All About WAMUN 2016
Read below for today's newsletter, committe articles, and more!
Day 1
Disarmament and International Security Committee
The delegates of The Disarmament and International Security Committee are very motivated to start discussing the question of terrorist group Boko Haram regarding the recent abductions of women and its pledged alliance with the Islamic State. The delegation of Japan opened the debate by asking all the committee to consider the importance of not discriminating against any religious group during the discussion of this topic. Right after Japan's statement, Russia offered its military power to attack Boko Haram. With the exception of Egypt, the entire committee is inclined to proceeding more carefully due to the fact that the terrorist group has hostages.
Carlos Graterol
Secretary of DISEC
Asamblea Nacional
“Hay una diferencia entre presos políticos y políticos presos,” dice el diputado Elías Jaua. Esto resume la discusión de la Asamblea Nacional a lo largo de las primeras sesiones, cuán verídica es la situación de los presos políticos. El bando oficialista mantiene que Leopoldo López y Antonio Ledezma no son más que criminales pagando por sus delitos, llamando a la violencia públicamente durante las protestas del 12 de febrero del pasado 2014, razón por la cual se encuentran presos. La oposición, en cambio, defiende firmemente a sus líderes, y afirma que están presos injustamente. Hasta el momento, seguimos en un intenso debate sobre esta pregunta.
La Asamblea Nacional se encuentra sumamente dividida respecto al tema, y la unión es un aspecto primordial para la resolución del tema. En palabras de Nora Bracho, “si no nos podemos de acuerdo, no vamos a llegar a ningún acuerdo y por lo tanto estamos desperdiciando el tiempo.” Ambos bandos han puesto sus propuestas y requisitos en la mesa, ahora es sólo cuestión de tiempo ver si podrán, a través de la negociación, llegar a un acuerdo.
Isabel López
Secretaria de la Asamblea Nacional
United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime
The committee opened with Topic "A”, the question concerning the traffic of aborted fetuses for the purpose of scientific research. Russian Federation, established that the use of fetal tissue for research purposes was completely justified, but showed great concern regarding the illegal trafficking of biological tissue that often goes hand in hand with this research.
In a surprising turn of events, the Holy See established that, despite it being against abortion, it recognizes the advances fetal tissue research has made possible.
During the first session, delegates expressed their great preoccupation regarding the “donation fee” that is commonly associated with fetal tissue donations, stating that these can be easily exploited through certain legal loopholes in order to obtain illegal profit. Delegations such as the Holy See, Egypt, Russian Federation, China and Colombia discussed the possibility of standardizing the “donation fee”, considering factors such as weight and complexity of body parts to be donated, as well as possible associated corruption.
Considering the controversy associated with this topic, delegates discussed the morality of abortion as well, stating their several points of view regarding the risk of the mother’s life, among others.
Ana Paula Fratini
Secretary of UNODC
Historical Security Council
The committee is currently moving very swiftly, since the delegates have come exceptionally well prepared. Delegations have been discussing topic C which is the Iran Hostage situation. The security regarding the hostages and whether or not their liberation may be secured has led to impassioned debate. However, these hostages are being accused of being spies by delegations such as USSR and the delegation of Iran, hence, these delegations are against such liberation and rather are discussing punishments that should be meted out to such “spies”. The delegations have proposed several peaceful solutions, however the delegation of Iran is against such proposals, instead proposing an “eye for an eye”.
Daniel Morales-Bello
Secretary of Historical Security Council
Human Rights Council
The first session in the Human Rights Council of WAMUN 2016 began with an active discussion concerning the refugee crisis present in Europe. Most delegations agreed that refugees needed to be accepted into European countries since. This, as the delegation of China stated, is an "ethical obligation" as members of the Human Rights Council to accept people who have fled their native countries affected by war and terrorist groups, resulting in living conditions unworthy of any human being. Nevertheless, there was concern for some delegations of the Council over accepting refugees in their countries. While the delegation of France was concerned over recent attacks of Arab citizens in its country, other delegations worried about not being able to provide help to the refugees due to lack of funds. Notwithstanding that solutions are still being discussed, the Human Rights Council is certain it will find an adequate solution that fits most of the demands made by the delegations affected by this crisis.
Santiago Illarramendi
Secretary of Human Rights Council
Economic and Social Council
As soon as delegates entered the committee there was a clear majority that the topic of regarding ISIS was the most pressing. Different opinions rose as the speaker´s list was opened: delegations such as Russia pushed for other countries to send immediate aid, including military forces. On the other side, China asked for no force to be used. Due to ECOSOC´s structure, military action was not an option. Further ideas were put forward by United States´ delegation, which stated that economic issues in the Middle East affected all regions in the world. Economic aid was a popular solution among delegations. There were differences on the matter of how the funds should be managed: the Russian delegation believed funds should be given to organizations such as the UNHCR, while the US Delegation stated that funds given should be managed by the countries that donated, as done in cases after WWII. Some controversial statements were made by the German delegation asking for the “extermination” of ISIS by using extreme measures. The committee was astonished, but later Germany acknowledged his mistake. At the end of the session two clear sides were created, one lead by Russia and China and a second one lead by the United States.
As delegates return from lunch they prepare for a new session. Since the last session there has a noticeable division between countries: Russia and China; and United States with Germany. “New cities” was the newest proposal among the delegates, but the idea was turned down by Russia, believing that economic issues were the most pressing. The other proposal brought to the floor was the creation of an organization similar to the “Monument Man” to protect cultural heritage and prevent another act of terrorism like the one committed in Palmyra. Now that many topics have been discussed delegates prepare for the next stage of debate: resolution.
Juan Andrés Tagliaferro
Secretary of ECOSOC
Security Council
The committee started debating the unstable government in the Central African Republic. Countries such as United States, China and Russia want to postpone the elections and recommend that the United Nations intervenes to ensure a safe and legitimate election. Sudan and CAR on the other hand, want the presence of their armies in the elections and they insist that the elections take place immediately to consolidate a firm leadership in the country. China has taken an aggressive position defending his country’s position at all costs. The United States raised concerns that the UN takeover would not be peaceful since the CAR is in direct opposition. USA agreed with the proposition made by Sudan and CAR, however they believe that the election should be postponed in order to allow time for its troops to arrive. Syria suggested that the delegation of the United States was making a mistake and that its presence in the Central African Republic would have a similar outcome as its invasion in Irak.
Alan Mondolfi
Secretary of Security Council
Security Council JR.
During the first session the delegates passionately argued on the topic under discussion, the issue of child soldiers. It was contended that this is a topic of great importance, since the children of the world are the future. The committee seems to be divided in two: those who agree with the idea of recruiting children as soldiers, and those who are against the use of child soldiers.
The delegation of the Russian Federation agrees with the first, supporting its argument with the fact that children recruited are going willingly. The delegation of Syria agreed with what was previously stated and added that these children are also fighting in order to honor their family members. Free education that the children receive during their recruitment was also discussed.
Delegations such as the United Kingdom and Germany propose using sanctions in order to solve the issue. They both agree that these children are far too young to form part of the army. They added that the idea of creating more public institutions is an important factor to take into consideration, and that in order to join the army, these children should be at least 18 years old due to the fact that they are then considered legal adults. People’s Republic of China’s opinion is that these children do not have the sufficient mental and physical capacity to take part in the army. These delegations feel that the children are being “brainwashed” and that this will only worsen their physical and mental health.
Analuisa Pimentel
Secretary of Security Council JR.
Day 2
Disarmament and International Security Committee
The committee has divided. Some delegations are leaning towards a military attack as a solution, like Russia, while others prefer a more peaceful approach, such as closing the borders of the area dominated by Boko Haram. A debate fired up about what country has aided Boko Haram with weaponry, with claims that the terrorist group acquired it from Russia. Each group of delegations have united to write their own resolution.
The debate takes an unexpected turn when last minute news arrives. The leader of Boko Haram reveals a video of sources that provide the terrorist group with money and weapons. The delegations of India, China, Egypt and Nigeria have changed their positions due to this unpredicted crisis. After several minutes discussing the problem and possible solutions for this crisis, the remaining delegations worked together to write an action plan that consisted in sanctioning the countries that were aiding the terrorist group.
Japan, Mexico and China were able to submit an incredible working paper that received support from the other delegates, settling the outcome of the committee.
Carlos Graterol
Secretary of DISEC
Asamblea Nacional
Después de oír las sabias e interesantes palabras del abogado del Foro Penal, Alonso Medina, el debate tomó otro camino. Se presentaron más soluciones, y los diputados estaban más enfocados y abiertos a la negociación para llegar a un punto en común en el que podría ser aprobada la ley de amnistía. Al final, la resolución presentada por la oposición fue aprobada, es decir, se aprobó la ley de amnistía con ciertas restricciones a los políticos, estudiantes, policías, ex-policías, militares y ex-militares que estaban presos.
El segundo día se inició con el tema más esperado para a debatir: la derogación de la ley de precios justos. Se observó un debate sumamente intenso que variaba desde el precio del petróleo hasta la importancia de la empresa Polar para el desarrollo de la economía de Venezuela. Se discutieron las razones por las cuales la derogación de la ley de precios justos impulsaría la producción nacional. Nos encontramos en un momento crucial: se está hablando sobre una posible unión de las resoluciones. Esto permitiría la resolución del tema mediante la unión de ambos mandos.
Isabel López
Secretaria de la Asamblea Nacional
Counter Terrorism Committee
The crisis in the committee was finally resolved. The son of the president of Ethiopia was unfortunately killed by the Boko haram terrorists who held him captive. The boat was found, but due to the fact that shots were fired, one bullet penetrated an ammunition crate and created a chain reaction that made the entire ship explode. In the altercation 10 soldiers were killed and 27 where injured. The committee has been divided because of the actions taken. Two actions plans have been created; Sierra Leone, the French Republic and Niger have submitted the first one followed by Canada, Chad and Ethiopia who are still in the process of writing their own.
Case A was finally resolved. The two working papers united the common points creating a unique working paper that passed by simple majority. Due to this fact topic B: “Al Shabaab Killings”, was opened. The committee is currently working on the resolution of terrorism in Africa, which will be united to the working paper of case A.
Helena Núñez
Secretarty of CTC
Historical Security Council
After discussing several possible working papers, the delegates are facing the critical issues that the topic raises. Opposing sides have been debating, through a series of moderated and unmoderated caucuses, combining and merging both working papers to create a whole draft resolution that will comply with all the conditions previously set out in the committee. Delegations such as those of United Kingdom, USSR, United States of America, and Iran have examined a variety of ways that could be taken into consideration to solve this crisis. After much discussion, common ground is finally being found.
Urgent measures are beginning to take its shape, dealing with subjects such as financial debt that will make possible the hostages’ return to their homeland. Since the Sha’s return to Iran is no longer viable, his family’s whereabouts and money are now in dispute. Soon enough, a draft resolution will be submitted to voting procedure. As the delegates of USSR and Israel stated, this is the only peaceful way to finally come to a resolution that respects every request the delegations have had. It is expected that the voting procedure on this document will probably consist of a majority voting in favor of its endorsement.
Daniel Morales-Bello
Secretary of Historical Security Council
Human Rights Council JR.
When the session began, both resolutions about the topic A, Child Marriage, were presented. Those that signed the first resolution were USA, UK, Russia and Italy; in the other resolution, the signers were Senegal, Afghanistan, Turkey, Sudan and Malawi. The resolution of the submitter USA and Italy proposed the elimination of child marriage in every country, while Afghanistan and Senegal’s resolution offered minor changes on the issue, but still maintained the fact that it is still a tradition in many Asian countries. At the end, the resolution for the abolition of child marriage in every country successfully passed and the issue of child marriage was successfully resolved.
Later on, the issue of immigration to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea was automatically opened, and ideas were shared: United States offered the construction of a new island to keep all the immigrants with their own houses and provide them with good education and encourage them to interact with other cultures and social groups.
Manuel Gómez
Secretary of Human Rights Council JR.
Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council of WAMUN 2016 was able to pass a resolution which contained both short and long term solutions for the European refugee crisis. In the resolution, the refugees’ health and cultural well-being was taken care of, as well as the economic status of the countries willing to receive them. Once the topic of the European refugee crisis was solved, the committee started discussing the topic of police brutality focused on discrimination of minorities in Brazil. A dynamic discussion led to Italy and UK and China and the French Republic starting work on separate resolutions, in which the main concerns are vigilance of the police force in order to ensure that policemen act in a correct manner, the use the appropriate weapons depending on the circumstances, and the respecting of citizens’ rights to protest peacefully. The committee will now discuss the solutions proposed and vote for the most appropriate resolution.
Santiago Illarramendi
Secretary of Human Rights Council
Organización Internacional de Energía Atómica
Finalizando el primer día se hicieron gran parte de los dos borradores de las resoluciones. Durante el debate se siguió discutiendo las diferentes maneras de resolver el inminente problema de la creación de armas nucleares por parte de Corea del Norte. El debate fue dominado mayormente por las delegaciones de Arabia Saudita, La Federación Rusa, Israel y Estados Unidos. En los últimos momentos de la sesión, Corea del Norte se separó del grupo con el que estaba haciendo su borrador de la resolución, y actualmente está haciendo su propio borrador. También se sumitió un borrador por parte de las potencias de Estados Unidos, Rusia y China. Este borrador no fue aprobado. Se le espera a los delegados sumitientes que para la cuarta sesion el borrador esté corregido y listo para ser sumitida.
En la primera sesión del Segundo día de WAMUN se sumitió inmediatamente el borrador corregido por la mesa en la sesión pasada. Mientras la mesa corregía la nueva obra de trabajo, los delegados siguieron discutiendo sobre que se debe hacer con respecto a la situación con Corea del Norte. El debate se enfocó si se deberían tomar acciones bélicas, y si no, que tipo de acciones se deben tomar. Las grandes potencias sugirieron darle a Corea del Norte suministros que necesitaran a cabio de que desarme estas armas. Este borrador fue aprobado, introducido y explicado. Se introdujo otra obra de trabajo que la mesa corrigió.
Rosana Pochat
Secretaria de OIEA
Economic and Social Council
Finally the threat is over. The first topic of the ECOSOC committee was closed as the delegates agreed to pass two resolutions that many thought mirrored their expectations on how the problem should be solved. Representatives from countries around the world prepare to depart to the Middle East for the creation of new cities for refugees, as stated on the US resolution, and funds are collected to aid the countries such as Syria and Iraq, who have suffered the most damage.
Catalonia´s separation, the next topic, starts at a slow pace. But in an unpredictable event the Catalonian government force their own independence through military strength. Delegates prepare for the creation of a new action plan. The two sides of the previous day were still evident, Russia-China and the US-led coalition. The Catalonia delegation entered the committee to defend their position and after an incredible performance the delegates are convinced their point of view is the correct one. Two action plans were presented, but only one passed: Catalonia´s independence was defended by the great majority of delegates. The Crisis has ended and now everyone is preparing for the introduction of new resolutions.
Juan Andrés Tagliaferro
Scretary of ECOSOC
Security Council
The committee began with the delegation of the United States urging other delegates find a solution to solve the issue as soon as possible. Russia defended the resolution they are working on, which consists of postponing the elections to protect the candidates and ensure their safety. The Central African Republic, on the other hand, wants the elections to be held tomorrow and assured the delegates that his own nation’s and Sudan’s army will be present in the elections. China refuted that suggestion, since he believes that military presence may trigger the actions of terrorist and rebel groups located in the area. Russia fears that those nation’s army will further worsen the ethnic violence in the area and recommended that the United States’ and Russia’s army be present instead, since they have no involvement in the conflict and will act impartially. Sudan suggested a more aggressive approach which would consist of focusing their forces not on protecting the people, but on attacking the rebel groups directly by surprise. China insisted that the draft resolution which will be presented by Russia and China should not only include the attack on rebel groups, but also a blue helmets deployment in CAR to protect the people. Sudan established that it fears and rejects the presence of Western countries in their land and rather prefers that the issue is handled by the African nations willing to cooperate. Vietnam established that he will help Sudan and CAR to eliminate rebel groups in the area. Congo believes that drone and missile strikes are necessary to eliminate the Seleka rebel group, while Syria believes that trained advisors should help the future government of the CAR to ensure stability in the area. Russia believes that a diplomatic approach is the best way to deal with the issue and rejects what, in the delegation’s opinion, is a violent and unnecessary attack previously suggested by the delegations of Sudan, CAR, and Vietnam among others. United States agreed with drone strikes which will be carried out by their nation, since allegedly only three casualties have been reported. China was completely surprised with that statement, since statistics published by the Unites States government itself have reported over one thousand deaths of innocent civilians as collateral damage from the drone strikes.
Sudan believes that the attack on the Seleka rebel group will reduce the death toll in CAR, which is currently two thousand per trimester. Syria was alarmed and questioned in what way an offensive attack would reduce the death toll. Congo addressed the previous statement by the delegation of China and recognizes the collateral damage of drone strikes, but also mentioned that at least two thousand rebel militants where neutralized by drone strikes. CAR stated that they will evacuate Muslim minorities, fearing that the Christian militia will attack them again in response to a Seleka attack. These citizens will be welcomed in Congo and in Sudan as refugees. Vietnam established that there should be no mercy with the rebel groups, since they are haunting the African population.
Alan Mondolfi
Secretary of Security Council
Security Council JR.
The Security Council Jr. Committee has officially passed on to the next topic. Today they have been discussing the Taliban attacks against the Afghan government, which covers various additional subtopics. The committee is mostly against the Taliban, but the delegations have divided themselves into different opinions on how to resolve the issue. Some countries, such as the Russian Federation and Japan discussed the use of violence to deal with the terrorists, while the United Kingdom and the Central African Republic leant towards peace and are against violence. Afghanistan has stated that they will join forces with the Russian Federation, and are prepared to use force against them.
A crisis arrived at the committee, which turned the tables on everyone. The Taliban had taken over a city in the Afghan border, causing ISIS to seek revenge and strike back. All the countries are in a state of commotion, and have been working on new ideas on how to deal with this new problem. The delegation of India spoke wise words “Delegates. War is never the answer”, asking for support from other delegations, and obtaining some from Iran.
Analuisa Pimentel
Secretary of Security Council JR.
United Nations Environmental Programme
The second day of WAMUN 2016 saw the fourth session concluding with the crisis established in the past session: three working papers regarding the issue were merged creating one that covered every delegation’s concern. As the crisis concluded the committee proceeded to the voting of both resolutions regarding the issue of Volkswagen´s CO2 emissions. The first resolution to be voted on was the one submitted by People´s Republic of China and Saudi Arabia, which passed resoundingly. The second resolution to be voted on , submitted by the delegation of the United States of America and Germany, was not passed by the majority of the committee.
Topic B of coal mining specifically in China, was officially opened at the fifth session of the second day. Some delegations such as Germany, Brazil and the French Republic, considered this issue as the deliberate destroying of the environment of many countries, including China. Nevertheless delegations such as Peoples Republic of China and Saudi Arabia, consider coal mining a vital source for the flourishing of their economy.
Gabriela Piovesan
Secretary of UNEP
United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime
The committee is moving fast. The delegates have united to solve the crisis and an action plan was passed, submitted by Russian Federation, Holy See, Canada, and French Republic. The resolution for Topic A was submitted by the same delegations and passed unanimously.
We have now moved on to Topic “B”: “The issue of the synthetic drug MDMA and the prevention of its distribution between European countries”. The delegation of Canada showed some concern regarding the environmental consequences this drug may bring, while Russia focused on the effect this drug has on the population, pointing to 2.5 million drug addicts between 18 and 39 years old. The delegation of Belgium proposed a controversial solution, stating that the legalization of MDMA would stop the trafficking of MDMA, causing another delegation to propose the closure of their borders.
Additionally, the massive amounts of MDMA in China sparked passionate debate. Belgium and China began a feverish debate, in which some delegations got so carried away that violence became a threat. The delegations of the United States of America, Russian Federation, and others want to send the DEA to investigate the MDMA in China, although China stands completely opposed, since it would be considered an act of war.
Ana Paula Fratini
Secretary of UNODC