can also be applied to our daily service club activities.” Those participants believe the purpose of MUN is not to simply earn certificate of participation, but to learn and apply great ideas shared during conference to daily lives.

However, despite the great purposes which allured participants to join MUN, Tiffany Wang, deputy president of ECOSOC, worries that sometimes debates and rebuttals become so aggressive that the “purpose of MUN turns into bashing others and picking on every single punctuation mistakes, rather than looking at the whole meanings behind resolutions.” Sometimes, participants are tempted to debase others’ opinions, rather than to cooperate and come up with better terms and ideas. Yet, there is no winning or losing in MUN. It has its purpose in connecting youth from all over the world and providing them an opportunity to collaborate with each other.

Therefore, all delegates must not forget the reasons why they chose to participate in MUN. Raising objections can result in fruitful debate in that it helps participants to think critically; however, denunciation only creates chasm among delegates. Therefore, before participants choose to criticize others, they must remember they joined MUN to accept diversity and spread their voices.

By Tsai-Wei Chen, International Bilingual School at Hsinchu

A humble group of thirty students, finely dressed in pressed suits and sleek jackets, stepped into the International Court of Justice (ICJ) room on Wednesday morning with the vibe of future lawyers. Determined to tackle pressing issues, many of the highly experienced students in the ICJ had been formally trained by the “ICJ guru,” Dr. Stears, at the Hague in the Netherlands, where Dr. Stears makes sure the ICJ committees at MUN conferences follow the real ICJ procedures of the United Nations exactly.

Unlike regular committees in which delegates debate over controversial topics, the ICJ is an actual court of law that aims to settle legal disputes. Undergoing two trials, the ICJ follows the European law codes and revolves around the affairs of four chosen countries. Under the leadership of President Linus Wannstrom (Mont’ Kiara International School), Deputy President Kim Harting (Mont’Kiara International School), and registrar Nathanial Zhang (Concordia International School), are the advocates, witnesses, and judges. The advocates, says Ms. Elizabeth Wyant, the advisor of the ICJ from the International Bilingual School at Hsinchu, are “the real heroes. They are all potential lawyers. I mean, they all know their information very well—It’s usually me who learns from them, not the other way around!”  Unlike in criminal courts, the witnesses are not present for interrogation, but to present the different views on the table. In fact, the witnesses—who are always followed by applause after speaking—“are viewed with exaggerated respect,” says Ms. Wyant. However, much like criminal courts, the international courts will follow the process of cross examination and direct examination between the advocates and the witnesses.

The two trials that will take place over the course of this four-day conference will be discussed for two days each. This year, the ICJ will first delve into a case between Japan and Australia concerning the violation of the whaling convention.  Tried for its “continued pursuit of a large-scale program of whaling under the Second Phase of its Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic,” Japan is, according to the Australian government, “in breach of obligations assumed by Japan under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, as well as its other international obligations for the preservation of marine mammals and marine environment.” Defending their actions through scientific means, the Japanese Fishery Ministry has stated that it will continue its whaling program, as it is “lawful in accordance with article eight of the international convention for the regulation of whaling.”

Although judge Da Eul Kim (Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies) notes that the “advocates are having issues with asking the right questions, because they often ask leading questions, which aren’t allowed,” discussions in the small 7 by 8 meter room are certainly kicking off with a positive start. “This particular group has been the most efficient and most organized I have ever seen. I am very impressed with the level of preparation and organization of the participants and with the extremely competent judges,” says Ms. Wyant. Hopefully, this level of efficiency will continue for the next three days and allow them more time for their final deliberation.

By Audrey Lin, International School of Beijing 

Every year, students from over seventy international schools around the world join THIMUN-Singapore as delegates, researching information and writing their resolutions. Delegates may think that by now they know everything there is to know about MUN, but one major branch of the conference is often overlooked: The International Court of Justice. In fact, when asked about ICJ officers, many delegates asked, “What is an ICJ?”

The ICJ is a branch that makes judgments on cases brought to it by individual countries, in addition to giving legal advice to various groups of MUN. The members of the court hear three cases and make legal decisions based on past treaties, universal principles of law, international customs, and precedents from similar cases. This year, the ICJ officers are Linus Wannstrom (Mont’Kiara International School) as President, Kim Harting (Mont’Kiara International School) as Deputy President, and Nathaniel Zhang (Concordia International School Shanghai) as Registrar. 

Wannstrom and Harting have been a part of MUN for five years now. Their jobs as President and Deputy President are to make sure that the advocates are on task, able to contact witnesses, and have research to use as evidence. On the other hand Zhang, as Registrar, assists in gathering evidence, a process that consists of labeling and filing of proof presented to the judges.

“I prefer being on the ICJ any day,” states Wannstrom. Though it is his first time taking on the role of an ICJ officer, he looks forward to contributing to the ICJ from a different angle.

Harting has also been involved with the ICJ, but “never appreciated how much time and commitment went into making the ICJ run smoothly.” This year, she looks forward to seeing her advocate team excel.

The job of an ICJ officer is no simple job, but Harting is certain that “politics, law, and fair trials trump standard committee debate any day.”