MUNdane!!

And SMUN 2008 was anything, but! The Head of Press for SMUN 2008 now brings you an utterly hedonistic view of the two-day inter-school conference.

MUNning is all about the research, the presentation and making yourself heard no matter what, forget all that rigmarole about working for world peace and it's elusive accomplices. It's a battlefield out there, kids, and you've got to be prepared to talk until you turn blue in the face. A MUN is such utterly serious business you're likely to believe, that one wrong word and you'll provoke the mighty Bench gods into smiting you into oblivion.

Now let me deconstruct all those misconceptions by bringing you glimpses of what really happens at a MUN. A quick note, boys and girls: being an alumnus has it's little advantages. Do NOT try this at school. (But if you do, let me know. I'm sure I'll find the results giggle-worthy.)


We'll begin with the audience. Every big event needs a bigger audience to ooh, to aah and to applaud you senseless. For the audience at SMUN (which, may I add, was relieved to only have to attend Day 1) the most exciting experience was the super comfortable chairs in our beloved auditorium. Overheard somewhere in the middle of a moderated caucus: "Is this our punishment for calling Maths class boring?" Lesson well learnt, little girl.

However, the audience at any MUN is but a mere shadow on the actual proceedings. At any half-decent MUN, the only audience any delegate can hope to get is him/herself. And frankly, hearing yourself go on about how you most assuredly represent what can only be called heaven on earth can get tedious. Leading me to speculate that perhaps the true purpose of a MUN is very uplifiting: teaching us all that what we're saying is likely to send our own minds into coma, so be kind to the hearing world and shut up.

So as expected by us veteran MUNners, the crack in the delegates' veneer of grave professionalism was not quick to appear. Heck, it was a big bloomin' blemish the very moment certain delegates entered the scene. With the shenanigans many of the delegates, and most of the SMUN team, I confess, got up to, I won't be surprised if you leave here wondering if you should be paying them for entertaining you. I elaborate:

Human rights and an impending global energy crisis are no laughing matters. Or at least, that's what we started off believing.

A few back-benchers at GA were caught yawning even before the session began. Had a little too much to eat, delegates? But nothing could top the delegates of Czech Republic and Russia at UNESCO. The former couldn't seem to remember what the decided agenda was while the latter wasn't a big believer in the concept of time. With that attitude, you may say, Russia would be utterly ineffective in a crisis. And surprise surprise, he proved us right. When a crisis did take place on Day 2, the esteemed delegate actually had to have the Chair prompt him to take action. And that too, to no avail. Although admittedly, his dance to Yankee Doodle was rather amusing. Did you come up with the steps yourself, delegate?

Speaking of dance, where there is dance, there shall be music and the two put together will almost certainly rope in a third form of entertainment that is normally not an officially approved part of a inter-school conference. Not that that has ever stopped anybody.
Whilst there were cute skirts and killer heels galore, it was the male delegates that were under scrutiny. And one in particular was the hapless butt of many of us grown-ups' jokes. Any guesses? ;)

But trust you me, the entertainment sessions were not the only time when every delegate was up and hooting. For us connoisseurs of amusement, there were funny moments galore. Here are some delicious tidbits courtesy of the ever-vigilant press team (with commentary from the GA Spokesperson, mostly):

Delegate of USA: "I wish to do the right of reply thingy."

Delegate of Argentina: "The burning of fossil fuels does not cause pollution, cows farting does."

Delegate of India: "We do not have cows. We have buffaloes." We'd never have guessed.

Delegate of Russia: "My bra needs the cow." Why delegate, why?!

Delegate of France: "I'm a boy." The delegate, who is incidentally a boy, providing us with this insightful information.

Delegate of the Czech Republic: "Affected flora and fauna are not being discussed... therefore Czech-republic declares war on Myanmar"- The delegate's useful suggestion to solve nuclear crisis.

Other Czech Delegate: "We declare Cyber war.Not military war"- .. Smart delegation aren't they...

Other Czech delegate: "Battlefield Switzerland!" ...after realising it's a "military" war.

Delegate of USA: "Is there any scientific way to control radiation?"

Delegate of Russia: "Eh...what is this da- guys group and girls group huh?"

Delegate of Saudi Arabia (presumably to a crisis struck-Mynamar): "I will provide oil as you would have lost all your resources!"

Delegate of Czech Republic: "Eh I was so bored, so I thought I'd declare a war!" Most amusing, delegate. What are you doing in the United Nations, anyway?

Delegate of USA: "All those who dont evacuate animals are not people!" Much respect to the very humane delegate.

Delegate of Czech Republic: "You can uproot trees and plant it in some other place eg. Namma metro."

Delegate of UAE: "You want me to punch your teeth out?"

Delegate of Argentina: "This is maddness." I fully agree.

Delegate of New Zealand: "This is THE Indian parliament!"

"Delegates, you will be molested if you don't entertain us"- Head of Press (Not true. I merely informed the winners of the Press Awards that they were facing an impatient, entertainment-hungry audience comprising mostly of teenaged girls who have been known to get...volatile. For the delegates' own benefit, of course.)

And the last quote of course requires some complementary information. Primarily to clear the air of whatever strange and unncecessary thoughts you might be thinking. As a sort of consolation prize to the delegates who did not win the coveted Press Awards, we decided to have the winners put on an impromptu show for us. The delegates were oddly reticent, with the exception of the delegate of Argentina, who elicited many-a hoots and cat-calls for his jig to that funny Beedi song. Expectations were riding high, and as the saying goes, you can never trust a Sophiate on her home ground. Thankfully, my warning did not fall on deaf ears and the winners finally obliged us by coming up in twos and threes to dance to 'The way I r'.

This post is approaching close to a thousand words now, and with some regret I must admit that we've only about covered the periphery of the events. The happenings at SMUN 2008 provided one with enough fodder for a whole series of articles. Fortunately for the delegates, I am too lazy to write them. Which leaves me with no option but to conclude.

SMUN 2008 was a spectacular success, to state the obvious. We went inter-school and hosted a number of first time MUNners, many of which are now quite addicted to the MUN phenomena. We had lively sessions interspersed with some very decent quality discussions, stellar people on the organizational team and good food. We had a certain Spokesperson very charmingly threatening fatal injuries to a love-struck delegate, the Head of Press being chased shrieking around the stage by members of the bench and one of the Chairs being utterly sporting and giving in to the demands of her delegates.

SMUN may still be in it's fledgling stages and quite possibly not up to par with some other recent MUNs in the city. But what it does boast of is sheer uniqueness, a platform that is impressive in it's professionalism, endearing in it's informality and simply the place to be, whether your talents lie in research, debating, singing, dancing or punching people's teeth out! Or, speaking from personal experience, doing absolutely nothing, other than looking busy!

Cheers to all the delegates, the SMUN team and specially Mrs. Lali. Long live SMUN!!!

Press Awards

Or alternately, the Delegates' Choice Awards. Note delegates that the press was unable to get pictures of all the winners and they are invited to be sports and send their piccies along to us :) Remember: sophiasmun@gmail.com

Winners from G.A. -

Cutest Skirt : Mynamar

Most Desirable : USA

Crankiest : Czech Republic

Most Annoying : France



Winners from UNESCO -

Cutest Skirt : China

Most Entertaining : Argentina

Most Desirable : Switzerland

Crankiest : Czech republic

Most Annoying : Czech Republic

Day 2 UNESCO

After a rather mundane Day I of UNESCO of Sophia Model United Nations, the press noted (may we add, with delight) that Day 2 was far better in terms of preparation and participation from the delegates. The first hour of the morning passed in a substantive motion where the Switzerland, one of the main sponsors of a resolution (which strove to protect the human rights especially during political instability) himself had a whole lot of answering to do to the entire international community. This was followed by half an of a press conference where France, Argentina, India and Myanmar were picked on but it’s a matter of much regret that not a single delegate was informed well enough to give a reasonable explanation to any of their countries actions and decisions.

Finally, the delegates broke for the much awaited tea, but returned only to find themselves in the middle a crisis. The delegates came up with some rather “interesting” solutions, whether it was the Chinese delegate who seemed very concerned about the proper cremation of the IAEA officer, or the Czech Republic who happily and merrily declared a war on Myanmar “in order to save the flora and fauna”. And then of course there was the Russian delegate who was least concerned and affected by the crisis, saying “so what can we do if there is a crisis” And when the Chair informed him about what he could *do* being a Russian delegate, he most indifferently replied with a “yeah, so?”

After half an hour of such “interesting discussion, the house broke into a an unmoderated caucus, which brought out the delegates’ emotions more clearly about the crisis, such as the UAE wanting to punch out someone’s teeth in the middle of the resolution drafting and Russia and Czech Republic who very comfortably settled down on the last two benches as if expecting someone to give them a formal invitation to help in resolving the crisis. Needless to add, the crisis itself was more entertaining than the motion to entertain itself. However at the end of it all, the delegates managed to put aside their differences and finally resolved the crisis very successfully. The day finally came to an end with a motion to entertain where not a single delegate was spared by the house as each person in the room was obliged to entertain and entertain they did.

On a more serious note, overall, Day 2 was undoubtedly infinitely better than Day 1 with a much higher participation, quality of debate and of course, entertainment !

- Apeksha S. and Sonal.

Day 1 UNESCO

The day began with a confused Czech delegate who wanted to set the agenda but unfortunately, had no idea what the agenda was in the first place. His trusty handbook came to his rescue, and the proceeding finally began.
Then we had the delegate of Russia making a grand entrance, a full thirty minutes after the house had begun discussing the agenda.

All the delegates seemed rather bewildered by the whole Model UN atmosphere and were rendered speechless. Literally. Except for the delegates of Switzerland, Israel and China. And of course, we had the delegate of Argentina who seemed far more interested in the Logistics staff than human rights.
When he was not engaged in conversation with the Logistics staff, he indulged in various productive pass times such as swinging in his chair, getting up to yawn and stretch, etc.

The very courageous Czech Republic attempted to start the first moderated caucus, only to find himself being the only delegate voting for it. Finally, the house settled on the 'Sudan Issue'. During this moderated caucus, Lebanon got suspended for making false allegations. However, the press must admit that the debate was rather satisfactory, considering the fact that a majority of the delegates were first time MUNners.

The next big event was the Spokerperson for UNESCO stomping in, much to the delegates horror (they didn't realize how much precisely until she began speaking). The delegate of Mexico escaped on the basis of 'tense' and most other questioned delegates sheepishly evaded the questions posed to them. Though admittedly, they tried their best within their limited experience and knowledge.

After twenty minutes of gruelling interrogationg, the house resumed the discussion on human rights violations. Lunch provided the much needed relief after another hour of debating.

Lunch was followed by the motion to entertain! By far the most eventful motion, this "moderated" caucus saw everything from delegates singing, dancing, declaring that finding a girl beautiful was a "natural human tendency" (Czech Republic, yet again!) and the Chair being coerced into proposing a certain male delegation.

It was back to business after that and the day came to a satisfying and conclusive end with an unmoderated caucus for drafting resolutions.

- Aparajita L. and Apeksha S.

Day 1 G.A.

SMUN 2008 at GA began with fifty odd (and eager) delegates sitting on the edge of their seats, filled with a little anxiety and a whole lot of enthusiasm.
The delegate of USA set the house in motion by proposing to start with the working agenda. The first speaker, the delegate of Switzerland, could not have been more explicit in stating the need to avert a global energy crisis. This was followed by many-a countries commenting on and confirming their countries views on the causes of energy crisis - the topic being discussed in the first moderated caucus.

Delegates of Switzerland, France, India and USA were commendable in their efforts to convince the world body on the causes that have lead to the near-crisis. However, the OPEC countries could have had a lot more to say in regard to the topic.

The secnd caucus saw the delegates deliberating on alternative sources of energy. The committee discussed non-conventional sources of energy ranging from hydro, solar and wind energy to the rather amusing concepts of using pig fat to produce diesel and cow fat to produce electricity!

At 11 am a press conference was initiated and saw many first time MUNners sweat it out under the intimidating presence of the Spokesperson for GA. While the United Kingdom refrained from replying to the questions posed to them, Israel and Saudi Arabia could have provided more convincing replies. Nonetheless, France and the USA stood by their national policies and reinforced their conviction in their governments' stands.
The delegate of France concluded the moderated caucus by accurately summarizing all that was said during the session and was consequently commended by the Chair for his observations.

Next on the agenda was a debate on nuclear energy as an alternative fuel where the delegates of India and the USA showed sound knowledge of their recent nuclear agreement. The delegates of Russia, Germany and Czech Republic too, presented their opinions effectively.
The last of the moderated caucuses saw the delegate of Czech Republic express concern over the depleting forest reserves in Congo and Switzerland making a very relevant point with reference to energy sites in the country.

The motion to entertain at this point came like a breath of fresh air. The talking heads found ample opportunity to show off their talents, mostly reserved to singing little ditties. The delegates were in for a treat as they were duly entertained by the bench who sang a made-up national anthem for Burkina Faso, and even did a little dance to it!

Before the unmoderated caucus to draft the resolutions for the day's deliberations was set in motion, a quick press conference was initiated. This time the delegates came across as more confident and were better prepared to face the Spokesperson's onslaught.

The day came to an end on a productive and highly satisfying note as two resolution were presented to the Chair (one and half to be accurate!) .

-Lakshmi M

Say the word "MUN" and you'll probably get a raised eyebrow and a puzzled expression from the person you're speaking to. Fascinating though the concept is, it is rather surprising how few people know what you're talking about. It's never too late to learn, however!

So what is MUN all about? Very simply, it stands for Model United Nations, which should perhaps clear things up a little bit. MUN is a simulation of the actual United Nations Organization, where the participants play the role of foreign diplomats, delegates, of various countries. The delegates investigate the international issue on their agenda, debate on it and finally consult each other to come up with a resolution.

How is a MUN different from a parliamentary debate? The participants need to remember at all times that they are not individuals expressing an opinion; they're representatives of entire countries addressing the United Nations. Everything they say needs to be in keeping with the foreign policy of their country and diplomacy is the order of the day. On no account can they disgrace or threaten another nation. The World Press is represented too, and the press conferences conducted by the formidable spokespersons really keep the delegates on their toes.

Model United Nations or MUN was organized first by Harvard University in 1951. Since then, the concept has found itself immensely popular all over the world. St Stephen's College in Delhi organizes a MUN every year, a major event for schools and colleges all over the country. Bangalore Model United Nations is hosted here in the city by Vidya Niketan School. The concept grew so popular in the city that the Rotary Model United Nations was organized in June this year and was a great success. Sophia High School is hosting its second MUN, the SMUN, as they like to call it.

A Model U.N educates students about international issues, brings about effective communication, fosters globalization and also teaches them a thing or two about multilateral diplomacy. The delegates have to make their voices heard, for they have the people of their country depending on them, while making sure that they never say anything that could injure the reputation or destroy the international relations of the nation they stand for.

Even if a Model U.N doesn't do any of these things for the participants, they will, at the very least go home feeling enlightened about countries like Tuvalu and Burkina Faso, and with the ground breaking awareness that they are actual countries with real people living in them. Besides, they will discover in themselves a newfound enthusiasm for reading the newspapers everyday!

-Darshana Ramdev

Role of the UN in averting a global energy crisis

Energy crisis triggered by energy shortage is an observable situation in the world community today. This energy crunch is due to radical increase in demand for energy brought about by an alarming population growth rate, market speculation and rising oil prices to quote a few.
The United Nations primarily concerned with addressing pressing global issues is responsible for averting global energy crunch. It aims to promote system-wide collaboration in the area of energy with a coherent and consistent approach.
The UN focuses on substantive and collaborative actions both in regard to policy development in the energy area and its implementation as well as in maintaining an overview of major ongoing initiatives within the system based on the UN-Energy work programme at all levels. The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI), serve as the basis for action on energy.
United Nations Energy Program-UNEP works to address concerns regarding energy production and use, and assists decision-makers in governments and the private sector to make better, more informed energy choices which fully integrate environmental and social costs.
UN-Energy, the interagency mechanism on energy, has addressed the importance of access to energy in achieving the Millennium Development Goals

In conclusion, development of alternative forms if energy, which is environmentally and economically viable, and sustainable use of the same is an explicit solution to averting global energy crisis. All countries should hence work in partnership to avert global energy crisis.

-Nayantara BG

SMUN coverage

The online newsletter can be found at http://sophiamun.wordpress.com
Thank you.

From the Principal's Desk

Model United Nations is a forum for students to assume the status of a global citizen to research, debate, deliberate and find solutions to pertinent world issues.

Sophia Model United Nations (SMUN 2008) went inter-school this year with National Public School Indranagar, Rajajinagar, Kormangla, Baldwin Girls’ High School, and a good number of delegates from the host School participating.

Students from std XI and XII along with our ‘Old Girls’ from the bench, the logistics team, and the press. It is truly heartening to watch the present and the past students working closely towards the organization of this inter-school event, learning and sharing a great deal of experience and expertise in the process.

One is really impressed by the quality of work by the delegates in the preparations of innovative and well-researched country profiles and carefully worded position papers, keeping in mind every diplomatic protocol.

We are indeed excited to witness participants display skills in diplomacy and inter-national understanding – with decorum and courteous respect, unlike some of the parliamentarians of our own country!

May SMUN prosper and see many returns of this happy event year after year.

Sr. M. Sandhya S. N. D

Principal

KOSOVO

For everyone taking a closer look at human rights issues consider Serbia and Kosovo. We tend to focus on Iraq and Africa and forget about the on going nationalist struggles in the Balkans. Kosovo was declared independent in Feb and was immediately recognized by the United States. There was violence in Serbia because of this. The US embassy in Serbia was vandalized and the Serbian ambassador to the United States was called back.
In 1999 there was violence in Albania and a mass exodus of people. Over 600,000 refugees moved into the economically backward regions of Macedonia, Albania and the region of Montenegro.
There is political instability in Kosovo and Serbia plans to lobby for the unification of Kosovo with Serbia at the United Nations this September.
Delegates, this is an article you might find interesting on the topic-
Good luck!
~Dipti

GJILAN, Kosovo — The 9-year-old ethnic Albanian boy screamed until he was red in the face, pounding his fists on the door of a small concrete house that only minutes before he had called “This is my house! Let me in!” he cried, before collapsing outside the front door, freshly sealed with yellow police tape.
The swift eviction of the boy’s family was the work of Toncho Zourlev, a k a the Enforcer, a no-nonsense Bulgarian who leads an eviction squad set up by the United Nations in Kosovo in 2006 to restore properties to their legal owners. To him, the family was simply squatting illegally in a Serbian house.
As a locksmith changed the lock on the front door, the family hastily wrapped belongings and carried them to the street: a rusty cabinet, a teddy bear, six pairs of shoes, a kitchen table and chairs. The women and children huddled in the rain. A tea kettle, still warm, sat steaming on the stove inside.
“We have nowhere to go. We have no money. What will we do?” pleaded Qamile Nuhiu, 42. The boy, Valon, is one of her five children.
Her husband, she said, was unemployed. The family has been living in abandoned Serbian homes in this poor agricultural town about 35 miles southeast of Pristina since the aftermath of the 1999 NATO bombing campaign to halt Slobodan Milosevic’s repression of Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians. They came to Gjilan from their hometown, Presovo, in another part of Serbia, where Serbs had clashed with ethnic Albanians after the NATO bombing.
With Kosovo poised to declare independence from Serbia in the culmination of a long and violent struggle over who controls and owns this land, the property restitution effort has taken on added importance.
Many inhabitants on either side of the ethnic divide in Kosovo — now about 95 percent Albanian in what was the heartland of Serbia’s medieval empire — can tell tales of property theft and other misdeeds stretching back decades, if not centuries.
The United Nations is trying to right the most recent of those wrongs, committed during the civil war in 1998 and 1999, when hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians and Serbs fled their homes in this poor, landlocked territory, only to seize a house belonging to somebody else.
The attempt to reverse these misdeeds underlines the challenge facing conflict zones around the world, where ensuring the right of returning minorities to take possession of their homes is deemed essential to reconstruction in multiethnic countries like Rwanda and Iraq.
In the case of Kosovo, fewer than 18,000 of the 250,000 Serbs, Roma and others displaced since 1999 have returned, according to Human Rights Watch, which cites the inability of refugees to return home as a major obstacle.
As the Nuhiu family scrambled to assemble its worldly possessions, Sami Miftari, 31, an ethnic Albanian neighbor freshly evicted from the house next door, put forward another view: that in Kosovo, where government sources put unemployment at 60 percent and monthly earnings average about $240, squatting can be the only way to survive.
“Kicking us out is not justice,” he said. “It is revenge.”
Mr. Zourlev insisted that he was simply restoring law and order to a territory riven by bloody disputes over land.
“Putting families onto the street is not fun,” he said. “But if Kosovo wants to be an independent country, people have to learn to respect the law. Otherwise, this place will continue to be the Wild West.”
Since 2001, the Kosovo Property Agency and its predecessor, the United Nations Housing and Property Directorate, have fielded 29,000 residential property claims, about 90 percent of them filed by Serbs whose homes are being illegally occupied by ethnic Albanians.
Of those, 17,500 properties have been restored to their rightful owners, said Lars Olsen, a Norwegian and spokesman for the property agency. He said 2,500 cases had been dismissed.
The property agency, whose mandate will continue under European Union auspices, expects to settle 40,000 more cases by 2010.
Mr. Zourlev, who sets out on evictions accompanied by a locksmith, several movers, a translator and local police officers, notes that the operations can be fraught with danger, including resistance by illegal tenants hoarding AK-47s and shotguns. Things can get especially tense, he said, when the evictees are former soldiers of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the separatist guerrilla group that fought the Serbs.
He recalls that during a recent eviction in Obilic, a poor industrial area outside Pristina, a former K.L.A. fighter summoned his friends. Before long, the eviction team found itself surrounded. Mr. Zourlev said a policeman wedged himself in front of the apartment door until reinforcements came.
United Nations officials say the property settlement system offers a model for other regions recovering from conflict because the justice is fair and swift. While in most countries property and land disputes are usually settled in local courts — a process that can drag on for years — for Kosovo the United Nations has set up a special commission of judges to rule on the claims.
After a claim has been made, a team of investigators at the property agency’s headquarters in Pristina, made up of both ethnic Albanians and Serbs, conducts interviews, scours property registries and verifies contracts to determine legal ownership.
Once a ruling has been made, the illegal occupants are given 30 days to leave. If the owner does not wish to live there, the agency puts the property under its administration and collects rent on the owner’s behalf.
Sejdi Haxholli, an ethnic Albanian police officer overseeing evictions, said it was emotionally wrenching to help evict his own people.
“This is the hard part of the job — I know these people, and everyone knows me,” he said. “Now I have to kick them out, women and children.”
Not everyone believes justice is being done. Suezana Borzanovic, 50, a Serbian factory worker, fled Pristina during the bombing raids in 1999 and returned three years later to discover that an ethnic Albanian taxi driver had illegally occupied her apartment and was renting it out.
She filed a claim with the property agency in April 2002, which reinstated her ownership of the apartment eight months later. She said that when she finally returned, the furniture and windows had been broken.
Today, she said, she is the only Serb living among ethnic Albanian families in what was once a Serb-dominated building. She said she would never recognize an independent Kosovo.
“I don’t believe justice was done because I lost out on two years’ worth of rent,” she said.
She added: “I say hello and goodbye to my Albanian neighbors. I have not had any problems. But if they brought me a cake, I would refuse. You never know, it could be poisoned.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/16/world/europe/16kosovo.html