RGIT MUN 2016

PRESS RELEASE DAY 01

TheUnitedNationsSecurityCouncil(UNSC)TheagendaoftheSecurityCouncilwasconcerningtheuseofUAVsinconflictzones.Thesessionbeganwiththegeneralspeaker’slistwherethedelegatesintroducedwhatUAVsbasicallyare(UnmannedAerialVehicles),theirroleintoday’smilitaryandtheirroleinthecomingfuture.

AfterwhichSpainquestionedtheliabilityofhavingsuchweaponswhenthethreattolossofcivilianlifeisquiteconsiderable.Thisverysametrainofthoughtwasbroughtuprepeatedlybyseveraldelegatesofthecommittee.Spainalsorequestedthecommitteetocometogethertomakeaframeworkthatwoulddefinethefactorsforusingdrones.TheMalaysiandelegatepleadedtothehumanityofthecouncilwhenwith2majorWorldWarsandpeoplemassacred,addingweaponsofdestructionwouldbelike“addingfueltofire”.Thevalueofasoldier’slifetobemeasuredagainstthecostofaUAV.Severaldelegatesinsistedthatasystemofchecksandbalancesmustexist,countriesmustbeheldaccountableforlossofinnocentlives.WhiletherewerecountrieslikeUkraineinsistedontheadvantagesofUAVlikeitshighaccuracy,andeaseoftargetingspecificlocations,itsefficienttechnologyandnorisktothepilotasitisanunmannedsystem.

Thediscussionmovedontovariousotherdirectionssuchas“typeofclothingwornandthecitizens’choiceoffacialhairincountriestermedasextremiststates”.Whilethediscussionwasderailedbymanycountries,thechairdeftlyhandledthedetour.

AtthispointamotiontomoveintoamoderatedcaucuswasintroducedbythedelegateofUSAtodiscussthelegalityofunmannedaerialvehicles(UAVs)inconflictzones.TheUnitedKingdombroughttotheforefront,theircauseofusingdrones,thatis,theSeptember2001attacksinNewYork,USA.Theyreiteratedthatthemainusewouldbeforactiveself-defenceandnotoffense.SenegalquestionedtheAlliedcountrieswithregardtoaccountabilityofthenation’sleadingindroneattacks.Whiletheremaybeprotocolsthatexistthatactasguidelines,Senegalinsistedthatmajorityoftheprotocolswerenotadheredto.USAinsistedthattheirmainconcernwastheriseofterrorismandtocurbitincountrieslikeAfghanistan,Pakistan,SomaliaandYemen,dronestrikeswererequired.

Thecommitteerevertedbacktothegeneralspeakerlist,wherethemainconcernshiftedtopurposeofusage.TheRussianFederationinsistedthattheirowndroneswereoftheunarmedtypeandthatitwastheUSAdronesthatwerearmedthatledtospiltinnocentblood.Thisstatementcausedquite

theuproarandthedelegateofUSAhotlydebatedwiththeRussianFederation.USAinsistedthattheonlytimetheirmilitaryeveruseddronestoattackwereforthesafetyofherownpeople,againstterrorismorforanationthatwasanallytoher.Spainquestionedtheirreasonofusingdronestoharmwhenanallywasattacked.

TheVenezuelandelegateinsistedthatwhileciviliandeathswerepartoftheprocessofweedingoutterrorists,thevehicleofpeaceshouldnotbepoliticisedandinwar,somesacrificeisnecessary.Thisstatementwasmetwithalotofhesitationandsomecountriesoutrightlydisagreed.

Atthispoint,amotionmoveintoamoderatedcaucustodiscusstheproportionalityfactorofadronestrikewaspassed.Duringthistime,theUSAdelegateinsistedthatthelossofcivilianlifeinadronestrikewas8-17%whilemuchmorebyagroundtroopinvasion.Thereisahigherchanceofefficientintelligencegatheringusingdronesascomparedtosendinginpeople.Thecollateraldamagewouldbeminimalisedandhenceyieldbetterresults.Senegalraisedapointthatwascheeredbymajorityofthecommittee,thatis,howlongwouldUSAusethe9/11attackasanexcuseforattackingthesovereigntyofothernationsandalsowhytheUnitedKingdomwasbasingthedefenceofusingdronesinconflictzoneson9/11whichhappenedinanothercountry.

Thedeliberationwasrevertedbacktothegeneralspeaker’slistwhereSenegalraisedthecivilianandmilitaryobjectivesregardingdevelopingUAVs,variouscountriesconcurredandrequestedclarityontheseobjectives.AngolainsistedthatitwasIsraelwhopurchasedarmedsystemsillegallyandthatthelattershouldnotpracticepreachingtothechoir.Thisstatementcausedquiteanuproarandwasdebatedforawhileuntilthechairintervened.

Thediscussionthenmovedtodiscussthedistinctionbetweencombatantsandcivilians,thedefinitionofeachwasdeliberatedonandthecommitteecouldnotreachaconsensusonthesame.Spainurgedthecommitteetoconsideralternativemeasurestodrone“strikes”.

Backtothegeneralspeaker’slist,SenegalandtheUSAdebatedthemannerofairstrikesandtheintentwithwhichitwasconducted.Although,USAremaineddeterminedtokeephercitizensandherallies’citizenssafe,SenegalquestionedAmerica’sintenttoimpugnonanothercountry’ssovereignty.ThePeople’sRepublicofChina(PRC)broughtforthtoattentionthatexportingweaponstoanothernon-stateactorswasnotanactofself-defence,whichwascounteredbythedelegateofUnitedKingdomconcerningthedronestheconductreconnaissancemissionsovertheSouthChinaSeaandpartsofJapan.

SeveralcontentioustopicssuchasAksaiChin,China’slimitedinternetissuesandvariousotherswerediscussed.

Inthelastsession,aworkingpaperwasintroduced.AlthoughseveralquestionswereraisedabouttheclausesinthepaperauthoredbyUK,USAandSpain,thepaperfailedtoconvincetherequired2/3rdmajorityitneeded.

INFORMALSESSION

Littlelightermomentsoftheday

• PRCsaid“Ifeveryonewearingakurtaorhavingabeardwasconsideredtobedoingterroristactivityandwaskilledbyadronewewouldhaveanewversionofcallofdutyandblackops.”

• PRCsaid“#HypocrisyMuch”.

• Wearediplomatswedon’tneedtoaskpermissiontoleavetheroom-USATOChair

• IsPRCdrunkonRussianVodka-USA

• ThecommitteesanghappybirthdayforthedelegateofVenezuela

• Justlikethistableeventhedebateisgoingroundandround-Chair

• EveryoneseemedtobringuptheKurtasandbeardpointmuchtotheamusementofthechair.

• ThechairpretendedtobeTurkeytogetapointacrossinthecommittee.

Chitsweopened:• TheEBlookweirdlycutetogether

• LoveyouBruh:*-PRCtoEB

• KillUSA,UKanddotheCo-chair

• Co-chairlookscute

• Ukraine’smoustacheisthickerthanitsconstitution.

• GladthatMalaysiafinallyspoke–Israel

• Chairandco-chairareacutecouple

• FranceareyoucomingfortheSocial?

DISARMAMENTANDINTERNATIONALSECURITYCOUNCIL(DISEC)

The committee startedwith the chairperson addressing delegates and consequently learning thatmostofthemwereattendingaModelUnitedNationsconferenceforthefirsttime.ThechairthenspentthefirstfifteenminutesexplainingMUNprocedures.Thefirstroundofgeneralspeaker’slistconsistedof a surprisingly largeamountofdelegateswilling tobegin thediscussionon theSyrianCrisis.

ThedelegateofSyriawasironicallylatefortherollcallinacommitteediscussing“Syriancrisis”

TheGeneralSpeaker’s Listbeganwith thedelegateofSyriaelaboratingon thecrisispurging theircountryandurgedthecommitteetoreacharesolutionthatwouldbenefitbytheendoftwodays.TheUnitedStatesofAmericafurtherstatedtheirstance.ThedelegateofPeople’sRepublicofChina(PRC)swiftlydelvedintothecruxofthediscussionbypromptlysuggestingsolutionsto.Greecehadroughly 50,000 refugees that required help and the delegate representing the nation went onlyslightly off-tangent by requesting the committee to provide “proper forces” to support Greece’seconomic crisis.During the courseof this, thedelegateof People’sRepublic of Chinaemphasisedtheirsolutionsbythemainpartiesinvolvedinthecrisis:theSyrianGovernment,theRebels,andISIS,therebyinstantlyurgingthecommitteetoeradicatethelatterpartybysayingthat“nopeacewouldbepossiblewithout eliminating ISIS”. Thedelegate thenproceeded to call the SyrianCrisis a CivilWar, which the delegate of Syria himself pointedly rebutted was “not considered as a Civil Waraccording to the United Nations.” New Zealand took this speech one step further by calling ISIS“fanaticaljihadists”andsuggestedimmediateaction.

UnliketypicalMUNprocedures,thefirstmotionpassedonthefloorwasanUnmoderatedCaucusoffiveminutesbythedelegateofSyriatodiscussamongstthemselvesthemethodsandalternativestopreventISISfromcausingfurtherdamage.

AfterwhichthecommitteecontinuedtheGeneralSpeaker’sListandlearntthepoliticalandmilitarystanceofRussia,seeingastheyhavebeen“supportingSyriasince2011.Veryrecently,inSeptember2015,Russiahasbeensupporting(Syria)withdirectmilitaryaid.”

The delegate of PRC suspended formal debate and entered a moderated caucus to discuss thefundingofIslamicStateofIraqbystatingthatthemostcommonmeanstogaintheirfundingwere“Oil,artefacts,ransompayments,whichhasalreadybeentackledbyRussia”,implyingthatRussia’smilitary forces hadmade the ISIS relativelyweak. The delegate of Syria supported the discourse,saying“MostfundsofISISwerediminishedbyUSAinIraqwar2003.”Greecehowever,refutedthelast statement suggesting “ISIS has a very good plan for people working for them,” comparingemployment in ISIS to a “honeymoon package” with “an awesome salary” depicting that ISIS’sstrengthinmilitarypersonnelstillranstrong.

ThedelegateofIranaddedtothisdiscussionbystatingUSAtriedtotraintherebelstofightagainstISIS,howeverfailed,assomeofthemsidedwithISIS.ThedelegatewasundertheassumptionthatISISitselfinitiallystartedasamoderateunionmuchliketherebelsbeforeturningextremeandwasthusreluctanttosupporttherebelsintermsoferadicatingISIS’sfunding.

Belgium finally, and rather angrily, had the chance to speak in regard to Islamic State’s funding,deciding that especially after the attack in Brussels, themilitarymust “deploymoreboots on thegroundtostopfunds.”

In themidst of a startlingly violent discussion to find alternatives to destroy funding of ISIS (USAsuggestedair-strikes),Germanyspokeinfavourofpeacefullyperformingthetransactionsbetween

countries as “transaction should be dealt in a thoughtful political manner”. New Zealandimmediatelybacked-uptheideabystatingthattheideologyofISISmustbedestroyedinsteadofthepeopleand,byextension,thecollateral.NewZealanddecidedthattheydidnotwant“air-strikes”atall.

The Speaker’s List continued from there, Germany stating that “attack against humanity is notconsideredwhentalkingaboutattackingISISanddemolishingtheirfunds”,obliquelyhintingtoturnthe discussion to amore peaceful approach. The delegate of India raised her concerns about theinvolvementof Indian Jihadists butwas ready to “encouragehumanitarian aid and safe zones forSyria.”

ThebreakforlunchbeganshortlyafterthedelegateofGambiatouchedthetopicofallowingtheKurdishtohelpSyriainstoppingISIS,whichwasfurtherelaboratedinthemoderatedcaucusforeradicatingISISat2:00pm.Chinaimmediately(andonceagain)shutdownthenotionofworkingpeacefullyandinsistedontakingimmediateactionsayingthat“peacetalksarealreadyinprocess”,sotheydidnotseetheneedto“makeabigfussaboutit.”Inadditiontothat,GambiarejectedthepreviousideatotakedownBasharal-Assadfromthegovernment,insteadchosetofocusondestroyingISISasanentity.Theysuggestedto“employminoritygroupslikeKurdswhohavealreadyproventhemselvestodealwithISISontheground”whichwassupportedbySyria,PRCandBelgium.

Belgiumstoodin“aggressionandinanger”,requestedforimmediateaction.

IsraelbelievedthatISISfoundthemilitaryprovidedbytheIsraeligovernmentthreateningbutheldaneutralstandfornow.

Brazilblatantlystatedthatthey“won’tattackISISuntilthereisadirectattacktoBrazil.”

FinallythedelegateofPRCvehementlyinsistedforothernationstoprovidepracticalsolutionstoeradicatingISISafterNewZealand’scommentthatstretchedbeyondtheircountry’spolicyandhadachanceofendangeringthecountryitself.

INFORMALSESSION

Lightermomentsoftheconference:

“Whodoyouthinkisthemostannoyingdelegatesofar?”–PRESS“Syria.”–Australia

“Howdidyoufindthefood?”–PRESS“Verynice.”–Bulgaria,albeitsarcastically“Isnedoplatesamosakhaya”–DelegatenexttoBulgaria

“ISISarelikeweeds.Pulloneout,moregrowinitsplace”–Libya

“Pointofpersonalprivilege:Couldyoupleasespellmycountry’snamerightintheSpeaker’sList?”–Libya

Somechits:

“Datetonight?”–SyriatoIndia

“DareyoutocasuallystrokeChina’shair”–RussiatoGambia

Motion of entertainment:

DO,MARRY,KILL

DO

First:NewZealand-12people1stRunnerup:UnitedKingdom–6people2ndRunnerup:India–5people

MARRY

First:USA-5people1stRunnerup:IP–4people2ndRunnerup:India–3people

KILL

First:China-17people1stRunnerup:Syria–7people2ndRunnerup:PretentiousMan-bunguy(Weallknowwhothisisbynow)–3people