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Forbidden romance between Pacific Islanders?

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Pacific Islanders, Rejoice.

Pacific plan or bust.

Zack Soh

On the third day, the PIF council session started off with the introduction of numerous working papers summarizing the ideas raised in the previous sessions. The delegates seemed to be blissfully unaware of the extremely limited time they had, as there was somehow much ado about the PIDF, as some delegates felt that Australia and New Zealand exerted too much regional influence on the PIF, while others felt that expelling them from the discussion would be tantamount to an isolationist policy.

Finally, the debate shifted to a communiqué on political issues, which proposed more channels to investigate corruption in governments, and ways to increase accountability of governments. A trade lobby was also established to expand the political sphere of the Pacific Islands to the international stage. However, before the communiqué could be passed, political actors stormed the venue and introduced multiple scenarios that the delegates were prompt to respond to by amending their communiqué. Finally, the communiqué was passed with an overwhelming majority.

However, time was running out. Economic and social issues had yet to be discussed, and the council had only one council session left to write up an entire Pacific Plan. The debate thus took a sharp turn towards the issue of social problems of the Pacific Islands, such as the preservation of culture, as well as obesity. Interestingly, the council took especially long to decide if healthcare or obesity should be discussed first.

Fortunately, under the chairs’ guidance, the council managed to address the issue of obesity swiftly, with suggestions of tax deductions on healthier foods, and the setting up of health ministries. Many delegates also suggested methods to improve the healthcare situation in these nations, such as health screening and greater awareness among the public regarding common illnesses.

In the interests of time, the delegates decided to submit 3 communiques instead of 4, combining the issues of social and economic development into socioeconomic development. It was truly a race against time as the delegates rushed to combine all 3 communiques into a final Pacific Plan. A full consensus was immediately reached among all delegates, as they felt that in their limited time of 3 days, this Pacific Plan was the best that they could produce, and was sufficient to address the pertinent issues of their countries.

We applaud the PIF committee for being able to accomplish so much during the last few hours of committee sessions, despite the immense pressure on them. In the real world, this efficiency would have expedited aid and saved many lives.

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No human rights were violated in the taking of this picture.

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End of the Road

A successfully passed resolution for the Human Rights Council.

Jolie Fong

After 2 days of heated debate, it seemed that the delegates of the Human Rights Council had finally reached a conclusion. Minutes after the third day of committee sessions began, the delegate of the United States introduced a working paper, detailing solutions to child sexual exploitation, some of which include dedicating more resources to police and special task forces, and implementing hotlines that assist victims. The delegate of Argentina proposed a three-pronged solution with regard to the areas of prevention and awareness, reporting and investigation, and response.

With one of the key components of the debate now resolved, the council moved on to address the problem of child marriage. Some countries such as Iran and Pakistan raised concerns that child marriage could not be entirely banned due to religious and customary reasons. The delegate of Bangladesh proposed the documentation of newborns to protect children from illegal marriage and abuse, a solution supported by the US. Following an unmoderated caucus, the council decided to increase efficacy of some of the solutions they had previously come up with, for instance, free birth registration and registration of customary or religious marriages.

Next, the delegates tackled the rampant issue of child trafficking. After agreeing that this was one of the main causes of child sexual exploitation and child slavery, the delegates attempted to generate solutions, finally agreeing on the “three Rs” proposed by the delegate of Iran - repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

On the topic of child soldiers, the delegate of South Africa proposed ways to facilitate the de-mobilisation of child troops. The council split the problem into the phases of recruitment, during the war and postwar. Among others, Egypt suggested a minimum conscription age, and to account for the number of child soldiers during war. Eventually, the solution proposed to this was the provision of infrastructure, funding, resources and humanitarian manpower, along with the condemnation of recruitment of child soldiers.

All this was ultimately consolidated in the resolution written by the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, Hungary, the Swiss Confederation and the Federated Republic of Germany. However, delegates of Venezuela, USA, North Korea, India and Israel protested violently against the contents of the resolution, arguing that it was lacking in content, and instead drawing up another of their own. Both sides engaged in a heated debate, which unfortunately, ended in the house being divided, and the UK’s resolution being successfully passed. The delegates have worked long and hard these three days, braving through crises and diplomatic conflicts to emerge with a solid resolution. Good job to all!

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The UNDP when they aren’t actively hugging trees conserving biodiversity.

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Establishing a Resolution

Coming to an amicable end.

Lim Yi He

The upper auditorium may be a bit too cold for the delegates of UNDP, but everyone was certainly fired up for the last day of SDYC.

The discourse of the day began at full throttle, with a moderated caucus on ecotourism called soon after the session started. An unmoderated caucus was subsequently called to discuss more about ecotourism and the resolution for the council. The focus then shifted to biodiversity offsetting, where some delegates were strongly against the system as they felt that biodiversity was still lost and it was less effective compared to other preventive measures. Nigeria promptly proposed for the system to be of last resort.

Proper regulation of tourist admissions into places rich in biodiversity was also briefly discussed before the discourse moved onto the topic of invasive species, followed by another unmoderated caucus to discuss the finalisation of the resolution. DPRK suggested the establishment of more UNESCO heritage sites to conserve endangered species.

Just before lunch, the draft for the resolution was introduced by South Africa and submitted. Many delegates were impressed with it and to quote Iraq, “The draft is undeniably comprehensive, with it spanning 19 pages long and covering 70 clauses.” Delegates stated that they were satisfied with the draft as it addressed the different problems brought up by different countries, as well as the problem of funding.

Despite general assent, some delegates also voiced out concerns. India emphasised the difficulty in ensuring transparency of reports, while Philippines pointed out the possible unfairness of the cap and trade system towards LEDCs as they might not be able to afford the permits. Russia lobbied for consideration of the fact that the shift to renewable energy in certain countries like Russia, which relies heavily on fossil fuels, may take more time.

Amendments were made after the tea break and was proceeded shortly with the voting on the resolution. It was remarkable that the resolution passed unanimously and very amiably. The council thus ended early and moved on to vote on the superlatives, giving amusing suggestions such as “most salty delegate”, “best homing pigeon” and “most comfortable chair”.

On a side note, we felt that they could have taken another more scientific angle to approach biodiversity conservation and consider solutions to mitigate the effects of urbanisation and help animals adapt to it, given that nature dynamics have already been affected. But, speaking from someone who has followed UNDP for all three days of SYDC, this journalist would really like to thank them as well for being so enthusiastic and making my time with them enjoyable.

We hope that all delegates had fun here at SDYC and managed to make new friends. See you again next year!

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WHO’s the best dressed of them all? 

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The Delegates’ Denouement

One last day to make a decision.

Lim Yi He

A sense of urgency could be felt in the WHO council for the final day of SDYC as they continued to debate on the threat of antibiotic resistance.

Soon after the start of the session, a moderated caucus on the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture was called by Japan. Finland suggested implementing a tax on antibiotics to discourage farmers from overusing them on livestock, to which Thailand rebuked that the tax would not affect large-scale companies much and pointed out that solutions should target both major corporations and LEDC farmers.

On the other hand, the US believed that implementation of the tax would be difficult for LEDCs and advocated the use of market incentives instead. “Let us not use the stick but use the carrot,” he emphasised. China agreed with his proposal but also stated that regulations should be put in place at the same time to prevent antibiotic abuse.

Another moderated caucus on the surveillance and monitoring of antibiotic use was subsequently called before the focus shifted to the submitted resolution drafts, one by China, US, South Africa and Ecuador and another by Germany, Thailand, Russia, Switzerland and Japan. The council became highly divided on the direction the council should take due to the separate resolution drafts submitted.

Tension between delegates arose as some delegates argued that they only came up with their own resolution draft because they felt that they were ignored and left out on the writing for the first resolution draft. Heavy debate on the resolution drafts ensued, with the first resolution draft criticised to be lacking in depth and breadth in terms of alternative solutions to antibiotics, as well as being too tight in scope. Despite delegates emphasising that compromise and unity should be the focus of the council, the council remained polarised.

The disagreement could be seen to have taken its toll on the council when India proposed a merging solutions in resolutions instead, citing that most delegates were tired of fighting. However, the proposal was set aside as neither parties could come to a compromise. UK went on to question the necessity and significance of the subclauses in the first resolution draft, and pointed out that certain ideas had been neglected.

Finally, a motion to enter voting was started and the voting began. The second resolution passed with two thirds voting for. Debate was then adjourned, followed by a superlative voting with humorous examples such as “most likely to be a pigeon” and “most likely to be a stripper”.

We hope that all delegates enjoyed themselves here at SDYC and managed to learn new things. See you again next year!

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Say “UNSC”~

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Peace Talks Needed Between US and Russia

Resolutions fall to dust.

Zack Soh

On the third day, the first UNSC council session focused on the provision of humanitarian aid to Yemen and Libya. The delegate of China raised succinctly the obstacles to the provision of humanitarian aid in these countries, as well as possible solutions to these obstacles in an interesting presentation. These obstacles include carpet bombing and general unrest in the affected countries, as well as the blockade by Saudi Arabia. Some solutions raised by delegates include a war crime tribunal, the removal of the blockade aided by the US, and peacekeepers to protect aid workers.

Most of the council could come to a consensus regarding this issue, and the debate swiftly swung to the topic of peace negotiations instead. Many delegates came forward and brought up certain flaws in mechanisms of peace talks in these specific contexts, and discussed issues such as the creation of mediatory bodies, and whether to recognize rebel groups as valid regional authorities. Some delegates felt that this would get both parties to respect each other to facilitate peace negotiations, while other delegates would rather not recognize groups that have committed war crimes. The delegates also had to take into consideration the sovereignty of the affected states.

On the sidelines, due to high noise levels in the committee, the delegates were reminded to maintain decorum as the notepassers took a 5 minute break. It is fortunate that the chairs did not ban notepassing entirely when the US delegate played a video of the Russian delegate’s childhood moments (involving a Bunsen burner) during his speech.

Finally, after tying up some loose ends, a resolution was pushed forward by US, Uruguay, UK, Bolivia, and France. However, what emerged was a debate between 2 blocs on the resolution. With countries in both blocs having veto power, compromises had to be made, and made fast. But China proved to make this exceedingly difficult for the sponsors of the resolution, as can be seen from their quote, “Pick a number between 1 and 41. If you haven’t chosen the number 1 or 41, then China opposes that clause.” In the end, China had its way, as a two-third majority was not reached in the voting for the resolution.

Another resolution was pushed forward by the delegate of Egypt, but by this point, the various members of the council seemed quite stubborn on their stances, and again, the resolution failed. In conclusion, all resolutions failed even without veto power, and the citizens of Yemen and Libya will have to endure the conflict in their country without any help from the UNSC.

And the war between Russia and US continues…

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DnD.

Singapore Dancing Youth Convention?

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Dinner and Dance

A night to remember.

Zack Soh

After 2 full days of tiring debates, it was finally time for the delegates to have some fun. It was time for the world-renowned, extremely popular Dinner and Dance! Enter the redecorated NUS High School hall, complete with disco strobe lights, loud pop music blasting from speakers and even a mocktail bar. The atmosphere was one that enticed even the most stoic of delegates to let their hair down. Shortly after the delegates entered the hall, the 2 emcees Mayank and Joshua stepped on stage, announcing the start of the DnD programme.

The event was kickedstarted with a high-energy dance by NUS High’s very own dance group, YAAAASS. They executed challenging moves to the rhythm of a mash-up of pop songs, captivating the audience. Many times, the delegates burst into applause after seeing a particularly difficult dance move being easily executed.

Soon after, the Mr and Mrs of each committee were introduced. They then had to participate in a round of spontaneous dancing; but we were reminded that these delegates were masters of improvisation after 2 days of debates, and everyone was full of confidence despite having to suddenly dance in front of a large audience.

Next up was an acapella performance by Hello it us (NUS High students sure have a penchant for coming up with great group names). On a not-so-completely unrelated side note, serenade can be a noun as well as a verb. Anyways.

“Are you the delegate of Yemen? Because yemen to be with me.” This is just one of the pickup lines uttered by our Mr and Mrs of each committee, as they acted out the scene of a first date. Conclusion? MUNners might be great at pickup lines, but not so great at first dates.

The next activity involved delegates from the floor in a game of Don’t Forget The Lyrics, with popular songs such as City of Stars, and Despacito. It is interesting to note that Despacito does not only contain the lyric Despacito (then again in the person’s defence, he was forced up on stage by the emcees’ veto power).

Team Kuro then owned the stage with more sick dance moves, much to the audience’s delight. Did you know Kuro means black in Japanese? Just saying.

Finally, Mr and Mrs SDYC were decided to be… The delegates from the WHO council! I guess while trying to end antibiotic resistance, they accidentally contracted the love virus (this journalist apologises for being lame, and factually incorrect as antibiotics do not cure viruses).

After the emcees officially ended the DnD programme and bid the delegates goodnight, DJ Trong took the stage, playing remixes of popular songs for the delegates to dance to.

And they danced the night away.

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WHO. Enthusiasm is infectious.

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Antibiotics and Alternatives

Who and what do we turn to now?

Lim Yi He

On the second day of SDYC, the WHO council was all fired up after the profound ending the day before. Delegates were quick to move on and discuss new angles on controlling epidemics and the emergency responses to superbugs, while India suggested to avoid arguing based on rhetorics.

The first working paper of the day was submitted by China, US, Venezuela, India, UK and Pakistan. It highlighted the importance of good health practices in both MEDCs and LEDCs, as well as educating the public on the severity of antibiotic resistance. A moderated caucus was subsequently called to discuss about the working paper.

However, the council was soon interrupted to form a plenary with UNDP and HRC in order to tackle an emergency solar flare. Despite the numerous challenges they faced, the plenary managed to pass the crisis in the nick of time.

In the afternoon, voting on the representatives for Mr SDYC and Ms SDYC commenced - the delegates of Thailand and Ukraine were chosen to fill those positions respectively, after a hilarious round of voting which included nominations for the notepassers and even the chairs.

Discourse continued thereafter and two more moderated caucuses were called, one on the research and development of antibiotics and another on agriculture. The US pointed out the unprofitable nature of antibiotics, and suggested incentives to be put in place for companies to develop better antibiotics. Germany and Russia, on the other hand, raised concerns that this might cause a vicious cycle of antibiotic resistance, suggesting for collaboration to come up with new alternative drugs to replace antibiotics instead. Funding posed a problem but most delegates agreed that MEDCs and international organisations such as IMI are able to help in this matter.

Another few working papers nudged the council back to discussing about the long-term as well as short-term solutions to antibiotic resistance. The final moderated caucus of the day was called on the topic of reducing infection through sanitation and vaccination, which was important to prevent the spread of superbugs. Thailand advocated for strict monitoring and frequent check-ups on companies, while Switzerland warned about the dangers of disease-spreading pests such as rats.

The council session was extended for about ten minutes, so the delegates were relieved to be finally released for the much-anticipated dinner and dance later at night.

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Plenary crisis. It’s time for the big guns.

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The Plenary Problems

Tension flares up in the face of a solar flare crisis.

Lim Yi He

In the midst of solving their own problems on Day 2 of SDYC, the WHO, UNDP and HRC committees joined forces to solve an even more pressing problem that arose - an unexpected solar flare. Communications were down and there was mass panic, and the delegates were tasked to come up with a resolution to address the issue with.

The plenary was initially in chaos as most delegates were unsure of the exact effects of a solar flare and the damage that it entails. The discourse started off by focusing on overcoming the communications failure caused by the solar flare. Singapore supported the establishment of a hierarchy for communications, where priority should be given to hospitals and civilians.

However, the discourse soon went off tangent after DPRK suggested using “professionally trained homing pigeons” as a means of communication. Numerous other delegates shot down the idea, citing reasons such as the impracticality of training so many pigeons under time constraints and that the navigation of the pigeons would be disrupted by the solar flare.

After lunch, delegates seemed to have made progress as the first working paper was submitted by China, UK, France and South Africa for the plenary. It encouraged the increase of security through police involvement and the dissemination of functioning communication devices to the public.

A skirmish occurred soon after, involving the capture of a Russian agent, who confessed of a plan on world domination through taking over the UN in Geneva to prevent any resolution from being passed. He highlighted that the communications failure has resulted in a lack of military resistance, to which opportunistic enemies have taken advantage of.

Tension and suspicion ran rampant amongst the delegates upon the agent’s admission. US was quick to call for a moderated caucus to discuss “questionable Russian activities”, and delegates immediately started pointing fingers at each other. Cuba and Egypt attempted to cease the crossfire, emphasising on the need to work together and strengthen security to prevent further invasions. Germany pointed out the seriousness of the situation by citing the possibility of a WWIII.

The discourse then derailed once again as the pigeon debate made a comeback, with India being quick to suggest the benefits of a hands-off method of communication in contrast to France’s idea of using bicycles. But the news that Russian troops had reached Kiev was quick to sober the delegates, prompting them to come to a resolution quickly. Hence, after an unmoderated caucus and some discussion, a majority vote was reached on the working paper and the resolution was passed. The plenary burst into cheers as they had successfully thwarted Russia’s plans.

We hope that the delegates had fun in today’s crisis despite the high pressure placed on them!

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UNSC. Many points of motion being raised at the same time.