koc school jmun 2010 friday and saturday, march 12 th – 13th
TRANSCRIPT
Koc School JMUN 2010
Friday and Saturday,
March 12th – 13th
Who will take part?
• BISI is representing two countries (delegations). • In each delegation, you will
be working in a team of 3.• There will be 3 teams per
delegation. Total: 6 teams, 18 debaters.
Which two countries will we be representing?
The United States
Lebanon
What will we be debating?
You will be debating the issues related to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
These are goals that the UN set in 1990. Their aim is to create a better deal for developing countries.
Which of the MDGs will each team debate?
• Within your delegation, each team will be in a different committee.
• Each committee will deal with a different MDG.
• You will be arguing for or against an issue within your committee.
The United States:
Team 1: Combating HIV / AIDS
Team 2: Global Partnership (how countries work together)
Team 3: Environmental Sustainability
Lebanon:
Team 1: Eradicate extreme poverty
Team 2: Achieve universal education
Team 3: Reduce child mortality
Who will we be up against?
• You will be debating against another school, representing another country.
• You will be debating a resolution. • E.g. ‘All member countries must use
5% of their GDP on initiatives to combat the spread of HIV’
• One side will be for, one side will be against the resolution.
Round 1 opponents: USA
• HIV / diseases: NIGERIA
• Global partnership: RUSSIA
• Environment: CHINA
Round 1 opponents: Lebanon
• Poverty debate: NIGERIA
• Education debate: GABON
• Child Mortality: BRAZIL
What are the topics of the Security Council debates?
• Like the real U.N., the JMUN Security Council will debate the most urgent current affairs in the world at the moment.
• However, unlike the real Security Council, which has a fixed membership, ANY of the winners of the 2nd round can take part in the JMUN debates.
Security Council Topics: 1st round
1. The US should remove all troops from Afghanistan.
2. More developed nations have more responsibility to reduce carbon footprint than less developed nations.
Security Council Topics: 2nd round
3. The Palestine National Authority should be recognised by the UN as a country.
4. All member nations must provide basic healthcare for all their citizens.
Security Council Topics: final round
Governments should be allowed to use torture to obtain information
from suspected terrorists.
So, how many debates will I need to prepare for?
• Everyone will be part of at least 1 debate.
• If your team wins all rounds, it may take part in 5 debates!
• Obviously, you need to be well prepared for your 2 MDG debate topics…
• But you also need to research 3 of the SC topics. Be prepared to WIN!
What roles will we have in our teams?
Proposer
Seconder
Speaker for the rebuttal
When will we know whether we will be arguing for or against a resolution?
• 10 minutes before the start of the debate!
• It will be decided by a tried and tested procedure: flipping a coin.
• So you MUST research both sides of the debate before the tournament.
What job will the Ambassador do?
• Each country will have an Ambassador.
• The Ambassador will deliver a 2 minute (aprox) speech at the opening of the conference.
• NO POWERPOINTS!!!
How should I prepare?
• Choose your country (USA or Lebanon)• Do some basic research on the
background of that country• Find out the issues you will be
debating.• Research these in detail.• Be present at all JMUNs to brush up
your debating skills.
• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1217752.stm
• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/le.html
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/791071.stm
U.S.A • Ambassador: Noah• Team 1 (HIV Aids) –David, Carmelo,
William• Team 2 (Global partnership) – Sven,
Deema, Kaan• Team 3 (Environmental
sustainability) – Noah, Vishwesh, Chris
Lebanon• Ambassador: Hatau• Team 1 (Poverty) –Erol, Derin• Team 2 (Universal education)- Hatau,
Anahita, Sophie• Team 3 (Child mortality) – Ashley,
Nour, Arzu
• Presentation: Raghad• Security Council (SC) debate:
recognition of P.N.A.• Debating feedback
JMUN 2010January 22nd
SC Round II debate:
• The Palestine National Authority should be recognized by the UN as a country.
Education team (Hatau, Sophie, Anahita)
Child Mortality team (Ashley, Arzu, Nour)
Poverty (Fabian, Victor, Erol)
Research sites:
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/803257.stm
• http://www.globalpolicy.org/security-council/index-of-countries-on-the-security-council-agenda/israel-palestine-and-the-occupied-territories.html
• http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=70&Body=Palestin&Body1=
Recognition of the P.N.AFor: Palestinian people have a President and an elected
government – why not their own state? Israel is recognised and yet it has captured and illegally
settled Palestinian territory PNA has offered peace talks but Israel is obstructing the
process by illegal occupation Recognised already by more than 100 countries Already has the right to co-sponsor resolutions and sit in
on General Assembly – why not the next step? The PNA is NOT the same as Hamas (political wing of The UN originally divided up the Palestinian territories (in
1947). This led to decades of conflict in which Palestinian lives were lost. It has a moral obligation to give Palestinians their own state.
If the state is not created, there will be chaos in the region.
Recognition of P.N.AAgainst: Peace talks with Israel must be resumed first. There must be a
negotiated settlement before ideas about statehood can be discussed.
It’s too soon. A two-state solution is the long-term goal, but can’t be achieved now.
If official status is given to the PNA, it will just antagonise Israel and make future negotiations even harder.
Israel might react by annexing more Palestinian territory. This could escalate into warfare, making peace talks impossible.
The main party in government in Gaza, Hamas, is classified as a terrorist group by many countries. Its charter calls for the destruction of Israel. How do we know that Hamas won’t take over the PNA from the moderate President Mahmood Abbas?
The UN helped create Israel after the Holocaust, as a homeland for Jews. It has a moral obligation towards Israel as a nation. How can it recognise leaders connected to a party that denies Israel’s right to exist?
• Team debates: Afghanistan • Universal healthcare (re-match)
JMUN 2010January 29th
SC Round I debate:
The United States should remove all troops immediately from Afghanistan.
HIV Aids team (David, Carmelo, William)
Education team (Hatau, Sophie, Anahita)
Poverty (Fabian, Derin, Erol)
Research sites:
• http://www.globalpolicy.org/security-council/index-of-countries-on-the-security-council-agenda/afghanistan.html
• http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1529573111 (Video link. If it doesn’t work, go to Channel Four news and search for Afghanistan London Conference)
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/afghanistan
The United States should remove all troops immediately from Afghanistan.
In favour: Public opinion in the US is behind withdrawing from
Afghanistan The sacrifice has been too great (955 US service men and
women)– and for what? The US is in the middle of a recession. Why should there be
more public spending on this conflict? (It has already cost USD 300 billion; USD 3,947 per American family.)
Troops already there for 8 years which shows that the war is unwinnable. The Taliban can’t be defeated by foreign troops; there must be a home-grown militia
The ‘puppet’ government installed the West is thoroughly corrupt, showing that any Western model of democracy just doesn’t work in Afghanistan
US foreign policy should not be about ‘nation building’.
The United States should remove all troops immediately from Afghanistan.
Against: Afghanistan is too unstable. If troops leave, there will be
outright chaos. Afghani security forces do not yet have the capacity to take over.
68% of Afghanis want US troops to stay Will all those soldiers have died in vain? Can’t allow the Taliban to take control or the whole
region will be destabilised. It has already infiltrated Pakistan
Efforts to stop opium production will be lost if troops are withdrawn now
Gains in women’s rights will be also be lost Osama Bin Laden still not captured – work unfinished (a
victory for al Qaida)
SC Round II debate:
• All member nations must provide basic healthcare for all of their citizens.
Global Partnership team (Sven, Deema, Kaan)
Environment team (Chris, Noah, Vishwesh)
HIV Aids team (David, Carmelo, William)
Universal healthcare
http://wiki.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Single-payer_universal_health_care
Background:Universal healthcare first
implemented by Bismarck in 1880sFirst officially used as a national
system by UK in 1948US is the only wealthy, developed
nation without a system of universal health care.
The principles behind the debate
• What’s the role of government? To intervene and regulate? Or to allow citizens and private companies to do as they see fit?
• Healthcare: a right or privilege? E.g. does a smoker have the right to treatment provided by taxpayers’ money?
• Are competition for customers and healthcare compatible?
All member nations must provide basic healthcare for all of their
citizens. In favour: Creates universal, democratic standard of care It’s a basic human right, recognised under international law It’s a legitimate burden on the taxpayer (like funding
education or road safety) Private healthcare companies work for profit and put
patients’ lives at risk Vulnerable people exploited by private insurers who pay a
high price for their health care plans but receive little protection
High costs of insurance means that millions go without it (40 million in US) – not out of choice, but for economic reasons
Economic argument: a healthy workforce means more productivity
The state would have more bargaining power with big drug companies so health costs for individuals would be lower
All member nations must provide basic healthcare for all of their
citizens. Against: To say universal healthcare is ‘free’ is a myth; actually people
pay through their taxes Universal coverage takes away choice. If you can afford to,
why not pay for better coverage? Leads to over-use of medical resources by people not really in
need – and everyone pays for them Universal healthcare = a poorer service (long waiting lists,
‘postcode lottery’) Creates a big, inefficient bureaucracy (middle management
and pen-pushers) In LEDCs: possibility of greater corruption Lower profit margins would mean less innovation in drug
companies. The thin end of the wedge – socialism in disguise!!!
SC Round I debate:
More developed nations have a greater responsibility towards reducing carbon footprints than lesser developed countries.
Child Mortality team (Ashley, Arzu, Nour)
Global Partnership team (Sven, Deema, Kaan)
Environment team (Chris, Noah, Vishwesh)
MEDCs have a greater responsibility:
• World’s richest countries are still biggest carbon emitters (notwithstanding rise of China)
• MEDCs emit more per capita (20t in US) than LEDCs (less than 4t in India). Therefore there is an individual responsibility to cut emissions.
• Historical responsibility. Massive emissions of CO2 since Industrial revolution (250 years’ carbon debt)
• Great wealth and high living standards of MEDCs only achieved through fossil-based economies; therefore hypocritical to expect LEDCs to limit growth.
• MEDCs have technological capacity to make the change to green economies. Must offer a model to LEDCs.
• More money available in MEDCs to fight climate change.• Consumerism and luxury enjoyed by MEDCs has greater
impact than population growth in LEDCs. Large % of developing world uses all its resources in subsistence living.
Responsibility is not only that of MEDCs:
• ‘Blame game’ distracts from real thinking on how to solve the (global) crisis. Attention must be on finding solutions, not attributing blame.
• Population growth means if LEDCs are allowed to increase per capita emissions, it will cancel out the effect of MEDCs reductions
• Countries that emit the most – developed or developing – should be most obliged to act. China is now an industrialising nation.
• Industrialised nations cannot be held historically accountable -the consequence of emissions was not known 250 yrs ago.
• Developing nations also in the G8 (Brazil, China, India) are also obliged to show leadership to their neighbours. They are wealthy enough to lead on climate change.
• MEDCs are typically more energy efficient than MEDCs and are already converting to green energy. No obligation beyond this.
• The wealth in developed nations runs the global economy; a slowing of economic growth in MEDCs would cause everyone to suffer.
For issues in general:http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/http://www.un.org/en/index.shtml
For individual committee topics:Unicef http://www.unicef.org/mdg/Environment
http://www.unep.org/MDGs/Health http://www.who.int/mdg/en/Hunger
http://www.wfp.org/hunger/faqs