Welcome to Press Corps 2023!
This will be the official home of all articles written by the members of the 2023 GTMUN Press Corps!
As members survey the various committees of the conference, they will draft news articles, covering such issues as the modern space race, the loss of dying languages, and even the inter-workings of the the Meta Oversight Board. By representing a unique news agency for their country, the articles crafted will reflect different perspectives and nuanced views from around the world.
Articles will be published here and updated after each of the four committee sessions.
Committee Session One News Articles
UNEP resolution on petroleum: Neo-colonialism, developed v. undeveloped, and the environment
As the first committee session of the Georgia Tech Model UN conference came to a close, the UN Environment Programme ended with four different working papers being prepared from four separate blocs.
The committee’s discussion was centered around the topic of ending petroleum usage throughout the world and shifting it to alternative energy sources. The discussion began productively. Multiple delegations, including the United States, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Libya, and many more, publically discussed their reliance on fossil fuels and how the immediate removal of petroleum would ruin the countries’ economies. Privately, many more countries, including Japan, voiced their reliance on fossil fuels and the need for a support system for these countries.
“We understand climate change is a real issue. But to keep economic strength and stability, the withdrawal needs to be at a slow rate in order to not harm the economy of Japan,” the delegate said.
Blocs were formed by delegations along their beliefs. The topic of contention was mostly between developed and undeveloped countries with independence being the main point. Non-developed countries wished for plans to advocate for sovereignty with help from developed countries. Committees were mostly formed along these lines.
The LIFT plan had its working paper sponsored by France, the United States, Guatemala, Nigeria, China, and Cambodia. The aim of the plan is to stop neo-colonialism by uplifting countries from the ground up through a grassroots movement. They want developed and non-developed countries to pair up so that they can decrease petroleum dependency. They’ll do this by evaluating dependency and pairing up the way dependency goes.
The LIFT plan in private conferences spoke of how they wanted to deceive the greater committee through tricky phrasing and fine print. The delegate from Greece said to the delegate from South Africa, “Give them as little as possible and then get them in the fine print.”
The STEEP (Science, Technology, and Environmental Education Program) plan, their working paper sponsored by Argentina, Colombia, Indonesia, Lebanon, Norway, Qatar, and the UAE. They believed that countries should prioritize the citizens first through education and use engineering and research to solve environmental issues. This aimed to be beneficial to developing countries by empowering them to uplift themselves with the interference of external players, strengthening their sovereignty. They achieved their minimum signatures through quid pro quo tactics, promising to be a signatory on the GREASE plan so that their STEEP could be brought to the debate.
The delegate for Argentina, a staunch representative of the STEEP plan, voiced the benefit of the STEEP plan, “Many member states here have exploited our resources for decades. So it’s only just for them to help aid in funding to help reverse the consequences of the oil that they bought from us.”
Argentina Delegate Margaret Black presents to the UN Environmental Programme committee. Argentina is a sponsor for the STEEP plan along with Indonesia and UAE
The GREASE (Green Resource Alliance for Sustainable Energy) plan is to not punish countries that import or export oil. They are trying to create a global market in which countries can use resources and have developed country mining in their sponsor countries. So that the energy they’re producing can be clean instead of harmful.
The MOOSE (Mold Our One Sustainable Earth) plan wants to root out the problems of increasing carbon emissions through urban planning. They want to have an evaluation run through all countries to talk about environmental needs and create a partnership with different countries.
The bloc responsible for forming the MOOSE plan discusses elements of their working paper. Initially proposed by Canada, the plan seeks coordination between developed and non-developed nations
The debate was majorly taken up by sponsors and signatories of the LIFT plan with them calling out other plans for creating the situation for neo-colonisism. The STEEP bloc stood against these allegations.
Ultimately, the session ended with the four main blocks being opposed. Japan would benefit most from GREASE because it will be slow enough to not harm the economy of the island. When the UNEP committee returns they will continue debating on the topic of petroleum.
“Things were getting heated, it’s looking like a productive but tough conference going forward,” the delegate from Japan said.
Written by the Mainichi
GMOs Grow in Southeast Asia
Countries formulating the DART Plan
Indonesia is in early development of technology in agriculture, namely GMOs, causing it to advocate for support for accessibility in less advanced countries, allowing research to prosper in the future. Today, in the UN Committee for Science and Technology Development (CSTD), Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries discussed their mixed opinions on GMOs, their implications on agriculture, and how to regulate them.
On one hand, Southeast Asian countries rely heavily on exports from other countries for food products. In a world where the use of GMOs is ever-growing, it can be hard to avoid the demand for GMO crops. However, because of the enormous population of Muslims in the region, questions about whether GMOs are halal raise a higher concern.
“Indonesia has a very mixed stance on GMOs. Our country currently relies on them in the form of importation because our country is suffering from the effect of diminishing farmland due to urbanization and other corporations and so we rely on the importation of GMOs to feed our very quickly growing population,” the Delegate of Indonesia said. “Indonesia does currently cultivate GMOs, but they’re currently only for research purposes, so we can ensure that everything that’s coming into our country can be tested thoroughly and we know that these products are safe.”
While Indonesia and other import-reliant countries in Southeast Asia rely heavily on GMOs because of their high crop yields, ethically, they’re not the first choice.
Cambodia is anti-GMO because of religious concerns about whether GMOs are halal or not. The government has to be conscious of what GMO products contain so that food is accessible to the greater part of the population. If a GMO contains pig DNA in particular, that whole food product is deemed haram (not halal), so the Muslim population in a given country cannot eat it.
“Cambodia is currently working with a bunch of Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Thailand… We realize that technology is the future, so rather than being anti-GMOs, we realize that we need to find a way to regulate it to understand the halal idea, by working with other countries but also having it come in with the regulations China proposed,” the Delegate of Cambodia said.
The Delegate of Singapore expressed a similar opinion on GMOs being halal. “In Singapore, the third-largest religion is Islam, and a large part of Islam is making sure that food is halal, and so sometimes GMOs can have things like swine DNA, so making sure that every single part of the modified organism is known … is a way of regulating the food that goes into Singapore.”
Concerns about GMOs also stem from the risk of GMOs dominating native species, which affects biodiversity.
“Citizens are also very concerned about the issue of biodiversity and the combination of GMOs with our organic products,” said the Delegate of Indonesia. “Indonesia is working with a lot of other countries talking about things such as terminator seeds, buffer zones, these are all technologies that we can use to perpetuate the separation of GMO products from organic products.”
Consequently, Indonesia has proposed additions to a working paper on behalf of the “DART” bloc which is prioritizing education in developing countries on developing GMOs and making sure that regulations don’t hinder accessibility of GMOs to undeveloped countries. One of the provisions Indonesia has proposed as a sponsor of DART’s working paper describes requiring countries to provide ample education about GMOs to citizens so they can make informed decisions about the GMOs they’re eating and buying.
Written by Jakarta Post
UNEP and Plenary Kick Off the Conference with Commendable Razzmatazz
Georgia Tech Model UN kicked off with energy early this chilly Monday morning. Following a rousing opening ceremony, delegates split off into their committees to debate, collaborate, and problem-solve on an international scale.
The UN Environmental Program committee is focused on alternative fuels and independence from petroleum. The delegates acknowledged the harm that global reliance on fossil fuels has caused the environment, but, according to the Tunisian delegate, there was not a consensus on how they should move forward. The United States emphasized their hesitance to move away from fossil fuels, as petroleum is so essential to their economy and infrastructure. Lebanon pitched a bold plan to urge governments to train locals in the ways of green energy and environmentally friendly infrastructure, which would simultaneously create job opportunities and limit greenhouse gas emissions. Colombia wants to begin to cut ties to the fossil fuel energy altogether and urge private businesses to pivot to renewable energy, leading economies to rely on green energy instead of petroleum. New Zealand brought up biofuel as a potential alternative source of energy to expand on.
The General Assembly Plenary committee has chosen to focus first on the topic of the effects of climate change on the Pacific. All delegations generally agree that the situation is dire, with rising sea levels, increasing ocean temperatures, and worsening tropical storms threatening the economic and social development in the region. The United States, along with larger countries such as China, are working on a plan that centers around funding and unity. It encourages countries with large economies that use lots of fossil fuels to band together to help the greater good. Germany, as a European nation with many land borders, is not necessarily the focus of the committee, but the delegates are focusing on funding and are planning to utilize their wealth to aid at-risk countries. The delegates from Australia are leveraging their country’s relevance as a Pacific island nation to make their voices heard within the committee. In an interview with the delegation, they explained their bloc’s—made up of Japan, New Zealand, Jordan, and Thailand—plans to address both the causes and effects of climate change. They plan to lower greenhouse gas emissions by focusing on transportation and investing in other forms of energy, such as solar power. On the effects side, they hope to restore their coasts using drainage and mangroves. They wish to limit the use of seawalls due to their disruptive nature. Tuvalu shared some shocking statistics about the forty percent of their land that is underwater and the worsening conditions caused by this. They are seeking aid from Egypt, Canada, and The Solomon Islands to allocate land in other countries and build homes for their people to immigrate to as sea levels continue to rise on their home islands.
Overall, the first session has been very productive, with many diverse opinions coming together to collaborate on solutions to worldwide problems. Blocs are beginning to write resolution papers in the committees, and solutions will hopefully be pouring in soon.
Written by Der Spiegel
A Better Tomorrow
As GTMUN XXIV commenced, conversation on Regulation and Ethics on Arms Dealing and Alternative Fuels and Independence from Petroleum began.
In GA1, the large majority of delegates stressed the importance of regulation and limits on arms dealing and trade in their moderated caucus. Particularly, Cuba wants extreme rules on arms trade to limit deaths from unsafe/unregulated trade. Countries including Jordan, Singapore, and Romania agree with Cuba. Jordan also emphasized equal treatment for developed and developing countries. The UK acknowledges the need for regulation and security in dealing and trade. However, being one of the largest exporters of arms in the world, the UK believes trade should continue. Nigeria aligns with the UK in support of sustaining trade and Bahrain is not far behind emphasizing that importing arms is necessary in small countries.
In UNEP (UN Environment Program) topic one (“Alternative Fuels and Independence from Petroleum”) began with countries already grouping up according to their respective views. South Africa is taking the lead on a possible working paper that the UK is interested in that emphasizes developed nations aiding undeveloped nations in their ultimate goal of increasing renewable energy and decreasing petroleum usage worldwide. Guatemala, Sweden, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Korea, and New Zealand are all possible sponsors and signatories of this plan with the UK and South Africa. The plan includes using a system that ranks developed countries based on reliability and pairs them with smaller countries to help with resources, as stated by New Zealand and South Korea in a moderated caucus. The two other larger groups in the making focus on countries’ independence and the well-being of the people with a long-term goal of diversification in energy. In particular, Venezuela emphasizes the different needs of countries as petroleum is their biggest export; a slow withdrawal would better benefit their economy. The underlying emphasis of the group on making sure every country has a voice was spoken on by Cuba in an unmoderated caucus and Arabia in a moderated caucus. Saudi Arabia stressed that less developed member states may be “overpowered or overshadowed” (Saudi Arabia). France, China, and Egypt may also be signatories and sponsors on this working paper in the making. While these big developed countries align, they aren’t scaring off the quickly developing working paper that includes Indonesia, Argentina, Lebanon, etc. The “STEP” plan, led by these countries, aims to work on education, “awareness, research, training programs” (Lebanon), and the overall well-being of the country’s people because the diversification of carbon-neutral resources is a long-term goal.
Written by The Guardian
Our Past Decisions Impact Our Future
As GTMUN XXIV commenced, many interesting, yet repetitive topics were brought up, discussed and either agreed or disagreed upon. A majority of countries like Mexico, Brazil, Cuba and Luxembourg take a negative approach on the topic of Arms Dealing Trade. These countries do not support the Arms Dealing Trade, due to the feeling of it “only benefiting larger countries” (Cuba). While countries like Nigeria and Bahrain rely on the Arms Dealing Trade to protect their country and citizens within it. Oddly enough the United States was not represented in GA one, yet they are one of, if not the top arm exporter having a 500% lead on another top military country, France.
Jordan, located in the Middle East is forced to share their already limited resources with Syrian refugees, who are a result of the negative aspect of the Arms Deal Trade, excessive war. Canada exports a select amount of warfare materials to prevent illegal smuggling into and out of the country. Much like in Canada, Vietnam is also struggling to keep up with illicit trade and smuggling which is at an all time high. Vietnam believes that the current laws set in place are not being enforced, or met with severe enough consequences to prevent illegal activities from occurring. Mexico searches for unity and equality among the represented countries to provide equal opportunities for all.
During the UNEP, they focused on carbon neutrality, which requires unity globally from all represented countries to make an impact on our carbon footprint as a whole. Saudi Arabia, a middle eastern country does not agree with the majority of the countries who believe that reaching carbon neutrality is a priority. Many alliances have been forced between our country and others like China and Egypt. These alliances exemplify our beliefs as a country and show that we are not only prioritizing ourselves but the sake of humanity to come.
We understand as a country that the use and production of petroleum has a sizable impact on our environment, but we also understand that petroleum also has a major impact on our economy. We plan to overtime reduce the amount of petroleum produced, instead of removing petroleum completely to help preserve our economy. Other countries like Egypt and Denmark have taken a slow approach towards renewable energy to avoid economic collapse much like us.Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates have begun to use the STEP Plan which is a clean energy plan that has a long term focus on the diversification of clean energy. Venezuela admires Lebanon and Argentina’s plan to prioritize the citizens who would be the most heavily impacted by the decrease of petroleum. An engaging decision made by Madagascar to use social media to inform their communities is truly fascinating. This approach helps to engage those who may be either misinformed, or lack knowledge of this topic.
Written by El Diario de Caracas
Guatemala’s Stance on World Heritage Sites and Language Preservation
Guatemala is very conscientious when it comes to preserving their world heritage sites and languages. Guatemala is diligently working in preserving their world heritage sites and is working with other countries in order to do so. In a statement to Prensa Libre Guatemala UNESCO committee delegate said, “I would say I agree with the delegation of France in that assessing structural integrity and post disaster risk assessment is crucial. Unfortunately due to global warming, climate change future disasters are going to be inevitable, sadly. Guatemala is very familiar with this, in 2018 there were several magnitude seven and above earthquakes that rocked the republic of Guatemala causing hundreds of deaths and tens of billions of dollars in property damage. So we are very familiar with this and we think it is crucial for their to be a modern detection system in order to detect things like seismic activity so there can be advanced warning ahead of time…[In order to] evacuate residents and there needs to be [improvement] with the structural integrity of cultural heritage sites without compromising the appearance and cultural importance” Guatemala is also working with other countries to preserve world heritage sites saying, “I do vote for any plan for international cooperation, such as Canada and France and the United Arab Emirates proposed.”
Guatemala wrote in their position paper “Guatemala proposes the following steps to preserve indigenous languages: Comprehensive linguistic research to document the endangered languages, including their grammar, vocabulary, and cultural context. Dictionaries and other language materials, school offering of a meticulous language curriculum, and multimedia resources in digital format with the target language available all serve as valuable resources for revitalization efforts. These revitalization efforts will all fall under new organizations created for each endangered language with the leadership corps of local members of the target language communities.” When asked they added “Guatemala is very passionate about [this] topic. Guatemala has twenty five indigenous languages. Besides Spanish there is a lot of varied and diverse languages within Guatemala, and many of these have several thousands of speakers left and the most in danger language, the Mayan Itza language there is only twelve fluent speakers left in the whole of Guatemala and so these languages are very literally on the verge of extinction and this is important because you lose a very important tie to the land and to the historical and cultural heritage of where these indigenous communities live when those languages die because they have unique ways of understanding the environment and the history and so its important to preserve those languages because when they die so much valuable insight on the world dies with them.”
Written by Prensa Libre
Libya’s Stance on Protecting Historical Monuments From the Threat of Natural Disasters in UNESCO
Libya believes that making plans to protect national monuments is the most important topic to be discussed. Libya plans to make a special task force and Mexico, France, Brazil, Iceland, UAE, Kenya, Algeria, Afghanistan, and Nigeria are all on board with the idea. The force will be made with paid workers who will help out and aid before, during, and after a natural disaster and the World Health Organization (WHO) will help out by funding for this task force. These countries also want to find ways to prevent natural disasters from even happening and they also want to find a way to prevent climate change by eliminating harmful CO2 emissions. Finally, they say that this task force will be a good form of revenue for countries because if they are able to preserve a monument it will bring in tourists which will help that country’s economy and this as a whole will help the world’s economy.
Written by The Libya Herald
UNESCO Session 1
Today’s UNESCO meeting had 60 delegates, 40 of which were voting. The simple majority was 31 and the super majority was 45. 10 speakers made their points on national monuments and the destruction natural disasters cause. Mexico was the first to speak, explaining how the country takes pride in their culture, which is reflected in the 35 cultural sites. They have created a specialized force to protect these monuments, and they have also asked for the preservation of dying languages to be a national cooperation. China recognized how since June of 2023, global temperatures have increased by at least 1 percent and there has also been an increase in natural disasters. The country had also talked about their own cultural sites like the forbidden city and the Wall of China. Due to this pressing matter, the country has asked for protection of monuments. Turkey presented the recent earthquakes that have damaged their population and their historical sites. Algeria mentioned their Tipaza monument that was destroyed due to flooding. The Eldfell volcano erupted in Iceland in 1973, and the country has pressed the issue of protecting national monuments as well as their own renowned landscape. In addition, Iceland feels a deep sense of responsibility and urgency to create a solution to the disasters facing culture and heritage sites, as well as historic monuments. Chile reminded countries about the power and influence on monuments and Cambodia ended the topic with a self-reflection of their rich devotion for these monuments and sites. Plans to protect national monuments were started off with Poland who has enacted many programs to protect monuments and proposes heritage sites around danger zones should be put as a risk to the population nearby the site. The United States had ended that topic with the fact UNESCO is beginning to make resilient buildings to withstand these natural disasters. Proposals for how to prevent the destruction of historic sites were made by the United States of Arab Emirates, explaining the financial needs for other countries and preventative actions, such as comprehensive disaster plans and commending international support. Canada expressed support for these natural disasters and proposed a nation and global level program called the GSHRF. Yemen’s culture sites are at risk due to the civil war. They ask for support from UN countries to regain stability. While Finland’s monuments are not at risk, they are passing laws and working on said monuments. Colombia has recognized the critical needs for monuments similar to Algeria in the last topic. Nigeria proposed that because rural areas with heritage and historic sites are not taken into account with the damage of monuments. They ended their time with the quote, “One size does not fit all”. Jordan explained how their 59 heritage sites are at risk due to natural disasters and has acted upon climate change; they propose innovative solutions to help heritage sites. France has pushed for comprehensive disaster plans to help save each monument by revising old sites to be more resilient. Egypt has been dealing with earthquakes to the Pyramids of Giza and has been having many floods in other areas. They have campaigned for building dams as well. Lastly, Cambodia ended the first half of the session with its enhanced outreach in their extensive fields of training for the government to inspire citizens to help with the conservation of the monuments. The country urged larger countries to donate to smaller countries for them to be able to solve their problems concerning the risk of natural disasters to their monuments, cultural and heritage sites.
Written by Tehran Times
Argentina in UNESCO
Argentina, among other countries, has been very actively involved in the global fight for preservation of ancient languages, and protecting historical monuments from the threat of natural disasters. According to the delegate representing Argentina, the main goals of Argentina in regards to protecting historical monuments from natural disasters is to set up protective measures for natural disasters so that damage will be prevented, rather than having to amend damages following a natural disaster. Argentina has eleven properties on the UNESCO World Heritage List, five of them are natural sites, and six of them are cultural sites.
Argentina, a country prone to natural disaster, is in danger of having damage done to its properties. Delegate states that sometimes the issues faced in Argentina get overshadowed by issues that are on a larger scale, but that the focus should be balanced between larger scale issues and smaller scale issues that are resultant of natural disasters in Argentina.
As to the preservation of ancient languages in Argentina, the delegate states that it is very important to them because preserving native languages helps to maintain cultural diversity of these tribes, which help to continue the existence of diversity within the country. In order to preserve these native languages, the Argentenian government wants to have available public education to promote learning of language and culture, as well as establishing a physical document that will preserve endangered languages, and also integrate aspects of the minority languages into schools with high populations of native people.
All in all, this delegate states that the Argentinean government wants to work to prevent damage from natural disasters before they occur, as well as preserving ancient languages within school systems and communities.
Written by La Nación
Would a future of nuclear energy be possible without the fear of a nuclear war?
With the rapid development of nuclear energy as a sustainable energy source, there has been a long debate on the proper use of uranium and its enrichment in countries around the globe in opposition to the risk of a nuclear war. Many countries share the same consensus on the utilization of nuclear energy as a combat against ongoing climate change while also acknowledging the need for a regulatory framework for the prevention of a global nuclear war.
The majority of the countries stress the need for nuclear energy as a means of sustainability in energy production considering the current situation of global climate change. In particular, Italy calls the act of disregarding the use of uranium in fear of conflicts “an act of cowardice”, emphasizing their stand on the incorporation of uranium on both civilian and military scales.
On the other hand, there is not a clear stand on the regulation process, whether through international collaboration or regulations. There is a shared emphasis on diplomacy and international partnership, led by Canada, which is the second largest producer of uranium, shows their willingness to share their expertise with the international community and aims to advance the use of uranium in the medical and agricultural sectors. However, there is a lot of discussion between developing new regulatory frameworks or improving upon the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) current framework of global nuclear safety and security. Several countries demonstrate a focus on establishing diplomatic bonds and international collaboration in a new agreement such as Belgium and Pakistan. The United States leads on the latter choice, explaining that the IAEA regulates 98% of the uranium distribution and has developed numerous frameworks that are currently in use.
This debate also poses the question of uranium enrichment as the distribution of uranium is unequal across the globe. There are countries with no uranium such as Japan, and countries that lead in the world’s uranium production. Japan specifically describes the process as an interconnected system and they require other countries assistance in their uranium enrichment. Many point out that these discrepancies increase the risks of a war that harms countries with zero uranium, primarily developing countries. Mexico demonstrates the harm of stockpiling uranium against IAEA regulations using the example of Iran, which exceeds twenty times the amount set out. In response, some agree on the policy of nonproliferation as well as push for security on uranium mining. Jordan representatives suggest forming a union between developing countries that stands against the exploitation from major powers, which brings a lot of discussion onto the table. Moreover, some countries in conflict such as Ukraine following the Russia-Ukraine conflict emphasize the safety of nuclear infrastructure considering the detrimental effects of an outbreak on its civilians and environment. There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to finding one definite solution, which explains why countries have yet to come up with a plan.
Overall, there is a push for nuclear energy seen around the world as many countries began recognizing the need for nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. Saudi Arabia is looking forward to its first nuclear reactor and hopes to incorporate uranium into energy production. Other countries such as Pakistan have already established their own system with six reactors and nuclear energy takes part in 6 to 8 percent of energy production. India with its own nuclear power and nuclear weapons program is actively looking for ways to collaborate with neighboring countries such as China and Pakistan and strengthen their diplomatic relationships as well as learn from experts to improve upon their current system. While it is important to agree upon our combat against climate change, countries must soon agree on a universal framework that can regulate uranium distribution and prevent the misuse of nuclear energy.
Written by Hindustan Times
Committee Session Two News Articles
Guatemala Leads by Example in Combating Climate Change
Today Guatemala discussed its plans to strengthen and protect their environment in a UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) committee meeting by implementing a plan called WARP which stands for Widely Accessible Renewable Power. In a statement to Prensa Libre the Guatemala UNEP committee delegate said “Right now Guatemala is focused on this plan called WARP…this is a focus that can be put on a national scale as well as an international scale. That means that at a national scale, with Guatemala as an example, Guatemala can rely a lot on renewable resources…over half of the energy that they produce is renewable but a huge percentage of the emissions are coming from individuals who do not have access to electricity and therefore are reliant on unsustainable practices. …the UN needs to be focused more on developing nations and…lack of access and lack of ability to be able to use sustainable practices. Guatemala’s main goal is to encourage others to see their own nations as well as the relations internationally in this… we cannot create changes in just developed nations and expect it to eradicate the problem entirely.” Guatemala’s new approach on combating climate change by making sure individuals in poverty practice sustainable practices is a huge step forward in reversing the damage of climate change. These individuals are usually forgotten so it is crucial for countries around the world to follow Guatemala by example of making sure the poor are protected and not forgotten.
Written by Prensa Libre
How countries are preserving their historical monuments while combatting climate change
In the past few years, news of heat waves, earthquakes, and hurricanes has been flooding our television, social media, and broadcasts with many causing great detrimental effects on people and properties. Besides the enormous financial loss, many failed to consider the loss of culture and history through the destruction of numerous historical monuments as a result of climate change. In response to this emerging problem, countries are working together to propose different solutions from multiple angles in a recent discussion.
To begin with, one comprehensive plan was proposed, called the PROTECT plan, an acronym with each letter representing a different step: Prepare for upcoming natural disasters beforehand, Recover stolen and lost artifacts, Offer educational opportunities to learn, Technology incorporated to document historical sites, Evacuate if possible, Cover monuments that can’t be moved, and Talk to raise awareness, especially in younger generations. What makes this plan special is that the implementation of PROTECT would be tailored to each country’s geographical differences. For example, in Papua New Guinea, where there is a lot of volcanic activity, their preparations would be more in-depth in regard to volcanic eruptions and proper evacuation. One thing that this project focused on was the implementation of more technology from using media platforms to spread awareness to using 3D modeling to create digital documents for preservation. Considering the growth of technology nowadays, it is a step forward to continue to learn and constantly improve upon what we have.
Furthermore, one of the most important aspects these countries have to consider is finances, and one solution of establishing a funding foundation was proposed. Talking to the representatives of Canada, who is the leading country of this solution, they explain the funding originates from donations from wealthy countries as well as individuals who support their cause. They then use the funds and invest them into small local businesses, and the revenue gained would be used for the preservation. This self-sufficient cycle is distributed based on applications with a priority on immediate dangers before using the UNESCO risk index to determine, as well as by considering negotiation to allocate financial resources. This offers opportunities for countries to participate in efforts of preservation if they do not have adequate finances. A union of Cambodia, Chile, Honduras, and Denmark shows their determination to support other nations that are currently in conflict or unable to focus on cultural preservation such as Ukraine. Upon discussion, there was an improvement to be made, asking all historical sites to be added to the UNESCO website so everyone can be acknowledged and adequately funded.
Last but not least, some countries such as Belarus, Jordan, and Finland’s plan emphasizes tackling the root of the problem, climate change itself. Their general goal is to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as well as establish an international commission that specializes in restoring historical monuments. In our interview with Jordan, their representative explained their solution using the city of Petra, a major tourist destination in Jordan that has had six major floodings in recent years, all attributed to the current climate crisis. As a developing country, they want to help other developing countries from “the consequences of climate change caused by major developed nations”. During the discussion, many were worried that their focus had shifted but their representatives answered every question with a detailed plan and a clear goal of preserving historical monuments.
One major similarity between these three solutions is their shared determination to spread awareness through education, particularly to the younger generations. There were a number of ideas promoting educational opportunities such as a restoration course being made available to a wider audience as well as expanding the awareness of cultural conservation to a global scale. In particular, France wants to incorporate this in school curriculums and education across the nation. Furthermore, while each of these solutions is concentrated on a distinctive aspect of the problem, it is not impossible for them to coexist together as they complement each other. Currently, representatives from different countries are negotiating to merge their resolutions that can maximize each other’s course of action.
Written by Hindustan Times
A Race Against Time
As GTMUN XXIV delegates reconvened after lunch, formal solutions and working papers began focused on GMOs. After continuous work throughout committees and unmoderated caucuses, working papers were submitted and the merger of many of those papers in the CSTD Committee was a race against time. Stronger papers were quite literally highlighted and for the little guy, a fight to get their ideas in a paper that would actually pass was in store. In their 10 minute unmoderated caucus, papers were merged, delegates worked tirelessly, and after hard work, even a paper that wasn’t previously seen as “strong” (chair) convinced the chair to accept four draft resolutions. Draft Resolution 1-1a included Canada, South Korea, etc. The “SAFER” paper (or draft resolution 1-1B) included Vietnam, Singapore, the U.S.A, etc. The “Rebrand “ paper (or draft resolution 1-1c) included Argentina , Brazil, South Africa, UK, etc. “CIV” plan (or draft resolution 1-1d) included France, Sweden, Germany, etc. This bloc in particular fought hard to make their paper respectable and supportable. All blocs succeeded with their ultimate goal of GMO regulation and experienced a group victory when all four draft resolutions became four official resolutions.
Written by The Guardian
Ecofin Ecofinds Itself in a Sticky Situation
Coming back for the second round of debates, resolutions are circling about with urgency. After the morning’s intense gallimaufries of ideas and opinions, we come back to the committee anticipating more polished ideas and structured debate.
The Economic and Financial Committee started off with many conflicting opinions right from the jump. The committee centered around the control of resource cartels, monopolies of vital resources by groups of companies. OPEC or Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which is a collaboration of different oil companies to coordinate on petroleum laws, was brought up expeditiously, with most nations speaking of OPEC as a threat. The delegation from Senegal expressed his concern with OPEC’s eighty percent control over the oil market and potential influence on media narratives. Algeria, on the other hand, pushed for a plan that would stabilize oil markets instead of taking power away from OPEC, which powers the Algerian oil economy. The United States, who already lost three hundred billion in vital resources due to these cartels, believed that the countries benefiting from resource cartels should consider the countries in need and how to best accommodate them in terms of legislation. Switzerland believed strongly in their plan of boycotting OPEC to lower the demand of oil and stop price fixing.
Multiple resolutions were brought to the table in the second session of Ecofin, with similar ideas on how to combat resource cartels and faced equal resistance. The sponsors of draft resolution 1.1—Canada, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Colombia, Lebanon, Turkey, South Africa, Estonia, United Arab Emirates, Mexico—took the stage for an authors’ panel, which is focused on implementing already existing antitrust legislation in particular countries. The resolution acknowledges the way that developing nations rely on resource cartels, so they discourage immediate action against the monopolies. It aims to “Encourage cooperation between member states by increasing reliance on cartels,” but it also creates a Cartel Control Committee to ensure that monopolies do not misuse their power. The draft additionally includes a clause about educating the youth on renewable energy. Shortly after, the sponsors of draft resolution 1.2 or The United Nations for Clear Localized Economics, spearheaded by the United States of America, took the stage for an author’s panel. Their resolution, centered around transparency and clean energy. It encourages countries to investigate suspected resource cartels and incentivises countries to use proven methods to break up monopolies, but everything is, of course, voluntary. This led to concern from other countries that feared that certain nations, especially those whose economies rely on oil cartels, would not want to put themselves at risk. When asked about corrupt nations, the authors pivoted to talking about clean energy quotas and creating domestic task forces designed to report to the UN, which would, again, be optional.
Overall, the committee exemplified the ineffectual methods that the international government uses against powerful corporations, which ultimately renders itself useless in the battle against corporate greed. The sharp opinions seen at the beginning of the day found themselves whittled down by red tape to dull echoes of what they once were. Valiant effort, intelligence, and great diplomatic abilities can be found in every delegate, but from what Der Spiegel witnessed, it is unlikely that any sort of radical positive change will occur.
Written by Der Spiegel
UNEP resolution on petroleum: boiling point being reached
Tensions were high as the UN Environmental program returned to debate. As a reminder, when the debate broke for lunch, the committee was split into four separate blocs. The MOOSE bloc focused on collaborating with non-developed and developed nations. The STEEP bloc focuses on the citizens and improving their education to reach sustainable energy. The GREASE bloc wants to slowly ween countries off countries that are reliant on petroleum. And the LIFT bloc, which wants to take both a top-down and bottom-up approach.
The debate began with conflict as the UAE challenged China’s claims against it made at the end of the first conference. China had claimed that the stance that the UAE was taking was against their foreign policy goals. The delegate from the UAE said, “The UAE does not approve of the Belt and Road initiative outside of the UN and would not appreciate it in the UN.”
The blocs continued to support their positions with the separations becoming greater between the groups. Ranks were closed and working papers were drafted, every country sat with their bloc fiercely discussing their presentation.
The GREASE bloc and LIFT block refused to comment on the state of their bloc. The MOOSE bloc and STEEP bloc defended their respective positions. The Brazil delegate said, “It’s taking into account the situation from all types of countries from different types of climates, sides of the world, and different financial situations.”
Presentations would shortly begin soon in the committee. It is unlikely that this debate will be called to a vote before the end of this committee session.
Written by The Mainichi
Libya’s stance on alternative fuels and independence from petroleum in UNEP
Libya relies greatly on petrol and they want to ensure good energy to be put in place to replace petrol. Indonesia, UAE, Norway, and Argentina all agree with this statement and they also want to get the United States on board with this idea. They know that this will be a multi year plan so they want this to be funded by the EP or any other organization . These countries want the plan and process to be a good and smooth transition so no one’s economy will get at risk. Libya also wants to avoid creating dependency on other countries because this could lead to an economic disaster.
Written by The Libya Herald
African Union Session 1 Cont.
For the 1st African Union Session, there were 23 delegates with the super majority being 15 and the simple majority being 12. The Republic of Ghana, Republic of South Africa, Burundi, Mozambique, Congo, and Chad worked on a resolution paper that focused on foreign aid, specifically decreasing and making aid transparent. The resolution paper also mentioned intercontinental aid, infrastructure and education, and funding. Another resolution paper by Egypt, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Niger explains their plans to achieve economic independence, reducing dependence on other countries, maintaining a commonwealth, improving education, and improving gender equality. After this unmoderated caucus, Algeria mentioned they were working with Zambia, Libya, and Senegal to improve women’s civil rights, which would influence closing the wage gap. Gabon pointed out their ‘DICE bloc’, which stands for Database, Infrastructure, Collaboration, and Economy. Their solution focuses on collaborating with other countries in Africa, encourages creation of infrastructure, and expanding internal trade with railroads. The Central African Republic commented on some of their solutions, including increasing economic profits and the importance of discretion. Zambia pressed about the lack of action done for debt transparency and wishes for more countries to look into debt transparency. Rwanda was focused on increasing self dependency, promoting intercontinental trade, and eliminating all tariffs. Ghana ended this topic with the instability in Africa and encouraged countries to develop multifaceted plans as well to give individual freedom for countries to decide their economic aids. Congo started off in the next topic, talking about strengthening their education, and helping to teach their citizens healthcare. Gabon explained the differences between their database plan and the Zambia database plans: the DICE bloc focuses on countries in Africa and the TAP plan looks at debt transparency. Ethiopia focuses on the transparency of the government, and lastly, Zambia ended the topic with their TAP plan that goes on about education, debt risks, and government corruption.
Written by Tehran Times
Argentina UNEP
Argentina on the issues of economy and natural resources, holds a strong viewpoint. A delegate from Argentina stated that Argentina fights to prioritize education about environmental issues and how to solve them through engineering and research. This is in order to diversify renewable energy options to individualize energy options for different countries whose resources vary. The delegate states, “We want to put our citizens first, educating them on how to research and understand renewable energy is very important to us so that in the future we can have a diverse group of personnel that are able to understand and solve problems in relation to futuristic renewable energy”.
However, although Argentina wants a diverse and broad education and understanding surrounding this issue, they would like to prioritize citizens so that they take the education seriously and really get a firm foundation in the field.
Also, on natural resource distribution, Argentina states that they would like to take the cut-off of distribution to specific countries phase by phase in order to maintain a stable economic environment. This means that if natural resources such as oil are cut off sharply to other countries, the economy will crash resulting in a negative impact on all countries involved, including Argentina.
In conclusion, Argentina holds a strong standpoint on natural resources and its relation to the economy, stating that they would like to have their citizens well educated as their top priority, and also feel it is a necessity to not sharply cut off distribution of natural resources to other countries.
Written by La Nación
A Win for All
As GTMUN XXIV delegates reconciled after a quick lunch, formal solutions and working papers shifted their focus towards GMOs. Countries yet again agreed to disagree on said topic. Working papers were shaped through committees and unmoderated caucuses. Many unexpected countries’ beliefs aligned, these alliances were formed in a time crunch. A large amount of well written papers were highlighted. In their 10 minute unmoderated caucus papers were merged, delegates flustered, yet motivated began to push towards their goals. All four of the draft papers were surprisingly passed, which is quite unusual! Yet another win for Venzuela!
Written by El Diario de Caracas
Committee Session Three News Articles
CTSD is Taking Big Steps in the Fast Fashion Industry
In Indonesia, fast fashion is a crucial part of the growing economy. 4.2 million people are
employed in the industry, making up approximately 3% of the total workforce. However, the fast
fashion industry has a negative impact on the environment. The Citarum river in particular is
lined with factories and covered in waste, which has begun to affect fishing and agriculture
production as chemicals run into the rice fields.
The CSTD session resumed their discussion of Fast Fashion this morning and started to
form more concrete blocs. The countries are split between five different plans concerning
growing issues in the fast fashion industry.
The delegate for Indonesia, a key figure in the A.F.E.S.T. bloc (Addressing Factories,
Environment, Stakeholders, and Technology), stated that “we are focusing on improving
technology for the environment. This can be incentives for countries to improve donations or the
transition of production from polyester to production of natural fiber materials such as cotton,
linen, or wool.” The A.F.E.S.T. bloc also intends to ban the sale of goods made with forced labor
and impose a tax on fast fashion. Concerned with sustainability, the bloc is focused on the idea of
a circular economy in which goods are recycled and reused repeatedly.
The delegate from Indonesia (right) collaborates with the delegate from Denmark
(left) on the A.F.E.S.T. working paper
The Patch bloc recognizes environmental and labor concerns, but is pro fast fashion given
its importance to many economies. Additionally, sponsors such as China, Egypt, Italy, Saudi
Arabia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Yemen are looking into ways for corporations to be more
transparent with the public. In order to create better working conditions, the bloc suggests
supporting labor unions, having UN nominated officials complete random checks on companies,
and notifying all workers of their ability to submit anonymous reports on labor practices.
The F.A.B.R.I.C. plan (Fundamental Awareness, Brand transparency, Regulation,
Investment, and Cost) is looking to stop the use of child and forced labor. They want to invest
more into research surrounding sustainability in the fast fashion industry in an attempt to reduce
microplastics.
The Slow Fashion plan is sponsored by the countries of Argentina, Belgium, Brazil,
Estonia, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland. They have been advocating for research-based
solutions in science and engineering to find more sustainable alternatives to fast fashion. This
can be done through recycling previously used materials, bioengineering, and reusing products
for longer periods of time. They also suggested regulating the use of words like “sustainable” on
packaging to prevent greenwashing.
The Last Fashion bloc wants to create a UN subcommittee to further investigate fast
fashion companies and utilize Greenpeace and other non-governmental organizations to address
concerns on fast fashion. Like several other blocs, the Last Fashion also emphasizes the idea of a
circular economy.
“What [the delegation of] Cambodia believes in and what we are trying to do in the Last
Fashion bloc is implement letter grades to major corporations that exist, in not just in Cambodia,
but also consumer nations that have such big labor organizations.” the delegate explained.
The goal of these blocs is to merge further and have complete working papers in order to
finish the conference with set resolutions in order to address the issues in the fast fashion
industry.
Written by The Bali Post
Guatemala is in the Gray on GMOs
In the CSTD (Commision on Science and Technology for Development) committee, Guatemala expressed its views on the debate of whether to grow GMOs and on the ethics of GMOs. While Guatemala itself does not grow GMOs they do feed the livestock that are in Guatemala GMOs because of its cost effective nature. Guatemala’s CSTD committee delegate explained to Prensa Libre, “Guatemala is kind of in a gray area” on GMOs. They said they were working in collaboration with France, Germany, and Saudi Arabia on this pressing issue. Guatemala’s committee delegate explained that they themselves do not grow GMOs “to encourage and foster biodiversity,” within the country but the Guatemalan delegate said “we are fine with other nations growing GMOs,” Guatemala is protecting their country’s rich biodiversity by not allowing GMOs to grow within their own country, but supporting GMOs in other countries and their import into Guatemala.
France is collaborating with Guatemala on this issue and their goal is to find common ground with other countries in their bloc. The views on GMOs range in their bloc of anything from anti GMO to pro GMO views. While they are still developing their bloc France found a point that all of these countries have common ground on in their bloc saying “we all agree there are negative impacts on cultivating GMOs.” The overarching goal is to find a solution that all of the countries can get behind in order to give recommendations to the United Nations General Assembly. France is also considering CRISPR-Cas9 as one of the potential solutions to the issues of GMOs. The committee delegate for France said “We’re thinking of the implementations of CRISPR-Cas9 [and its] potential implementations.” France added that it’s important to remember that the point of CSTD is to find short term solutions saying “Since we’re the CSTD we’re looking for short term things.” Overall the cooperation of the countries in the CSTD committee has been very successful and is getting them closer and closer to a solution.
Written by Prensa Libre
Space: An Asset or Area of Neutrality?
In an age of ever-expanding technology and exploration when it comes to space, how is conflict prevented? How is jurisdiction over celestial bodies determined? What are countries allowed to do with what they’ve discovered? These are only a few of the many questions that countries in the Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC) seek to solve today.
Some main points on how to prevent a modern-day Space Race include putting regulations in place to keep the peace between countries with highly developed space research programs and ones with barely any research and cleaning up debris from abandoned expeditions.
The Delegate of Libya Presenting her Stance on Solutions to a Modern Space Age
When it comes to keeping the peace, preventing the large-scale commercialization of space technology, and putting safeguards in place against larger countries abusing their power, economic equality was brought up time and time again.
“I think it’s wonderful that Asia and the Middle East have come together, [but] for countries that don’t have the monetary resources to create space infrastructure, it’s difficult to trust that the money someone would give us, or China would give us would be without any kind of consequence or reparation. We don’t want to be in debt to anyone for knowledge,” the Delegate of Vietnam said.
“What we’re really focusing on is making sure LDCs [less developed countries]… have an equal footing in the space race. … We should be working as a global community and I think the only way to ensure that is by making sure that smaller countries are all working towards the collective goal of the use of space resources,” the Delegate of Indonesia said.
By making sure that countries with less developed space programs have the same opportunities as countries with more developed space programs, much of the UN is working towards peace in advancements in space technology, rather than the competitive nature it’s had in the past.
“I am creating the SPACE plan, which is solidifying peaceful appreciation of celestial entities along with Argentina, Malaysia, the UK, and Lichtenstein. Together we hope to promote a peaceful use of space, and really what we want to focus on is the idea of global collaboration,” the Delegate of Japan said.
Something that many countries mentioned when asked about preventing the space race was cleaning up space debris.
“One of the things we want to focus on is eliminating space debris, because that can be a large hindrance to developing countries,” the Delegate of Japan said.
These Asian countries previously mentioned and many more, including China, are advocating for provisions to allow developing countries to have the same opportunities as more developed countries, which will hopefully prevent the domination of space exploration by superpowers that are willing to militarize and utilize space as a symbol of economic power.
Written by Jakarta Post
India Joins in Action to Aid Countries in the Pacific region in their fight against Climate Change
India with its 7000km long coastline, which is occupied by approximately 300 million people living within 100 meters of the water, is witnessing more signs of the climate crisis. The warming of water is accelerating the occurrence of storms and causing rainfall to fluctuate between stagnation and flooding. UNICEF recognizes India’s vulnerability to flooding, where monsoon rain is greatly intensified by climate change, increasing the likelihood of deadly landslides and flash floods. The ongoing floods affected millions of people and led to the displacement of over 100,000 in the state of Assam, India since June this year. Furthermore, records show more than five hundred people die every year with the highest death toll of 965 people in 2010. Consequently, India recognizes the loss of people and the economic effects of climate change seen in countries, especially in the Pacific region, which are enduring some of the worst effects. In a recent assembly, along with other countries, they are coordinating a plan focusing on using renewable energy and aiding in necessary resources for countries in the Pacific region.
Throughout the meeting, there are a lot of plans proposed with each concentrating on a different aspect of this problem. There is a focus on research about renewable energy and education to equip the people with a course of action in case of a disaster. Japan, for example, demonstrates the usage of technological advancements to improve upon eco-friendly resources such as wind, solar, nuclear fusion energy, and geothermal energy for desalination. A coalition between UAE, Egypt, and Romania proposes a fund that concentrates on providing education of disaster response directed to underdeveloped countries, where hurricanes or wild fires often occur, as well as investing in sustainable agriculture. While this plan gives an incentive for developing countries, it does pose the questions of the source of the fund and whether it would be consistent in the long term. One of more distinctive approaches they propose is to create a domestic fund for disaster evacuation and enforce a carbon taxes on major corporations, which can be greatly beneficial if its is correctly implemented. On the other hand, countries such as Canada puts an emphasis on reducing global emissions and a general plan to combat climate change with countries around the world. Their Life Plan uses their advantage as a leading nation in renewable energy and expand their research to other countries.
India, in particular, joins in collaboration with other countries for the proposal of a new plan, QUICKFISH. One of the major changes is the implementation of hydrogen ions as an energy source and an alternative to fossil fuels and petroleum. India, as a developed nation with its resources, would play the role of the producer to encourage the usage of this new clean sustainable energy. This is an attempt to limit the amount of coal and oil used through using incentives and promote research in this area. Another distinctive feature of QUICKFISH is their course of action in recovering coral reefs, which are shown to absorb carbon dioxide while protecting coastlines from natural disasters and erosion. They also promote international food and water inspection laws that specifically look for microplastics trend to prevent them from polluting food and water sources. This would be aided by working with insepctor agencies as well as condemning the manufacture and distribution of polyester products. India shows their determination in using bioplastics as a replacement and would provide financial support for research of new forms of biodegradable plastics. Moreover, in response to the growing concerns of culture preservation, QUICKFISH is designed to maintain the Pacific islanders’ culture with minimizing the interference. Furthermore, while this project is based on a coalition with China and the United States, the representatives ensure that it would be overseen by United Nations with no influence from major corporations to maintain their objectivity in working for the interests of the people in the Pacific region. From this foundation, India and other countries are working together to ensure that QUICKFISH implementation can be tailored to the range of unique ecosystems and environments available in the Pacific region.
Written by Hindustan Times
Iran in ECOFIN
ECOFIN’s Iran has been dealing with brain drain, which is about skilled workers who come from less developed countries to more developed countries. The country has experienced extreme brain drain for IT, technology start-up, and medical sectors. Last year, Iran ranked 2nd in how large of a brain drain a country had, which is why this is a pressing matter for the country. They would want to partner with more developed countries in order to make a plausible solution for these more developed countries who have the skilled workers that would rebuild and also revitalize the workforce as well as the economy. Iran and Libya partnered up to create a program where more developed countries and less developed countries team up in order to enhance education. These two countries believe that there should be incentives for more developed countries and their corporations to create education for less developed countries. Libya ended with explaining that by using online education and creating tech resources, it will be an easy way to solve brain drain. Iran and Libya created an explanation paper that utilized different committees and groups in the UN that have already been pre-established. These countries wish for those committees to show, strengthen, and have less developed countries adapt to the issues of brain drain.
Written by Tehran Times
Delegates Tackle Arms Dealers and a Sci-Fi Rock
Still riding the momentum of yesterday’s highs and lows, the delegates come back to their committees with fresh perspectives and open minds. Der Spiegel visited the Ad Hoc committee and DISEC to see what delegates were devising.
In DISEC, delegates participated in authors’ panels and hammered out the fine details of their draft resolutions on the topic of Arms Sales during Wars and Conflict. According to UN principles, this committee has the responsibility to limit the torment that the military industrial complex brings down upon the world. The military industrial complex is an economic issue, with private arms companies profiting off wars and using that profit to influence governments, thus continuing the cycle of violence. One draft resolution in DISEC, The Manilla Accord, aims to combat this by limiting arms trading through an opt-in agreement incentivized by aid to countries that abide by the arms limit guidelines. Another relied on private companies and NGOs and was met with confusion from the rest of the committee about the legality of the financing. The authors dodged questions about why terrorist organizations and arms dealers would be incentivised to limit the trade of weapons. It also suggests an arms per capita guideline and regional and interregional summits. A third draft resolution gives muddled guidelines about lawmaking to address smuggling, but the draft’s main ideas are to open communication surrounding arms deals and to create an oversight board to ensure the ethics of imports on a case-by-case basis. There lies a reasonable solution within these three draft resolutions, but it is yet to be seen whether delegates will be able to merge ideas and cut clutter until they find it.
In Ad Hoc, the implementation of a newly discovered substance, Elderite, to replace oil is being discussed and contested among delegates. Estonia brought up concerns about the idea to annex the Arctic circle in order to increase state-sponsored Elderite mining. Many countries postulate that infrastructure to support Elderite must be implemented before making any other moves, or else the world risks developing countries taking the brunt of the impact in the switch away from fossil fuel. France estimates that a few trillion dollars could potentially be lost between the combined member states in the UN. One delegate flummoxed their peers with an unrelated quote from Alexander the Great referencing dying with empty hands before inexplicably shifting to a meditation on the importance of saving lives no matter the cost and encouraging other countries to step up and contribute. Delegates from South Africa and the United Kingdom overflowed with confidence when they spoke about their plan to incorporate Elderite into a past green energy initiative agreement. Russia and Libya are going against the grain and threatening to opt out of the deal if equitable distribution—where there is allegedly more room for corruption and manipulation—is employed rather than adequate distribution or need-based distribution. Elderite seems to be a promising new resource, but its future is up in the air for the moment, with its potential in the hands of the divided delegates.
Written by Der Spiegel
Argentina in CSPD
This conference debated on the topic of fast fashion and its economical and ecological effects on the working class and child laborers. An Argentinian delegate states that the country is in favor of labor unions who support workers rights. They would prefer to prioritize the rights and conditions of the places where the workers have to work, in order to keep the workers willing and wanting to work in the factories. Argentina also seeks to change the negative impacts of the work done in these factories on the environment, and they want to do this by making a change to the type of materials utilized for the creation of fast fashion. Delegate states, “as Argentina i support labor unions, and i would like to put the rights of the workers first in order to keep the workers working. We also strive to keep emissions and other environmental damages as low as possible.” However, on the other hand, a delegate from China states that they would want to prioritize higher quality material no matter the impact on the environment or workers. They want to make products as quickly and efficiently as possible. All in all, the countries of Argentina and China have differing opinions on this issue and they both strive to cultivate very different results pertaining to rights of workers as well as environmental outlook.
Written by La Nación
ECOFIN committee interrupted by Elon Musk announcement of “Project Y”
On the second day of the GTMUN conference, the ECOFIN committee began discussing the topic of “Brain Drain” and how it can affect a nation’s sovereignty. The debate was fairly mutual with most nations agreeing that brain drain has a negative effect on sovereignty and harms the nation’s stability and economy.
Brain drain is the movement of intelligent people permanently out of the country. This is harmful to the nation because this decreases their human capital and inhibits their growth because they do not have people to help them succeed within the country. The opposite effect is known as brain gain, where other countries benefit from people from other countries immigrating to those countries. This increases their human and intellectual capital by raising the amount of skilled workers within the country.
The delegation of Japan asserted that Japan understands both of the arguments. Historically, Japan has benefitted from brain gain and suffered from brain drain. Japan benefited from the brain drain as many people emigrated from Southeast Asian countries to Japan. However, Japan has also felt the negative impact of brain drain from large amounts of its citizens immigrating to the United States. When coming into the committee session today, the delegate of Japan said, “We are looking for a moderated solution that encourages brain circulation that will benefit all countries equally.”
Japanese Delegate, Grady Jenkins, stands alongside other nations in the ECOFIN committee. The bloc created a position that focused on increasing education and brain circulation to benefit all countries. Japan has historically benefitted from brain gain to the country.
Most blocs proposed solutions focused on education that would be provided by the government. However, most blocs disagreed on how the programs would be carried out. The main focus in educational difference
Near the end of the conference, Elon Musk appeared at the ECOFIN committee to announce “Project Y.” He is developing an empire within the Arctic with Jack Ma. To do this he was taking major resources, both human capital and capital, from many member countries including Venezuela and South Africa, furthering the brain drain in the developing nations.
Billionaire, former “X” CEO Elon Musk stands before the ECOFIN committee. Musk announced that he would be developing the Arctic into an empire under the moniker of “Project Y.” The new empire caused unrest in the committee as Musk began to threaten other countries present at the conference.
His reasoning was that the world was in a state of disarray and he believed that he could make the world a better place. When asked about conflict and enemies to the empire, he quoted Star Wars saying “I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.”
Although X (Formerly known as Twitter) was deemed majorly a failure of a takeover, losing many members and major advertisers. The billionaire claims that the failure of X was all part of a larger plan that couldn’t be understood.
At the end of the session, Japan found itself aligned with delegations from Colombia, Panama, UAE, and Belgium. Their aim is to focus on the development of education within developing nations. This would enable them to have better odds at success when competing with the likes of developed countries. The committee collectively agreed to help uplift the countries that had been affected by Project Y, but tensions were strung high as delegations came into conflict over the new empire.
Written by The Mainichi
Going Out with a Bang!
On the second day of GTMUN XXIV, some fascinating topics came up. To kick start the day GA 1 continued their discussion about the Arms Dealing Trades, while WHO began on topic number 2, Combating Global Antibiotic Resistance. Delegates for the majority had the same idea, that protecting their citizens is the priority. Antibiotic resistance is when the bacteria in a person’s body becomes resistant to antibiotics needed to treat, cure or prevent disease. After delegates formed their opinions on the topic, draft resolution papers began to appear. Soon after a 20 minute unmoderated discussion, alliances began to form. Larger and unique groups like Honduras, Qatar, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Japan, Syria, and Argentina were created. Then the home stretch, resolution papers were completed! Yet another successful day at GTMUN.
Written by El Diario de Caracas
The Start of A New Day
Day two of GTMUN XXIV kicked off with GA 1 continuing yesterday’s conversation with three blocs presenting their draft resolutions on “The Issues of Arms Sales During War and Conflict”. Previous attempts at regulating international arms trade, especially in times of war, have been put in place by the UN like the ATT (Arms Trade Treaty). However, if that were completely effective this discussion wouldn’t be taking place, would it? Draft resolution 2 of the three or the “Manilla Accord” was led by the UK, Singapore, Bahrain, etc. This bloc’s ultimate goal of writing “actual”(presenting delegate) solutions on arms trade included establishing an anti-terrorist task force and bringing global energy, healthcare, and technology into arms trade. This idea of regulation did not differ much from the other papers presented before and after. After the presentation of all three draft resolutions (what passed), the end of that conversation led to the beginning of a new one: topic 1:Potential Risks of a Modern Space Race.
As the WHO committee began its second topic of Combating Global Antibiotic Resistance, alliances were quickly made and long unmoderated caucuses took place. In the unmoderated caucuses, as many as 8 groups began to form. The conversation took place, and working papers began.
One of the more influential papers included the collaboration of the USA, Jordan, Brazil, South Korea, China, Sweden, etc. South Korea and the USA have much experience in this topic and research currently happening in the KCDC/ CDC. The USA actively helps other countries like Brazil on this matter as well. It is anticipated that this paper will have a large resourceful advantage and will be very successful throughout the process of becoming a draft resolution. However, do not count out the little guy. There are seven more papers with some pretty powerful sponsors as well. After a needed lunch break, the delegates will return for a few more hours of hard work and a nice finish on topic two, perhaps making time to finish up the conference with a FUNMUN!
Written by The Guardian
Red Paper
The delegation of Zambia is developing the RED Paper program to reduce ecological disasters. They’re trying to help lower ocean acidification and restore the pH level of the ocean, because the ocean is filled with acid which causes the coral reefs to suffer from it. The acid in the ocean comes from acid rain, which causes the pH level to be lower than normal. If the conditions in the ocean change during various amounts of time, then the coral will suffer from stress and start coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is the process of corals ejecting zooxanthellae, existing in their tissues, when their surroundings change, which will expose the coral to turn completely white. The RED paper’s main focus wasn’t just on the ocean, but it also leans towards people, and how they were displaced. Reducing the number of indigenous people who have been displaced and distributed across the globe is an additional goal from the one mentioned in the RED paper. Commercial farming has caused more than 10,000 individuals to be displaced, which results in a lack of water, housing, farms, and forests. This program also emphasizes on nutrition and working with anti-hunger campaigns in order to minimize the number of cases of malnutrition. The system also intends to rebuild the ocean’s preserved water lines by building seawalls that shield coastlines from tsunamis and storm surges. The Pacific Climate Resistance Fund in Zambia makes a contribution to assisting less developed nations with food and climate control. The establishment of crop covers could assist in preventing acid rain from causing damage to the crops. Due to the severe agricultural destruction and the ecosystem’s imbalances. This fund aims to increase climate resilience.
Written by Iraqi News Agency
Libya’s future plan for the resource “eldorite” in AD HOC
During the AD HOC committee I interviewed Libya’s delegate to see what his plan was for this conference. The delegate said that he will try and work together with countries that have arctic territories. The arctic regions are important because arctic regions contain eldorite which is a more sustainable resource than oil. So Libya teamed up with Tunisia to work together to face this problem. Unfortunately their work paper did not work out which made them find another group. There were two papers they wanted to join, the first paper was made by South Korea and Japan and the second paper was made by the Russian Federation. After reading both papers they realized that both of the papers had Libya’s and Tunisia’s goals which is to use eldorite to help build up the infrastructure for LDCs. So they have decided to try and convince South Korea, Japan, and Russia to merge both papers to make one big paper. Libya and Tunisia also wanted to add two things to the big paper. First they wanted to make a task force or a plan to research more about eldorite so no mistakes are made with this resource. The second thing that Libya and Tunisia wanted to add was that they wanted to improve connection with the native people, maintain connection with the native people, and they didn’t want to take away the native people’s sovereignty. I asked Tunisia’s delegate why they added the last part and he said “That wouldn’t be fair if it was their land first we can’t just take it from them.”
Written by The Libya Herald
Committee Session Four News Articles (May contain Fun-MUN)
Iraq in space
The Iraqi delegation discusses the military effects that have increased as a result of modern space travel, including the rising number of civilian casualties in Iraq and other innocent people who are suffering. Nuclear weapons or any other type of mass-produced weapon are prohibited under Article IV of the UN space treaty. Iraq demands space missions. The AI Ta’ir satellite is the only thing they have. Only because of the Gulf War does this program exist. The role of space as a support asset has evolved. The field has become extremely generalized.To reduce violations of international security, Iraq wants to operationally define the use of computer-generated satellites during conflict.
Written by Iraqi News Agency
World is Ending in CSTD “Fun Mun”
The countries in the CSTD committee were presented with their world crisis to solve: climate change is irreversible and mutually-assured destruction due to nuclear warheads. The goal was to find a plan of action for the United Nations in order to solve this dire crisis. Some proposed solutions include operation Move it, Move it, where most every country would travel to Mars except for France, due to their tendency to surrender. Another proposed solution came from Indonesia where all first-world nations would be left on Earth, and all resources go to keeping second-world countries alive on the moon. Lastly, one solution included a Hunger-Games style competition with tributes from all countries to thin out population numbers. In conclusion, all the countries want to leave someone on Earth, but can’t decide who or come to a unanimous decision on the matter.
Indonesia speaking up about a plan to uplift second-world countries and doom those of the first-world
Delegates react to another one of France’s outrageous propositions
The delegation of China presenting their views on the crisis
Written by the Joint Collaboration between The Jakarta Post and Bali Post
DINOSAURS APPEAR IN PACIFIC OCEAN??? BTS ARMY TO DECLARE WAR UNDER ORDERS OF THE UN??!
An island containing dinosaurs—similar to the film Jurassic World (a copycat???)—has appeared in the Pacific Ocean. The United Nations Environmental Program has received word that this island belongs to Elon Musk, the South African Billionaire. This committee has many conflicting ideas about how to deal with the so-called “Crustaceous pilgrims.”
Tunisia and Nigeria want to sedate the dinosaurs and send them to a new space colony with the help of Musk, whom they also want to sue. What are they so afraid of? If the dinosaurs were trained, the potential uses for them exceed even Der Spiegel’s collective imagination (which is colossal of course).
Germany’s official stance is in agreement with many others: our great nation sees it fit to use the dinosaurs as a source of food.
Several countries plan to utilize the dinosaurs for transportation. Imagine driving a dinosaur Porsche to work every morning! South Africa wants not only dinosaur cars, but dinosaur citizens. The delegate tells the committee to not leave this great resource only to the billionaires. Every populace possible should utilize them as much as possible.
Sweden wants to use dinosaurs as fuel, and yet another delegate pitched having the dinosaurs run on treadmills as a source of power.
Poland thinks that unless the dinosaurs are eliminated, human rights will disappear.
Finland wants to build more Jurassic parks, but that is not a reckless decision due to the proposed safeguard: bombs implanted in the dinos’ skulls that can kill them with a flip of a switch should they become violent.
Guatemala is concerned about dinosaurs as a threat to biodiversity. They could kill native species, and their farts have the ability to produce mass amounts of methane—similar to cattle. The nation is also concerned about potential dinosaur-to-human disease transition.
A few members innocently suggested that if Elon Musk were to mysteriously turn up dead, the dinosaurs would be fair game for everyone else.
The boldest plan, but the one that just might work was proposed by Guatemala in a stroke of genius. With their top of the line hackers, Guatemala will break into Elon Musk’s X account (formally Twitter) and tweet that the dinosaurs think BTS is a flop—the greatest insult that can be levied. The BTS armies, incredibly unstable and hormonal, will surely cancel and dox (and possibly kill??) the dinosaurs. Problem solved!!
Written by Der Speigel (Tabloid Edition)
Ad Hoc Committee: Arctic Mining
As the last committee session of GTMUN concluded, the AD HOC committee finished their debate on the use of eldorite. The committee had been discussing the use of the clean source of energy known as eldorite which would require arctic mining to be completed. Mining responsibly and equitable access was a point of contention throughout the debate.
The GLACIER bloc presented their working paper first. The bloc was met with fierce opposition from both fellow sponsors and opposing blocs. Afghanistan had tension with the GLACIER bloc, claiming that they had been weaseled out of being able to sponsor the paper. The delegate claimed that the bloc would not be able to keep the promises they laid out in their working paper as they had betrayed Afghanistan in the non-moderated caucus. Which ultimately was avoided due to a parliamentary procedures error.
Japan decided to abandon the bloc that they had been in with the UK, switching to the GLACIER bloc. Although not a sponsor of the paper, they voiced their support of the paper to the entire committee. This came as a shock to members of the previous bloc that Japan was a part of, the only sign being a note passed to the UK shortly before this bold statement was made.
Japan would benefit from the GLACIER project and greater use of eldorite. This is because it will create an efficient transition from Japan’s oil-based companies, which make up a large part of the Japanese economy. The bloc builds upon what already exists to be designed with instability.
“The GLACIER plan acknowledges the need to ensure that we do not need a co-dependency on the material,” the delegate from Japan said.
Written by The Mainichi
The Final Hours
As delegates returned from lunch, finishing up working papers and voting procedures began. While some committees finished up, others finished much faster and went into a nice long session of FUNMUN! The African Union had a crazy time as did UNEP who spent 50 minutes talking about Jurassic park and saving the world where a proposed solution: “Dinosaurs for dinner”(China delegate) was happily received by the room. As rooms filled with laughter and delegates got a much deserved break, the final hours of GTMUN XXIV passed. Two full days of work turned into two topics with multiple official resolutions and at 3:00 delegates swarmed out of their rooms, excited for some rest after full days. Awards commenced, hard work was rewarded, and final goodbyes were said as GTMUN XXIV came to a close. BYE GTMUN !!
Written by The Guardian
Guatemala and its Allies Stance on the Arms Trade
In the General Assembly on DISEC (Disarmament and International Security Committee) they were discussing each country’s stance on the arms trade. Guatemala wants for the arms trade to be more regulated for the overall safety of the country. Guatemala’s committee delegate said in a statement to Prensa Libre, “The arms trade has had negative effects on the peace in Guatemala and Guatemala wishes it to be more regulated.” Guatemala is cooperating with several countries which they agree with on their arms trade policy which include Kuwait, the Philippines, Chad, and the Central African Republic. Although Guatemala has lots of countries they have common grounds with they expressed that they were not in agreement with China. Guatemala’s committee delegate said “China had some very questionable policies.”
The Central African Republic being one of the countries that Guatemala agrees with on their arms trade policy has a similar perspective on the policies for arms trade. The Central African Republics committee delegate said “The arms trade policy was to find equity for smaller nations and larger nations; being that larger nations dominate smaller nations in the arms trade, economically being able to buy more of a capacity and being able to have a larger military which is much more powerful.” The Central African Republic also confirmed plans to collaborate with Guatemala on the subject. Guatemala and the Central African Republic, and the other countries with which they are collaborating are all smaller countries that are ensuring that they will be represented on how to deal with arms trade.
Written by Prensa Libre
Thanks for all delegates for helping make for an awesome press corps crew for this edition for GTMUN!! Stay tuned for the future of press corps, as we hope to make it even bigger and better in the future!
– Neal Yates | USG Press Corps 2023