MUNATIONLobbying (Page 3)Delegates spent much of Monday garnering support for and merging their resolutions, and developed various strategies for success in this unique form of informal debate.

The RaffleThis year’s THIMUN raffle will benefit the NGO Greenpeace, which works for environmental conservation and the preservation of endangered species.

THIMUN

NGO’s & IGO’s:who needs voting?Hours of debating, note passing, and amend-ing all end in one thing: the vote. For a specific group, however, this pivotal moment is not about raising placards, it is about waiting. Page 8

WORLD

On riots and reactions

Causes and government reactions to civil com-motion in Greece, Russia, the United States, and Nigeria. Page 11

THIMUN XLIV begins

IMPORTANT EVENTS | Opening Ceremony

**** The Netherlands | January 24th 2012 Issue #1 Check us out at thimun.org for more articles.

Delegates left yesterday’s ceremony feeling empowered and motivated for the Conference ahead. The ceremony began with the British School of the Netherlands swing band’s music as the delegates poured in, and after everyone was asked to take their seats a moment of si-lence was held in remembrance of all those who died in man-made and natural disasters.

Before the ceremony began there was great excitement among the delegates who would attend, and those who wouldn’t were very envi-ous; it is always difficult to choose which three members of the delegation will get to experi-ence this opening. Daniel Sullivan, delegate of Cape Verde in Disarmament Sub-Commission 1, said that at his school, the places are assigned based on “seniority.” The delegation of the Bahamas, in contrast, played “rock, paper, scis-sors” to choose who would get to be part of the prestigious event.

The Deputy Mayor and the Alderman for Education from the Municipality Den Haag, Ingrid van Engelshoven began the ceremony by speaking about The Hague and the importance of THIMUN to the city. She emphasised that The Hague is not only the international city of peace and justice, but also the second UN city after New York City. She hoped that its values

of cooperation would be present at this week’s THIMUN. “Knowledge and education are the tools that will enable us to tackle the problems that will face us in future,” she said, and ad-dressed the importance of mutual respect as the basis for collaboration. Encouraging the delegates to learn from each other, Ms van En-gelshoven concluded that she wished “fun and success” for the week to come.

Linda Dubock, Chair of the THIMUN Board and the next speaker of the afternoon, spoke of the theme and the choice of Green-peace as this year’s charity. She addressed the positive connotations of oceans and seas and how we often overlook their full value, saying they are “essential, yet --we don’t fully appreci-ate them.”

Continued on Page 2

In fitting with the theme of the conference, the highlight of the ceremony was keynote speaker Dr. Sylvia Earle, world famous ocean-ographer. Yesterday, Dr. Earle spoke, inspiring THIMUN delegates new and old, stating that, “the next ten years are perhaps the most im-portant time in the next 10,000 years,” because

ON OTHER PAGES

What makes “home,” home?

DAILY

In the last issue of MUNITY, a world map showed the breakdown of schools participating at THI-MUN XLIV. Each school was displayed by a red dot on the map that, although small and simple, represents someone’s home. These little dots become much more complicated once one digs deeper into the delegates’ backgrounds,

making the criteria for what real-ly defines a delegate’s nationality much more difficult to discern.

A member of the delegation of Lichtenstein elaborated on her difficulties defining her national-ity.

Continued on Page 4

BY SOPHIA HENGELBROKJOHN F. KENNEDY SCHOOL BERLIN

CUMMING | ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

PHOTO | Leah Cumming, Tyler Payne

BY CHARLOTTE SMITH AND ANNA BRADLEY-WELLACS HILLINGDON, AMERICAN SCHOOL OF PARIS

DAILY MUNATIONTuesday January 24, 2012Conference News

THIMUN |

2 |CONFERENCE NEWS

Opening CeremonyShe challenged the delegates to take their innovation past this conference, and “put back into society what you have been privileged to take out of it.” Infittingwiththethemeoftheconference,thehighlightoftheceremonywaskeynotespeakerDr.SylviaEarle,worldfamousoceanographer.Yesterday,Dr.Earlespoke,inspiringTHIMUNdelegatesnewandold, stating that, “the next ten years are perhaps the mostimportanttimeinthenext10,000years,”becausethisissuchapivotaltimeforthefutureoftheocean.She stressed that the ocean is the origin of all life and encouraged delegates to take care of it because, after all, “there is a Plan B but no ‘Planet B.’” AsperTHIMUNtraditions,aroundtwohun-dreddelegationswiththeactualambassadorsofna-tionscoveredtheWorldForumTheatre.Around50%oftheambassadorshadtheirreal-lifecounterpartfromHollandandBrusselsjoiningthem.AlexiBennink,As-sistantPresidentofDisarmamentSub-Commission2,articulatedtheimportanceoftheceremony.“TheGen-eralAssemblyOpeningissymbolicinthattheambas-sadorsoftherealUnitedNationshandovertheflagstotheambassadorsofTHIMUN,makingitmoreofficial.The actual opening of the conference allows delegates touniteintheexcitementfortheweektocome.” Finally,completingthecelebrations,theSecre-tary-General,Ms.LeonieReese,startedbysayinghowexcited she was that everyone here has “the chance to step out of those children’s shoes and into the fancy heelsandformalblackattire’’andbecomeadultsforaweek.Speakingabouthowshesometimesfeelsknowl-edgecomes“pre-digested,”shewelcomedustotakeour turn answering “the questions of world politics” and makeitourturn“tofindrealisticsolutionstotheprob-lemsthatconcernnotjustus,buteveryone.”However,Leoniefocusedherspeechontheissueofthisweek,OceansandSeas.OpeningoureyestothediversityofOceansandSeasasanissue,Ms.Reesestatedhonestly

that, “the world’s seas and oceans provide food and drinkingwaterformillions,thewatertogenerateen-ergyandserveasahabitattoanoverwhelmingvarietyof species.” She was keen to say that the issue, “goes beyondpurelyenvironmentalmotivations,”andthateachcommissionwillhaveadifferentviewpointofthesubjecttodiscussthiscomingweek. ThepresidentoftheGeneralAssembly,NinaKamaruddin,bangingthegavel,declaredtheforty-fourthsessionofTHIMUNopen.Thechairsanddel-egatesstoodandapplaudedherinexcitement–THI-MUN2012hadbegun.

Weather Forecast

Speak Dutch!

Tue Wed Thu Fri

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

BY HANNAH HEMPERLY MONT’ KIARA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

CUMMUNGS|ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

TRADITIONAL FLAGS FROM AROUND THE WORLD LINE THE WORLD FORUM THEATER AS DELEGATES AND AMBASSADORS EXECUTE THE PASSING OF THE TORCH

BAND MEMBERS ENJOY A LAUGH

HIGH:8°CLOW:3°C

HIGH:8°CLOW:7°C

HIGH:9°CLOW:4°C

HIGH:7°CLOW:3°C

ForanEnglishspeakercomingtothecityofdenHaag,itisprettyeasytogetaroundconsideringmostlocalsspeakEnglish–atleastwellenoughtohelpyoufindtherighttramorthecostofthe“patat”(Frenchfries).ButforthoseofyouwhowanttomakeanefforttouseandlearnsomebasicDutchwordsandphrases during the week, here are a few!

Greetings:1.Hello 2.Howareyou?3.Whatisyourname?4.Mynameis_______.5.Nicetomeetyou!6.Please/You’rewelcome7.Thankyou8.You’rewelcome.9.Yes10. No11.I’msorry.12.DoyouspeakEnglish?13.Goodmorning14.Goodnight15.Whereisthetoilet?16.Whenisthenexttram?17.AreyouinTHIMUN?18.Whatcommitteeareyouin?19.DoyouwantaMUNITYnewspaper?20. I love you

Translations:1.Hallo2.Hoegaathet?3.Hoeheetu?4.Mijnnaamis____.5.Aangeneem!6. Alstublieft7.Danku8.Graaggedaan.9.Ja10. Nee11. Sorry.12.SpreektuEngels?13.Goedemorgen14.Goedenavond15.Waarishettoilet?16.Waneergaatdevolgendetram?17.BentjeinTHIMUN?18.Inwelkecommissiebentje?19.WiljeeenMUNITYkrantkopen?20.Ikhouvanje.

CUMMUNGS|ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Lobbying, in theory, is simple. Delegates infor-mally garner support for their resolutions, have the chance to merge, decide who will be main submit-ter, and edit their resolu-tions to make them most likely to succeed in formal debate.

However, below the surface, lobbying is complex and difficult to master. Without the order of formal debate proce-dures, many are unsure of how to approach other delegates and how to push their resolution forward without seeming overly aggressive. There is a fine balance between listen-ing to others’ ideas and promoting one’s own, and often delegates find these procedures more difficult than the normal days of debate.

It is rewarding, how-ever, to find others who share the same position or ideas. Each delegate needs fifteen co-submit-ters for a resolution to be approved, and delegates often sign the resolution under the condition that some of their ideas are

incorporated. The value of collabo-

ration towards a common goal is perhaps most ap-parent during lobbying time, as delegates strive to work together and to com-bine clauses. It’s all about “socializing” and “making friends,” delegates Paul Ryan in GA-6, Alexandre Rulmy in GA-1, and John Ozturk in Disarmament agreed. Many co-submit-ters become friends on a personal level and keep in touch for the rest of the Conference. Lobbying also allows delegates to become familiar with their country’s allies and coop-erators and to get an idea of whom to work with for the week. Many committees be-gan the lobbying process long before the THIMUN Conference. “We began lobbying online on Face-book,” said Jaime Bell, a delegate of Disarmament commission. Many del-egates found this helpful, and felt more comfortable going into the actual lob-bying process knowing they had co-submitters and allies already.

However, conflicts arise when two or more delegates hope to act as main submitters for a merged resolution. “Ev-eryone wants to be main submitter,” said Ben Mat-thews, delegate of Disar-mament. This can some-times lead to the need to implement a more formal structure to these debates and to self-govern. On Monday morning, a large group of ECOSOC delegates organized a procedure to choose a main-submitter for a resolution to which all would contribute. The group sat in a circle and those who wanted to main submit stood and spoke about their ideas and the reasons their resolutions were the most pragmatic to use as “backbones” for the ideas. The delegates even went into voting pro-cedure, with their commit-tee president acting as an impartial facilitator.

Unfortunately, it soon became clear that the two resolutions were too ideo-logically different to come to consensus, and the group had to split. Such procedures and disputes are common in lobbying time.Delegates quickly develop strategies for ef-fective lobbying. Most agree that being sociable and friendly is the key, as is taking initiative and approaching other del-

egates. “Don’t sit at the back with a laptop, not talking to people,” said Ruarirdh Paton, a delegate in the Disarmament Com-mission. “Talk,” agreed Mustafa Abdullah, also in Disarmament. To break the ice and establish com-mon positions, “ask for topics first,” Disarmament delegate Josif Vlaski ad-vised. Mike Winnick, an ECOSOC delegate, also emphasized the need for similar views and ideals. “Find countries who are close trade allies,” he sug-

gested. Sofia Schachner,

an ECOSOC delegate recommends to “find a large group.” Fifteen co-submitters are hard to come by, and often the easiest way to attain this is to collaborate with as many people as pos-sible. Anthony Ghosn, the President of ECOSOC, advised the delegation from his school that to be successful in lobbying they should “prepare and synthesize their ideas into a quickly communicable

‘mini-speech’,” to get their points across effec-tively.

DAILY MUNATIONTuesday January 24, 2012 Conference News

ADVICE FOR DELEGATES |

|3LOBBYING-FRIENDS OR FOES

Art of lobbying The value of collaboration towards a common goal is perhaps most appar-ent during lobbying timeBY ANNA BRADLEY-WEBBAMERICAN SCHOOL OF PARIS

Delegates make first impres-sions at conference

Bastaki|aIsk

DAILY MUNATIONTuesday January 24, 2012Conference News

THIMUN |

4 |Conference News

What makes “home,” home?

Coming from Ice-landic ancestry, born in the United States, and now living in the Canary Islands, she describes her struggle with the question of what her nationality is. “I usually ask [do you mean], originally, where I live now, or where I was born because I have three different things I could say.”

Moving around due to parents who work as diplomats, businessmen, teachers or other profes-sions, many delegates at-tending THIMUN face a similar obstacle when defin-ing their home countries. Many respond with long, complicated answers when posed with the dreaded question, “So where are you from?”

A delegate of Brunei answered, “I was born in Brazil, and when I was two years old I went to New York and lived there for ten years, and now I’m back in Brazil.” Although he fondly described his time in the United States, he describes himself as Brazilian be-cause, “I guess people like to know that, because Brazil is just an awesome place and people love to meet Brazilians. They’re a little more interested than when I just say I’m American.”

Although frequent moves can sometimes be difficult at the beginning - one delegate related his ex-

perience flying from Africa to the United States while sick with malaria - most del-egates describe their travel as constructive and positive experiences overall. An ad-min who has lived in Eng-land, the US, and Mexico stated that her time in inter-national countries opened a lot of doors and allowed her to meet new people. She acknowledged that it was, “tough to move and adjust all the time,” but in the end the experience has been a positive adventure.

Not only are delegates experiencing different cul-tures, but many are multi-lingual as a result of their relocations. A delegate of Cyprus stated, “I speak fluent Catalan, Spanish, English, Portuguese and I’m learning French.”

The cultural perspec-tives of THIMUN attendees are definitely multi-faceted, making debating and work-ing within committees easier tasks. Many delegates interviewed agreed that the struggles of making new friends in new locations constantly aided them in lobbying and creating stron-ger resolutions. Represent-ing countries other than the one’s own can be difficult, but the delegates who come from international back-grounds say that with their experiences, different per-spectives become easier to understand.

The delegate of Cyprus learned the importance of understanding and respect-ing other cultures through her transitions among coun-tries, saying, “Not all of the

people our age are lucky enough to have experienced all that I have.” She also stated that her time at THI-MUN has also enhanced her previous perspectives. “I’m meeting people all over the world, and it’s really excit-ing to make more friends.”

After interviewing many different delegates who were only a tiny percent-age of the attendees at this year’s conference, I realize what a great opportunity THIMUN is to meet a va-riety of interesting people. Speaking to different dele-gates is a chance to broaden your horizons and learn not only about UN policy, but about different cultures and people from countries all over the world.

Come One, Come All: THIMUN Premiere of “The End of the Line”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

HENGELBROK|JOHN F. KENNEDY BERLIN

AS THIMUN DELEGATES REPRESENT COUNTRIES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, THEIR PERSONAL HISTO-RIES INFLUENCE THEIR DECISIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, AND FUTURES

A day in the life of a Coat CheckBY DINA FARAGJOHN F KENNEDY BERLIN

Many take their service for granted, and only a few realize how much they contrib-ute to the Conference, but the coat checkers behind the scenes allow THIMUN’s day-to-day progression to advance as comfortably and conveniently as possible.

When the numerous participants of THIMUN enter the World Forum Conven-tion Center, the first thing they do is hand in their jackets to the coat check staff. Receiv-ing the, at times, unfriendly delegates (more often than not due to lack of sleep) with a smile on her face, twenty-year-old coat checker Genevieve works behind the scenes, so that the Conference proceeds without complications or difficulties.

In addition to living with her mother and her eighteen-year-old brother, Genevieve studies child care at Zadkine in Rotterdam, where she was born and raised. She switch-es shifts between coat checking and wait-ressing in the cafeteria, working eight hours per day to earn additional money throughout the course of her academic studies.

When asked about her opinion on the THIMUN conference, Genevieve remarks that she finds the diverse cultures and multi-cultural atmosphere very refreshing and exciting, especially because she herself originally comes from Suriname in South America.

Besides coat-checking, Genevieve also works as a waitress and cleans in the caf-eteria, her shift starting at eight am and pro-ceeding to six pm. Furthermore, Genevieve states she has met numerous charming and cooperative co-workers during her time as a member of the staff, making her experience even more memorable.

Due to the fact that Genevieve is a dili-gent and eager worker, she spends most of her free time sleeping or resting and barely has time to go out with her friends. Nevertheless, when she does, Genevieve is just like any other twenty year old college student, enjoying going to restaurants or the movies.

Workers like Genevieve are essential to THIMUN, and without them the Conference would not be as successful and entertaining as we know it to be. A small gesture or even a friendly smile here or there to those deter-mined and engaged workers means more to them than one might think.

Have you ever thought about where the fish on your plate came from? Many people are concerned about mal-treatment of farm raised cows or pigs for slaughter. Even more are concerned about the amount of animals becoming endangered or ex-tinct each year. But there are millions of fish in the sea, right?

Wrong. In the documentary “The End of the Line,” the director Rupert Murray investigates the devas-tating consequences overfishing has on fish populations worldwide - it targets governments and big fishing com-panies who have refused to impose catch limits to ensure a sustainable amount of fish remain in the world’s oceans. Murray claims that the effects of this have been substantial. From Newfoundland’s cod industry collapse to Senegalese fishermen abandoning

their jobs due to starvation, the fact of the matter is the fish are disappearing. What can we do to help this crisis? The film lays out not only the facts, but also proposals that make even a fish enthusiast reconsider tonight’s dinner of choice. In consideration of this year’s theme “Ocean’s and Seas”, “The End of the Line” will be shown at THI-MUN Tuesday night at 19:30 in the World Forum Theatre. The director, Ruppert Murray will also be attending.

BY ALLIE MILLERAMERICAN SCHOOL OF PARIS

CLARKSON|BRITISH SCHOOL IN THE NETHERLANDS

Genevieve greets Dina with a smile

DAILY MUNATION Tuesday January 24, 2012

THIMUN

Conference News | 5

Conference News

“Get your grammar right on your resolution before sub-mitting.”

“Keep your badge on at all times.”“Bring a pen.” “Brush your teeth in the morn-ing.”“Wake up early for the tram be-cause it’s really crowded.”“Have a flat pair of shoes in your bag at all times.”“Bring lollipops for bribery.”“Write a resolution so that you can participate in your commit-tee”“Be grateful that you are here.”“Make sure that your skirt doesn’t ride up too high.”“Shower before the conference.”“Expand your perspective, dress up, and go out.” “Raise your placard when you have nothing useful to say.”

Do’s and don’t’s Tips from THIMUN participants

“Wear really high heels on the tram.”“Make fun of the chair.”

“Wear a really short skirt.”“Abuse the Admins.”“Wait until the last day to speak.” “Throw water bottles at other delegates.”“Forget to bring a USB stick.”“Try to impress others by wear-ing fancy designer clothes.”“Arrive late on the first day.”“Be cocky about your resolu-tion.” “Text when the committee is in session.”

BY ISLA MCDOUGALL BENENDEN SCHOOL

Stress in the World ForumThe first day of the Conference

brings lobbying, speech giving, meeting new people, and learning

the way around the World Forum Con-vention Centre – a multitude of activities that are doubtless accompanied by bouts of anxiety. Doing research and writing resolutions can be done in the comfort of one’s hometown, but merging ideas, and in some forum giving opening speeches on day one, brings the unfamiliar to the forefront.

Some delegates have found the first day of the conference to be a great time, free from stress and nervousness. Oth-ers find it to be the most stressful day. For most of the delegates, the first day is spent lobbying. Atreyo Sinha, the

UNHCR expert in the Advisory Panel, from the Dhirubahi Ambani International School, finds lobbying to be a good time. Sinha, who gave his opening speech yesterday, finds that even though he did not prepare much for his speech, he did not find it stressful to give. He finds that it is nice to meet new people and though he was anxious at first, once the ice is broken, the experts on the Advisory Panel start having a great time. Similarly, Yohan Morris, the delegate of Myanmar in General Assembly 1 from Mercedes Benz International School, thinks that THIMUN Conferences are not stressful at all. Regarding speech giving, he says, “It’s like a drug. You want to keep going up there and keep talking.” His advice to other delegates is that the more you talk, the less nervous you get.

On the other hand, some delegates find the conference to be a stressful experience. Krena Sivlal, the delegate of Belarus in General Assembly 5 from the Marymount International School Lon-don, predicts that the conference will be a quiet one for her. Though she usually likes to talk, she finds that the stress of saying something wrong will prevent her from giving many speeches. Krena does not find making friends to be a nervous experience because she says, “You can only really talk about yourself and there is nothing much else to say.” Bernardo Marques, the delegate of India also in GA5 from the American School of The Hague, finds that THIMUN conferences are more tiring than stressful. He finds that it is more natural to make friends than to make a speech. He thinks that

when giving speeches, all of the attention of the crowd is focused on the speaker, who must be very prepared to avoid say-ing something incorrect and making his/her speech invalid.

Nicole Mempin, the delegate of Libe-ria in GA3 from Beacon Academy, finds that the stress of the conference pushes her to perfection. She thinks that with the added pressure of speaking at the world’s largest High School Model United Na-tions conference brings her to practice her speeches, and check her facts multiple times before using them. To experience anxiety, and to step out of one’s com-fort zone, is a learning opportunity, and although delegates may feel nervous, they will learn much about others and about themselves by pushing through discom-fort.

Delegates stress over the participants packet

BY SEKHEENA DESLORIEUXMONT’KIARA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Do... Don’t...

CLARKSON

Watch out for the fry burglar! CLARKSON

CUMMING CUMMING CLARKSON

DAILY THIMUNTuesday January 24, 2012 Photo Spread

CANDIDS

| 6Delegates immersed in Oceans and Seas

Clarkson and CummingsThere are plenty of fish in the sea!

DAILY THIMUNTuesday January 24, 2012Photo Spread

CANDIDS

7 |Delegates pose and smile on the first day of the Conference

F I R S T D A Y

S M I L E S

ALLISON SHAPIRO

HEIDELBERG AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL

Hours of debating, note passing, and amending all end in one thing: the vote. For a specific group, however, this pivotal moment is not about raising placards, it is about waiting. These students represent Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs). The United Nations, under Chapter X of its charter, allows for the participation by NGOs as well as in-ternational and national organizations, and THIMUN follows suit. The stu-dents representing these organizations have the same duties as delegates but none of the voting privileges. Azimjon Rakhimov, representing Greenpeace, admitted that it can be frustrating to represent an NGO. “We’re not allowed to vote,” he said. “That’s the one thing that we don’t like.” He will be spend-ing the week with the Environment Commission, trying to influence others to vote for policies he favours. Rakhi-mov added that, while not powerless, students who represent organizations have to work to make themselves heard. “We can encourage. We can tell people, but we can’t directly have a say in the resolution. We have to rely on other people to get our point across,” he said.

“I just applied to be a delegate,” said Azimjon. Like others, he didn’t apply for a position as an NGO. His school, the British School in the Netherlands, was assigned both The Netherlands and Greenpeace, and his teacher passed theNGO position on to him.

For Adeyla Rae Paul and Rita Mascarenhas, both from St. Julian’s School in Portugal, the situation was similarly out of their control. “We were only four in our school,” said Mascarenhas. “We had a limited choice. We couldn’t be a country, so we had to be an NGO. We didn’t have a choice because we had so few people doing this.”

These delegates prepared for this conference like everyone else. Despite being unable to vote, they are able to submit and sign resolutions. In regards to his preparation, Rakhimov said, “I made sure because I’m Greenpeace that [the resolution] suits my beliefs. Anything that protects the environ-ment, we’re for.” Paul received similar instructions. Her advisor told her to treat the organization like it was a na-tion with its own set of beliefs.

Despite the challenges that come with his assignment, Rakhi-

mov is satisfied. “I think I’m happy, yes,”he said. “[Greenpeace] suits what I think.”

Paul, representing United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (INSTRAW), agreed that she liked her position. As a woman, she feels particularly strong about her organiza-tion’s positions. “I mean, there have been so many advances in the last de-cades with the [feminist] movements. I think it’s important to have women’s rights organizations. It gives the whole conference more opinions“, she added.

Mascarenhas, representing the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said that it was her first THIMUN and she was not sure what her goals were. However, as an NGO she hopes to see resolutions that line up with her own agenda. “I’m doing something on child migration,” she said. “I hope resolutions pass that deal with war and children, using children as child soldiers or sex objects.”

While they can’t vote, NGOs and IGOs can be major players within their committees. Matthijs Kosicki, As-sistant President of the Disarmament Commission 2, said that the impor-tance of NGOs and IGOs “always depends on the topic.” For example, he described how the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) played an important role in a discussion about the implementation of chemical weapons. “The OPCW is also an NGO. They are the monitoring body for that treaty, so they play an important role.” Kosicki believes that NGOs are important when the del-egates push their issues. “It’s the same with countries,” he said. “If the issue isn’t from their country, it doesn’t apply to them.” Kosicki added, “…basically, NGOs are allowed to submit a resolution… They are not allowed to vote. In debate they can make speech-es to convince people of their views.”

Mascarenhas has come to enjoy her unique role as both impartial organization and advocate. “We have to be on both sides of the fence. You have to be tolerant of every country,“ she said. The role of an NGO or IGO is to offer support to nations and back up resolutions that are in keeping with the organization’s policies. She gave advice for those who will represent NGOs and IGOs in the future, saying, “You have to be open minded to be an NGO… You also have to respect a country’s culture, religions, and tradi-tions, so the country can preserve [its] integrity.”

Although NGO’s can’t vote, their hands hold influence

DAILY MUNATIONTuesday January 24, 2012Conference News

THIMUN |

8 |

NGOs & IGOsConference News

Who needs voting?

soer | lycee francais vangogh

Coming from all over the world, more than 3,500 students have arrived at the annual THIMUN conference. With many different positions, most students have had diverse paths to get here. Depending on if you are a delegate, an admin, a student officer, Security Council, or an Editor in Chief for the MUNITY Newspaper; you all have had different application processes. Also, the application process depends on the school you come from. For example, in many schools, THIMUN is taken as a class while in other schools, it is known as an after school club.

Dana Frose, the coordinator and delegate selector for her school Acada-mia Cotopaxi in Quito Ecuador (AIS), has one advisory panelist on her team. For her school’s selection process, the delegates signed up for an after school club at the beginning of the year, and needed teacher references to get accepted to THIMUN. After the process, the club invited many MUN students from schools around the area and created a local conference to get them prepared for THIMUN.

It was a different story for the mem-

ber of the advisory panelist. They had to be invited to apply since they were handpicked by their coordinator, Dana Frose. It was the advisory panelist deci-sion to attend the conference but before, Mrs. Frose looked at various factors such as grades and at least a year or two of THIMUN experience.

All admin staff is from various schools of The Hague such as British School of The Hague, American School of The Hague, German School of The Hague, and the International School of the Hague. Julia Roch, a student at the American School of The Hague (ASH), signed up for her position at the begin-ning of the year as well. For Julia, her teachers had to be contacted to see if she was eligible to miss a week of school, and took a test on the procedures she needed to know as an admin staff.

Anouk Jurgens, a student officer from the ASH had to write a proposal on why she would be qualified for THIMUN. Unlike many delegates and admin staff, Anouk had to move up in rank to become a student officer. She had to have many years of experience in THIMUN, and had to send her application to a special advi-sor in THIMUN who takes care of all the applications for student officers.

Caroline Ludeman, the Editor in

Chief for MUNITY, the THIMUN news-paper, was introduced by Mr. Newman, the coordinator for MUNITY, to THI-MUN. She was a reporter in last year’s conference. She said she was at the “right place at the right time,” and she had to “work her way up.” All the MUNITY staff was asked to write a personal essay on why they believed they were qualified for her position to be submitted to the head of MUNITY, Mr. Newman.

The secretary general, Leonie Reese, a 17 year old from ISH also commented on how she was able to apply for her position in the THIMUN conference of 2012. Last year, Leonie was a Deputy Secretary General but with her passion for MUN, she decided to take on to a bigger role in the THIMUN community. For her role in MUN, she had to apply

on the THIMUN website and then write a letter of motivation explaining her enthusiasm for Model United Nations. She also had an interview with three members of the THIMUN board which did not represent her school. Today, she is the link between the adult and student world of THIMUN and is in charge of the chairs and running the conference smoothly.

From a delegate to the secretary general and everyone in between, we have all journeyed to the world forum on various different paths but have all come together at the same destination for the same reason, to be a part of something bigger.

Who applies to THIMUN?

DAILY MUNATIONTuesday January 24, 2012 Conference News

BEHIND THE SCENES |

|9THIMUN application process and the ICJ on tour

The International Court of Justice, commonly known as the ICJ, is the main judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established in 1945 and is located in the Peace Palace in The Hague. The court is com-prised of 15 judges who are voted on by the UN General

Assembly and Security Coun-cil, each serving for nine-year terms. Cases covered in the

court are legal issues between states of the UN. It does not take cases of individuals, or any other group or organization. The official languages of the court are English and French.

Then how does the ICJ dif-fer from other International courts? Unlike the Interna-

tional Criminal Court, the ICJ cannot try individuals for war crimes or crimes against humanity. The cases must be solely between states, therefore a prosecutor cannot initiate a case. Many other International courts such as the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Inter-American Court of Hu-man Rights also take on cases from individuals. Some cases that have been in the court in-clude the dispute of a maritime boundary between the US and Canada, and an accusation by the Republic of Macedonia that Greece violated an Interim Ac-cord.

What many delegates do not know is that there is a simula-tion of the ICJ at THIMUN. Twenty-five students were accepted to be advocates and judges for the court. I had the opportunity to talk to David Rubinstein, the president of ICJ at THIMUN. We discussed the differences between ICJ and the other committees as well as the topics of the court this week. The two issues are Peru vs. Chile and Costa Rica vs. Nicaragua. Peru vs. Chile is a dispute over a boundary delimi-tation in an area of the Pacific Ocean between the two coun-

tries. The dispute between Cos-ta Rica and Nicaragua is con-cerned with the imposition of a fee to any Costa Rican tourist entering the San Juan River, which belongs to Nicaragua. The difference between having these issues brought up in the ICJ as opposed to another UN committee is that in the other committees you try to “find a political solution to the prob-lem” whereas in the ICJ they are solved with binding rulings.

When asked why he decided to apply for ICJ David stated, “I was a judge for the ICJ last year and really enjoyed it. I’m also interested in international rela-tions between countries.”

BLISS| JBSThe Judges Listen and Take Notes

BLISS|JBSAdvocate Faces the Court

What the heck is an advocate?

BY LAURA ANTUNAZURICH INTERNATIONAL

In various ways, students here find their way to THIMUN XLIV

BY ALLIE MILLERAMERICAN SCHOOL OF PARIS

SOER| LYCEE FRANCAIS VANGOGHDelegate reviews her application thoroughly.

DAILY MUNATIONTuesday January 24, 2012Editorial

EDITORIAL | A LIFE’S JOURNEY TO THIMUN

10 |

Building bridges: I´m homeBY MARIANA DOMINGUES CAISL

It is a commonly used phrase that is sometimes taken for granted or not looked at closely. I mean, how do you know where your home is? Is it the place you were born, the place you grew up? Growing up, I’ve often thought about these questions and have always found them extremely difficult to answer. The truth is, when someone asks me where I’m from, I feel as if I have bits and pieces of every country I’ve lived in, not only my motherland, Brazil.

Since before I could even walk or talk, I have been a foreigner in my own home. When I was about 23 days old,

my family and I moved to

Ecuador for my dad’s job. My mother and father

were exposed to a cul-ture and language very different from that of Brazil, which would open many

doors.

When I was old enough, my mother taught me Spanish-- a language that I studied more deeply in middle school and am currently studying in high

school. After a year in Ecuador, my father was transferred to South Africa. By this time, I was two years old and

had al-ready

lived on two continents.

After a year in South Africa, I moved to Florida

which would be my home for the

next nine years. During

that time, my brother and

I were able to expe-rience the diversity of the

American culture. English was probably the most important aspect of the experience my brother and I were able to take away; it is

our dominant language and has given us universal

opportunities. We left the States when I was nine years old and

about to complete the fourth grade. At this point, I had grown accustomed to calling Florida my “home.”

This soon changed when I moved to the most intriguing place I have ever lived – Abu Dhabi, a city at the heart of the United Arab Emirates.

This was a drastic change from living in America, from culture to religion to even the food. It also proved to be one of the most memorable chapters of my life. I went to the American Com-munity School, which exposed me to several cultures and nationalities that allowed me to step out of my comfort zone. I met people that

changed the way I looked at life-- my friends

taught me about their cultures and customs, and I taught them mine.

The city in general was also a source of great diversity. I learned

about the Arab

culture, some of their customs such the fasting month, Ramadan, or traditions like camping in the desert, and even a little bit of the complex language. Abu Dhabi taught me that family comes first because of

the strong bond among one’s kin. The country taught me to trust my instincts, to explore, to take risks, and, no matter what, to learn about my surroundings. I grew to love the different people around me, to appreciate their indi-viduality as well as my own.

Right now, I am currently living in Lisbon, Portugal. Even though

only a year has gone by, I have already fallen in love

with the nation. My Brazilian background shines through in this coun-

try where both histories are inter-

twined. It was in Portugal that I first began to get involved in

Model United Nations. This op-portunity to meet new people, collaborate on ideas, and learn

about fascinating cultures has allowed me to better understand myself. Whether de-bating as a delegate or reporting for the press team, you can bridge the gap between cultures. If you

don’t step out of your comfort zone, how will you discover who

you truly are?

DAILY MUNATIONTuesday January 24, 2012 National News |11

On riots and reactions

Modern-day Titanic: Costa Concordia

If you replace the glacier with a coral reef, and the name Titanic with Costa Concordia, the recent shipwreck off the coast of Italy can be considered a sequel to the tragic event of 1912. As globalization and in-ternational interactions become more and more prominent in our world today, the ecological and marine setbacks we face begin to hold greater importance. Ac-cordingly, delegates are spend-ing THIMUN XLIV debating a range of topics all relating to this year’s theme of Oceans and Seas. The recent shipwreck of the Costa Concordia on Janu-ary 14 is the ‘live’ event of the week, as the safety and rescue teams take the necessary steps to try to bring everyone back to shore.

Just yesterday another body was found by the rescue team, pushing the death toll up to 13 while 24 people are still unac-

counted for. Ironically, one of the first people off the ship was Captain Francesco Schettino,

who is now being held under house-arrest, accused of al-leged manslaughter, causing shipwreck, and abandoning the ship before all passengers were rescued and evacuated.

To give some background on the enormity of the situation, over 4,000 people (including passengers and crew members) were on board this 300 m long and 35 m wide vessel. Weigh-ing 114,000 tonnes, this ship carried 2,400 tonnes of fuel. As delegates debate the issue of oil pollution in the seas, engineers wait pensively to begin the oil

extraction process. Fuel extrac-tion cannot take place until the rescue teams have evacuated

the vessel, yet the choppy

waters are making the necessary submerged rescue more difficult causing a small setback in the overall time table. Although the ship is currently carrying tons of potentially hazardous and polluting fuels, no ecologi-cal contamination has yet been reported. Smit Tak (the Dutch Oil Company responsible for extraction) engineers wait while the changing climate becomes

a worry in lengthening the process. The Costa Concordia has two main fuel vessels, one on either side of the ship; one

of them is entirely above the surface, while the other

is well under-water.

Engineers worry that if the tide gets stronger and the waters colder, it may elongate the process of extract-ing the fuels from the lower tank. In order to sustain the current position of the Costa Concordia, sea water will be pumped into the ship as oil is pumped out. Members of the Italian Coast Guard in Giglio Porto assure the international

community that this process should take around three weeks, yet the climatic factors may lengthen it respectively.

Regarding THIMUN XLIV, this event can be discussed in all forums especially Environmen-tal Sub-commission 1 and 2, General Assembly sub-commis-sion 2, and Special Conference sub-commission 2. Just walking around the conference centre, one can tell the Costa Concor-

dia is a popular topic of discussion and, with over 80 Italian students and several schools from Italy, many of us have something to say on the topic. Munim Syed, an

Italian student from the American Overseas School in Rome, tells us that many Italians consider this whole event an embarrassment, and place most of the blame on Captain Schet-tino, as he refused to re-board the ship during the initial rescue period. As you start debate, keep Costa Concordia in mind as a prime example of a current

LIU|JBS

WORLD NEWS | CURRENT EVENTS AND CONTROVERSIES

BY MAX ENTHOVEN JOHN F. KENNEDY BERLIN

BY LEILA ELABBADYINTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BRUSSELS

GREECEAs riots culminated in Greece, protesters vented their anger at their leaders’ perceived incompetence in dealing with Greece’s economic crisis, as well as rising unemployment and un-derinsurance. Protestors called their president Karolos Papoulias “trai-tor,” lit fires in front of the parliament, and threw Molotov cocktails and petrol bombs. The Greek riot police heav-ily suppressed the riots,

arresting 37 in Thessa-loniki, and detaining 70 in Athens for question-ing on the first day of protests. Since Eu-rope’s heavyweights are determined to preserve the single currency, so will attempt to keep Greece upright until its debt can be restructured in a manner that does not destroy the euro, for it is the Greek predica-ment, in which protest-ers violently react to the European political and economic crisis.

NIGERIAOne of the demonstra-tions inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement includes Occupy Nigeria which calls for an end to cor-ruption, social injustice, and centralized power of the government. Most importantly, the movement is the Nigeri-an workers’ response to the government remov-

ing their subsidies for oil. With vehement re-sistance, the police tried to stop the uprisings, an effort that resulted in five deaths. Riots all around Nigeria com-menced on January 2nd, and just like Occupy Wall Street seemed like a contagion. Occupy Ni-geria might even spark a sub-Saharan spring.

RUSSIAIn Russia, public sup-port for the political team Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev has waned, and taken the form of protests after citizens were informed that Putin’s United Rus-sia Party won Decem-ber’s parliamentary election under suspi-cions of fraud. Russian media estimated the number of protesters up to 8,000. Not only did

the deployed riot police arrest dozens of protest-ers so far, according to Taipei Times, but they also took opposition leaders Alexey Navalny and Ilya Yashin into their police station. While Vladimir Putin has been a benefactor for some, and a tyrant for others, how things will turn out in Russia depends on the speed with which Putin con-vinces the dissatisfied that he is not a tyrant.

UNITED STATESAn acute discontent not only with the current banking system in the United States, but also with the perceived ex-ploitation and aristocrat-esque behavior by the financial elite, triggered the formation of the Oc-cupy Wall Street Move-ment. As the heart of the financial district in New York, Wall Street is the home to many of the most globally signifi-cant banks, thus protest-ers initially demonstrat-ed their dissatisfaction by pitching camp and finding shelter in the Zuccotti Park nearby. Instead of aggressively

attacking banks or other institutions whose ac-tions have caused these protesters’ yearning for economic justice, the Occupy Wall Street movement is a more or less passive force that portrays its rage by occupying the whole street. A specific exam-ple of government reac-tion was the mass arrest of 250 participants mostly due to “resisting arrest and disorderly conduct” on November 18th, 2011. On that day, over a thousand police officers were deployed, and received overtime pay for it. In total, 4,000 protesters were arrested.

CLARKSON|BRITISH SCHOOL NL

DAILY MUNATIONTuesday January 24, 2012Entertainment

FUN PAGE Bored?

Across2. The Secretary General of THIMUN 20124. Where are we now?8. What is this year’s THIMUN theme?11. One of the most endangered aquatic animals12. What is the largest ocean in the world?13. The most common nationality at THIMUN15. 19_ schools are here at THIMUN16. An alternative energy source involving water

Down1. What is the name of the cruise ship that sunk in Italy?3. This year’s keynote speaker4. What is the title of yesterday’s paper?5. Which international treaty prevents the trade of endangered wild species and plants?6. “___ of the line” is the movie we will watch tomorrow7. The Capital of Morocco9. THIMUN was founded in 196_10. How do you say ocean in Dutch?14. Official THIMUN newspaper

CORRECTIONOn Page Seven of the Monday January 23 Issue, MUNITY stated that THIMUN welcomes four new schools to the Conference. This year, there are in fact twelve new schools attending the Conference. Welcome to Colegio Bilingue Richmond from Colombia, AIS Bu-charest from Romania, Kent Denver School from the United States, Ellesmere College from the United Kingdom, Groupe Scolaire Oa-sis from Egypt, Experimental HS Beijing and Guangdong Experi-mental HS from China, Haarlemmermeerlyceum and Amsterdam Int. Community School from the Netherlands, Herlufsholm Skole from Denmark, Chisipite Senior School from Zimbabawe, Lycee Francais Jean Monnet from Belgium, TASIS Switzerland from Switzerland, St. Andrew’s Junior College from Singapore, Mercedes Benz International from India, Jeddah Knowledge Intl. School and Advanced Learning Schools from Saudi Arabia.

12 |

Spot Five Differences!

Editors in ChiefCaroline LudemanIsabelle Stillman

Text EditorsSeohyun BaeHannah HemperlyYasemin ParlarLily Rivkin

ReportersLaura AntunaAnna Bradley-WebbSekheena DeslorieuxMariana DominguesLeila ElabbadyMaximilian EnthovenDina FaragSophia HengelbrokVicky LiuIsla McDougallAlexandra MillerAury NaranjoAllison ShapiroCharlotte Smith

LayoutRebecca McDonaldNicole NoveyTyler PayneJames Roh

PhotographersTamara BastakiMaggie BlissTomas ClarksonLeah CummingAnna Soer