DISEC

The General Assembly of the United Nations is split into six major committees of which DISEC, the Disarmament and International Security Committee, is the first. Its agenda items focus on all sorts of military matters, ranging from the prevention of an arms race in outer space to transparency in international military communication to general disarmament including chemical and nuclear weapons. As with the General Assembly, all 192 member states of the United Nations are invited to participate in the debate taking place in this committee. Delegates participating in DISEC at NUMUN IX can expect to discuss pertinent military issues relating to a diverse range of international situations.

World Bank

The World Bank is owned by 187 member countries united under the common goal of providing financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Consisting of two main institutions, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association, the World Bank has been a major player in reducing poverty since 1945. The World Banks has recently focused on more environmental initiatives, such as the Clean Air Imitative. Delegates of the World Bank at NUMUN IX should expect a large and diverse committee prepared to discuss economic issues in developing countries.

ECOSOC

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), was established under the United Nations Charter as the primary original to coordinate economic and social policies. The 54 members of ECOSOC are responsible for promoting higher standards of living, identifying solutions social problems, facilitating international and education cooperation, and encouraging universal respect for human rights, according to their website. ECOSOC is one of six principle organs of the United Nations. Delegates of ECOSOC at NUMUN IX will discuss a broad range of topics that will significantly shape the direction of economic and social policies.

CSTD

The CSTD was established in 1992 as a subsidiary body of ECOSOC. Its main purpose is to provide the General Assembly with advice pertaining to questions of technology particularly in respect to developing countries. The CSTD is heavily involved in the UN's attempt to meet its Millennium Goals and it has advised the General Assembly on a myriad of issues from renewable energy, access to education, and the technological gap between the developed and developing world. In an increasingly technology reliant world, the CSTD will continue to be one of the most influential bodies within the United Nations.

UNSC

The United Nations Security Council is one of the chief organs of the United Nations and the only committee with the mandate to ordain direct intervention in the affairs of other nations if its member states believe this action warranted. It consists of five permanent members, the most powerful nations at the time of its creation in 1946: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia. These five members each have the power to veto any resolution brought forth and thereby prevent its passage. Joining the P-5, as they are known, are ten elected non-permanent members who serve two-year terms. They have votes and participate in discussion but do not have veto powers. Delegates to the United Nations Security Council at NUMUN IX will be faced with unique challenges in their ability to make decisions with significant and palpable ramifications due to its unique international status and should come prepared to face a spectrum of issues dealing with international peace and security.

German Government of 1917

No nation was prepared for the devastation that was unleashed by the First World War. As entire economies and populations were mobilized for the first total war, the conflict quickly became a battle to the death. Germany, along with Russia and Austro- Hungary, was one of the great empires destroyed in the conflagration. This committee, representing the heads of the government and military, will be able to avoid Germany's defeat and change history if they make the right decisions. Starting before the United States' declaration of war, this committee will debate how to direct the war effort while keeping radical elements on the home front from exploding into open rebellion.

International Labor Organization

The International Organization of Labor (ILO) is responsible for creating and overseeing international labor standards. The ILO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and its governing body is composed of 28 representatives, which are split between workers' representatives and employers' representatives. It is the only 'tripartite' UN agency that unites representatives of governments, employers, and workers, according to the ILO's website. Every year, the ILO organizes the International Labor Conference in Geneva to craft and refine recommendations to promote decent work for all. Founded in 1919, delegates of the ILO at NUMUN IX are part of a historic body that has a unique balance of representatives.

International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court came into being in July of 2002 and prosecutes crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, and crimes of aggression that occurred on or after that date. It sits in the Hague and has been involved in such cases as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Darfur, and Libya. In this simulation, students will represent judges of the court, deliberating and then delivering majority and minority opinions on specific cases. Delegates to the ICC at NUMUN IX should be excited to participate in a different type of committee allowing for unique debating experience.

U.S. National Security Council

The United States National Security Council was created in 1947 as an advisory board to the President in response to Cold War tensions. It is composed of the highest members of the President's cabinet (Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Vice President) as well as advisors from the military, intelligence, and drug policy sectors. Delegates to the NSC at NUMUN IX will face a variety of challenges, largely international, that represent threats to the security of the United States and its people.

Balance of Power: South Korea and the United States

This committee will represent an ad hoc mixture of South Korean and US politicians and ministers. What should be a cordial relationship between two democracies is often marred by a South Korean fear of becoming a US client state. Since the end of the Cold War, there has been an ongoing debate in the Southover the continued presence of the US military. While popular opinion in the South is often anti-American, the US, citing a need to keep North Korea in check, has refused to completely withdraw from the peninsula. However, austerity measures in Washington will inevitably look to cut military spending and the US mission in South Korea may fall on the chopping block.

Iraqi Parliament

Since the departure of US combat troops in 2010, the Council of Representatives of Iraq has had to tackle the problems of the fledgling democracy on its own. The four major Iraqi parties, the Iraqi National Movement, State of Law Coalition, National Iraqi Alliance, and the Kurdistan Alliance will have to work together if they want to see Iraq continue on its path to stability and peace. The Council will no doubt have to deal with a Kurdish independence movement, Iranian and US meddling in the nation's internal affairs, distribution of oil profits, and a simmering insurgency that, while a shadow of its former strength, is far from dead.

Rio de Janeiro Municipal Government

As host of both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio De Janeiro will be on display to the entire world. As the representatives of Rio's Municipal Government, this committee will have to take on the task of readying the city for these two events. The committee will debate a wide range of topics but will mostly focus on Rio's high crime rate and massive poverty and slums problems. Any failure to adequately address these concerns will cast a shadow on these events and be a national embarrassment for Brazil.

Arab Spring

Starting in Iran in the summer of 2009, the Middle East entered a period of political instability as regimes throughout the region were challenged. In quick succession, revolts broke out in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Syria and other countries. This committee will have to formulate a response to these protests. Should the Middle Eastern leaders reform their institutions in the face of public pressure or band together to protect the status quo? How should they react in the face of Western involvement in issues of national self-determination? The decisions that this committee makes will decide whether the Middle East will remain a bastion of autocracy or experience a birth of freedom.

Balance of Power: North Korea and China

Like its South Korean and American counterpart, this will be an ad hoc committee of North Korean and Chinese leaders. As North Korea's largest trading partner, China is responsible for preventing the economic collapse of its poverty stricken neighbor, yet must keep a close eye on North Korean militarism especially in regards to its nuclear program. North Korea must find a way to balance its goal of unifying the Korean Peninsula while staying on good terms with a Chinese government that would not find an outbreak of hostilities on the Peninsula to be in its best interest.



Recent Posts
Countdown
Site Map
Admin
  • NUMUN IX will begin on April 20, 2012 at 7pm.
    • days
    0
    0
    0
    hrs
    0
    0
    mins
    0
    0
    secs
    0
    0