IASIMUNO B S E R V E R

The

First issue. Friday, November 16, 2012

Environment Human Rights ECOSOC Political4 5 6 7

Let the games begin!pag. 3

Interview with the Secretary General We decided to take an interview of the person who is going to be

the Secretary General and the Chair of the Human Rights Com-mittee. A bit nervous, but very enthusiastic and polite, Anca

Apostol gladly answered our questions.

Read more in page 8

“It is time to take action, to make a change!”

…stated the delegate of Iceland at the beginning of the IASIMUN 2012 conference, where each country stated their positions re-garding the topics - the dangers of excessive mining, endangered species and the (...)

It is time to be crazy enough to change somethingIn the Human Rights Commit-tee, this year’s conference was started by the Secretary General and chairperson Anca Apostol who called the delegates. They all seemed to be very nervous but eager to (...)

Let us be fluid!

The first day of the conference started in the ECOSOC commit-tee with a summary of the rules and procedures, held by Ciprian Cristea, followed by the official opening of the conference, and the attendance list, to make sure that all the delegates are present in the room. What came next? (...)

Role call in the Political com-mittee: “We should build peace together!”

The first day has begun and all the delegates of the Political Com-mittee have delivered opening speeches about this year’s top-ics: Syria Unrest,Peace-building in War-torn Countries and (...)

2 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012THE IASIMUN OBSERVER

EDITORIAL

Ready, aim, fire!EDITORIAL BOARD

Head of the Press CorpsDaniel Vasile

News EditorAlexandra Vrînceanu

Features EditorAntonia Niţă

Photo EditorAlexandra Stelea

ReportersAnda Pascu

Alice MunteanuBianca LohanDiana PăvăloiRaluca Irimia

Alexandra Stelea

PhotographersAnastasia Anea

Alexandru ArgheroiuŞtefan Nemţanu

LayoutDaniel Vasile

with the much appreciated help from

Alina Bojescu

Iasi Model United Nations 2012

Aleea Nicolina 4, National College “Emil Racovita”, Iasi

www.iasimun.org

IASIMUNO B S E R V E R

The

ANTONIA NIŢĂBÂRLAD

No, we are not on a real bat-tlefield, dear delegates! However, yesterday you

started another kind of fight. The weapons are your debating skills, along with a well-done research; the field –”Emil Racovita” National College, which deserves congrat-ulations for initiating the fourth edition of IasiMUN.

From what we have seen so far, we are lucky to remark clev-er, open-minded and responsible delegates, with their minds set on finding solutions in order to main-tain peace and a healthy environ-ment. What`s more, we are proud to see that our rights are a priority for you, too.

In these times, full of disas-ters, social issues and conflicts, we have to show the world how to act in order to protect life, not

destroy it. Even if this is just a simulation, what we learn here is for us to practise further. If we want our world to become a bet-ter place to live in, we must act accordingly.

Although it may be a cliché to say that the change comes with every single one of us, this remains true. However, things escalate when talking about our representatives. Therefore, bear-ing in mind that we are the future decision-takers, our present edu-cation is the key.

Excessive mining, nuclear cri-sis, cholera or slavery, they all hap-pen as we speak in different parts of the world. Can we allow these phenomena to exist in a Modern Society?

Behind the laptops, in the dark room at the end of the

corridor, or observing in the back of your committee`s rooms, we, the Press Corps, would like to wel-come you! We must confess that we are eager to find out your de-cisions on the issues brought up in every single committee. Also, keep in mind that, after the im-pression you made on us in the first day, we definitely put our trust in you!

THE PRESS CORPS

3THE IASIMUN OBSERVERFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012

NEWS

The beginning of a new chapter

ALEXANDRA VRÎNCEANUIAŞI

The moment we’ve been waiting for a while now is finally here: another IASI-

MUN edition has begun! Today, at noon, in the festivities’ hall of the “Emil Racovita” National College of Iasi, the participants and teach-ers alike welcomed yet another IASIMUN conference. The antici-pation could be read on every-one’s faces as they took their seats and waited for the ceremony to begin.

Principal Paula Gavrilescu began by expressing her joy re-garding the fact that this year’s MUN coincides with our high-school’s-the “Emil Racovita” National College of Iasi- celebra-tion of 48 years of existence. She noted the fact that the principles of this conference are the same as the ones promoted here, at “Emil Racovita”: youthful spirit, freedom of expression and val-ues of citizenship. Seryl Talpalaru,

former headmaster at our school, one of the promoters of this con-ference, took us back to the be-ginnings, when this project was first brought before him by Mrs. Victoria Sechelea and Peace Corps volunteer David Pi. As our school had a long tradition in academic debating, and it was a promising initiative, he immediately accept-ed. After 3 editions, IASIMUN has exceeded all expectations.

IASIMUN advisor teacher Victoria Sechelea gave a heart-warming speech, in which she reminded us of the early stages of IASIMUN. She also add-ed the fact that, back in 2009, US Ambassador Mark Gittenstein came to Racovita highschool and gave a speech, stat-ing that we should “make a IASIMUN a model for the UN”. She noted the fact that the con-ference got off to a great start, set its standards very high and, af-ter 3 years, the people may have changed, but the atmosphere

and the feeling that “we are do-ing things right” haven’t changed. Like Mrs. Sechelea said, there are “millions of problems, but also millions of sollutions”. She end-ed her speech by saying pos-ing a question: “What kind of leader lies in you?”, and express-ing her hopes that each partici-pant will find the answer here, at IASIMUN. Following these events, we watched a video from Mr. David Pi, former Peace Corps volunteer at “Racovita” , who will

graduate from Law School at the University of Chicago later this year. He wished everyone well and urged us all not to succumb to peer pressure, as we encounter it every day, everywhere; we must

What we all have in common is the fact that we’re all human, and that’s what defines us, what makes us better.- Chairperson

“

always stand up for our ideas and not only form our own opinion, but also preserve and stick to it.

Each chairperson then gave a speech of their own. All of them pointed out how excited they are about this year’s MUN edition, about making a change, fighting for a better tomorrow.They urged us to “be smart, but keep an open mind”.

THE DELEGATES PREPARING FOR THE CONFERENCEŞTEFAN NEMŢANU

4 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012THE IASIMUN OBSERVER

ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

Ignorance is self-poisoning

What if I tell you the wa-ter in your glass/the food in your plate contains particles of the garbage you have recently thrown away?

Marine debris is a global problem due to the fact that it can be found floating in all the world’s oceans. Animals, such as sea lions, whales, manatees, seabirds or fish are the most af-fected by the plastic patches.

It is known that a lot of litter is thrown in the ocean. Blown away by the water cur-rents, it eventually ends up in places such as North Pacific, North Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, thus forming a patch of debris. This is the way the Garbage Patches are created.

Marine animals and birds either become tangled or mis-take the plastic for food. Not only marine debris affects ap-proximately 267 species world-wide, but it enters the food chain and it can also harm hu-mans. Whose fight is it now?

The sources of the marine debris are many, such as tour-ism, fishing, ship leaking and boats.

Clean-up programs, such as “Clean-Up the world”, and conventions (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution for ships (MARPOL, for instance) contribute to the clean-up efforts, but are those enough? Is there anything else that can be done?

“It is time to take action, to make a change!”

by Anda Pascu

ANDA PASCUIAŞI

…stated the delegate of Iceland at the beginning of the IASIMUN 2012 conference, where each country stated their positions re-garding the topics - the dangers of excessive mining, endangered species and the garbage islands.

Endangered species are a big problem in countries like India, Austria or Thailand. To be noted is the country of Peru in which there are over seven hundred en-dangered species – and the num-ber is still increasing! Can change still help them or is it too late? India believes that the world’s balance is breaking because of the damage that is brought to the ecosystem. The delegate of South Africa states the fact that their country uses captive breed-ing to help their endangered spe-cies, but believes that the success brought by this method is low. South Africa wants foundations where endangered species can

be helped, but who is supposed to create and fund them? The dis-appearance of certain species is also a major problem in Malaysia, the delegate supporting laws re-garding this issue, stating that “Nature depends on us!”.

The delegate of the Czech Republic makes a strong affir-mation: “Stop killing our home!“. This is related to excessive min-ing, another big issue that af-fects the environment of coun-tries everywhere. While Japan has succeeded in making an ecosystem-friendly environment in which mining can be per-formed, not the same can be said about struggling countries like Mauritania and Austria. However, the Russian delegate has stated that their country does not want to cease mining their lands, as the industry is one of the most profitable ones in their country. However, the delegate of Russia is willing to offer its support to the other countries.

The issue of the garbage islands is an important one in

Peru, Somalia and Iceland, mak-ing Somalia ask for international help from the countries around the Indian Ocean.

However, the delegate of Argentina seemed quite unde-cided, as their opening speech ended in a rather unique way: “Whatever, I don’t know what to say!”. It looks like it will be easy for the other delegates to approach him during Caucus.

THE DELEGATES IN THE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEEANASTASIA ANEA

5THE IASIMUN OBSERVERFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE

Trading the schoolyard for the cell

ALEXANDRA STELEAIAŞI

The term of „juvenile delin-quency” was used for the first time in 1816.This can represent both a conduct by a juvenile character-ized by antisocial behavior that is beyond parental control and therefore subject to legal action and a violation of the law commit-ted by a juvenile and not punisha-ble by death or life imprisonment.

In recent years, the average age for first arrest has dropped significantly, and younger boys and girls are committing crimes. Between 60-80% per cent of

adolescents and pre-adolescents engage in some form of juvenile offense. These can range from sta-tus offenses (such as underage smoking), to property crimes and violent crimes. The percentage of teens who commit these offences is so high that it would seem to be a cause for worry.

Understanding the causes of juvenile delinquency is an impor-tant part of preventing a young person from involvement in inap-propriate, harmful and illegal con-duct. Four primary risk factors can identify young people inclined to delinquent activities: individ-ual, family, mental health and

substance abuse. Individual risk factors may refer to lower intelli-gence, impulsive behaviour, un-controlled aggression and an in-ability to delay gratification. Most of the family risk factors consist in a lack of proper parental supervi-sion, ongoing parental conflict, neglect and abuse (emotional, physical or psychological). Several mental health factors are also seen as contributing to juvenile delinquency. The most common one is conduct disregard disorder which is defined as a lack of em-pathy and disregard for society. In what concerns substance abuse, it is found in a majority of cases of

juvenile delinquency. The use of these illegal substances or the use of legal substances illegally mo-tivates young people to commit crimes to obtain money to buy drugs. Moreover, juveniles are far more likely to engage in destruc-tive, harmful and illegal activities when using drugs and alcohol.

In order to prevent this in-appropriate and illegal conduct and behaviour, early interdiction can occur. Positive intervention, through programs, education and counselling can divert a juvenile from their harmful habits that can lead to delinquency as a child and crime as an adult.

Juvenile delinquency would disappear if kids followed their parents’ advice instead of their example

It is time to be crazy enough to change something

In the Human Rights Commit-tee, this year’s conference was started by the Secretary General

and chairperson Anca Apostol who called the delegates. They all seemed to be very nervous but eager to hold their opening speeches.

Since it is a formal confer-ence, the delegates were ad-vised to behave properly in or-der not to receive any warnings and therefore lose their right to speak and vote. At the end of this brief introduction, the rules and schedule were also revised by the chairpersons.

In order to get a better

understanding of the Human Rights Committee’s purpose, each country stated its position on the issues of Capital Punishment, Juvenile Delinquency and Modern Slavery.

The series of opening speech-es began with the delegate of Albania who stated that: “ If we want to make a difference in this world, we should start with our-selves. ”The delegates stood by the same idea, also sustained by the delegate of Argentina, who quoted Barack Obama: “ Change will not come if you wait for other people or for some other time”.

Meanwhile the problem of Death Penalty was sustained by countries like Belarus, Japan, Pakistan and others who claimed that “once one is killed,they can never kill again”, there were some

that decided to remain neutral (Greece) but affirmed that “ capi-tal punishment doesn’t protect life”. Opposed to this, there were the states who were in agreement with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”. At the same time, the delegate of Germany claimed that they have some solutions.

Moreover, there was a notable fact that caused contradiction be-tween Italy and Japan. While Italy is against Capital Punishment, Japan consideres it to be a good solution to solving this impor-tant problem. Even if they both claimed that delinquency is not learnt in families or at school, the European country denies its basic origins. Disclaiming this, Japan faced reality, highlighting the fact

that this conduct develops from an early age, given the fact that parents do not offer enough edu-cation and support.

While approaching the end of the opening speeches, North Koreea made its point of view clear: “We can decide who dies and who lives”.

Overall, the delegates from the Human Rights Committee managed to make their positions clear, giving an overview of the first day of the conference. Their determination and motivation pushed them to overcome their limits.

ALICE MUNTEANUALEXANDRA STELEAIAŞI

THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEEŞTEFAN NEMŢANU

6 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012THE IASIMUN OBSERVER

ECOSOC COMMITTEE

The first day of the confer-ence started in the ECOSOC committee with

a summary of the rules and procedures, held by Ciprian Cristea, followed by the official opening of the conference, and the attendance list, to make sure that all the delegates are present in the room. What came next? Each of the delegates, some of them clearly nervous, others surprising-ly relaxed, but all well-motivated, held a short opening speech, stat-ing the importance of the to-be-

RALUCA IRIMIAIAŞI

debated issues: illegal immigra-tion, the outbreak of cholera in Congo and the discrimination of women in workforce.

One of the most empower-

ing remarks was the one from the delegate of Camerun: “ECOSOC is water. Let us be fluid; let us wash away some of these problems.”

Every country has, of course, dif-ferent visions. Yesterday, how-ever, they all agreed with the most important matter – society goes down, nations go down, if we don’t do something. The del-egate of Switzerland quoted a Latin psalm – “Unos pro omnibus, omnes pro uno”, meaning “one for all, all for one”, highlighting the fact that we all need to cooperate, in order to actually do something.

We should all work togeth-er in the form of an entity. Just like a machine, for example, can-not function with missing pieces, all the members of the United

ECOSOC: Let us be fluid!

I’m not interested in preserving the status-quo; I want to overthrow it.- Niccolo Machiavelli

“

Nations should collaborate and agree upon a solution - we are the machine, our motivation is the fuel. Otherwise, we can only change the surface.

Cholera, the Trojan horse Congo has receivedRALUCA IRIMIAIAŞI

One of the topics that are being discussed this year in the ECOSOC committee is the out-break of cholera in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which threat-ens to spread to neighbouring countries such as Burundi, South Sudan and Uganda, especially during the monsoon season.

A recent study shows that over 500 Congolese have died throughout the current outbreak, with a total of 2 million recorded cases of infection in the last year. Considering the fact that the pop-ulation of Congo is of around 71 million people, the situation is quite dramatic.

What measures have been taken so far? Many emergency plans have been enforced in or-der to prevent the disease. One of

them consists in organizing treat-ment centres, meant to educate the people of DRC, including in-creased surveillance, sanitation and provision of safe drinking water.

At present, as many patients as posible are still being treated with infusions and antibiotics.

However, the humanitarian organizations and health services haven’t yet managed to achieve long-time control of the cholera

epidemics.Will the authorities be able to

stop the phenomenon before it expends to a larger scale? This is for us to see further.

THE DELEGATES OF THE ECOSOC COMMITTEEALEXANDRU ARGHIROIU

7THE IASIMUN OBSERVERFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012

POLITICAL COMMITTEE

Role call in the Political committee: “We should build peace together!”BIANCA LOHANDIANA PĂVĂLOIIAŞI

The first day has begun and all the delegates of the Po-litical Committee have de-

livered opening speeches about this year’s topics: Syria Unrest, Peace-building in War-torn Coun-tries and Iranian Nuclear Crisis.

The committee’s activites started with a short presentation of the conference schedule, in-cluding rules such as using only English, not speaking to each other during the formal debates.

After this, every delegate stated their opinion regard-ing their country’s position. As the delegate of India said: ‘’We call ourselves great nations with great people’’.

Bearing in mind that every topic involves the idea of war, most of the delegates tried to find solutions and ways to pre-vent situations in which innocent people die everyday.

The delegate of Tunisia

thinks that peace should not only be encouraged but also en-forced in war-torn countries be-cause a peaceful world works at its best. The delegate of Germany also agrees that the intervention of the UN is needed in war-torn countries.

On the other hand, the Republic of Moldova remains neutral regarding Syrias’unrest and thinks that no other country should be involved in their problems.

Belgium stated that UN should offer exile to the Syrian lead-er in order to estab-lish peace. They need to replace their leader and start from scratch with fair elections.Bahrain offered to su-pervise the elections in Syria and also host the Syrian leader in order to bring an end to the revolution.

The delegate of USA: ”Our world is

experiencing great change, but that change has also brought about great instability, and no-where is that more apparent than in the middle east”. The delegate of USA hopes that they will en-counter similar views among his fellow delegates as he attempts to show the seeds of peace among the United Nations.

The delegates of the Political

Committee have done a great job today and we are expecting an even better day tomorrow.

These topics affect society nowadays and it’s crucial to find realistic solutions to solve the most important problems.”

Peace-building is a term de-scribing outside interventions that are designed to prevent the start or resumption of a violent conflict within a nation by creat-ing a sustainable peace and by stabilizing a society politically and socio-economically.

Peace-building in war-torn countries is a problem of major concern. The United Nations has been trying to reestablish peace in countries with damaged in-frastructure, a lack of important

Put your weapons down!

DIANA PĂVĂLOIIAŞI

institutions, an instable political environment, fragility to diseases, or even arms trafficking or terror-ist networks.

“The United Nations is determined to do eve-rything possible to assist societies torn by war from sliding back into conflict”, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated, adding that while there have been set-backs, peace-building re-mains a crucial element of the world body’s efforts.

Trying to bring peace in con-flict areas is admirable, but failing

frequently causes a lot of dam-age. Usually more wars break out after countries failed to con-solidate peace and they are even

more violent. This is why success requires international support for

providing electoral assistance, supporting justice and security sector reform or enhancing hu-man rights protections.

Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be attained through understanding- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“

THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE POLITICAL COMMITTEEŞTEFAN NEMŢANU

8 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012THE IASIMUN OBSERVER

INTERVIEW

Anca Apostol - The person who sees the big picture

Interview with the Secretary-General and Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee

We decided to take an interview of the person who is going to be the

Secretary General and the Chair of the Human Rights Committee. A bit nervous, but very enthusias-tic and polite, Anca Apostol gladly answered our questions.

Even though this period is a very stressful and busy one for her, she had some time for talking to us.

Anca Apostol, what was your first IASIMUN experience like?

My MUN experience began with the first IASIMUN confer-ence in 2009 and it was love at first sight i guess. I participated as a delegate, but since I was in the ninth grade, i had no experi-ence whatsoever. Of course I got to improve myself a lot during the training sessions. All in all it was

the best exercise one could find in terms of research, public speak-ing and social interaction as well.

Who influenced you to get involved in MUNs?

I first found out about this project from our teachers of English. However, the most im-portant influence came from the student organisers, who present-ed the idea with great passion and enthusiasm, and also from Mr. Pi, our Peace Corps Volunteer, who also took great inter-est in our development. From my point of view, all the people involved in the conference have put a tiny bit of their souls into it, and as a participant

you get the feeling that it is obviously some-

thing extraordi-nary and that a lot of peo-

ple care about how you evolve in these three

days.

What have you learned from your past

projects and conferences?

From my previous experi-

ence as both par-ticipant and organ-izer, I can say that

preparation is the key towards a succesfull conference. Being well prepared on both logistical and content parts certainly makes everything run smoothly. But to achieve this level of preparation you also need a lot of team work, cooperation, a good work division and certainly a lot of interest and availability.

This is a hard period for you because of the final exams. Why did you choose to get involed in a IASIMUN Conference for the third time?

It is indeed challenging to be involved in an event this big while in your final year. However I just couldn’t say no to another IASIMUN experience, given the fact that it will most likely be the last one for me. I take a great deal of interest in this conference and I would like to see another edition

of it before I finish high school. I am entirely positive that the fact that we have final exams does not affect our preparation process and we will manage to keep the same high standards.

Do you think that the expe-rience gained at IASIMUN will help you in your future career?

This is a question that I get a lot. I think diplomacy is a skill that is useful in any career and also in our everyday life. And it is not only diplomacy that you acquire. I would divide the whole package of skills into practical skills and cognitive skills. On the practical side you gain experience in work-ing with people, solving an unex-pected situation under pressure (for example you have 2 more days until the conference and you just found out that the second so-cial event can not take place at the initial location, so have to come up with a plan B). Some cognitive skills that you gain are research skills, public speaking skills and you get used to giving long pres-entations in front of groups of

ALEXANDRA STELEAIAŞI

All the people involved in this conference have put a tiny bit of their soul into it.- Anca Apostol

“

people. All of the above are very useful skills, no matter what your future career choice will be.

What do you like about IASIMUN?

The thing I like most about IasiMUN is the fact that the con-ference imposed a very high standard from the beginning and that we have managed to keep it very formal and professional. I ap-preciate that all of my team took interest in holding training ses-sions for the delegates. This is a very important step in the prep-aration process for the ones that are at their first MUN conference. I enjoy seeing delegates giving their best and I value those who come up with innovative ideas and actual solutions. For me, see-ing them in action is the best part of the conference.

What are your duties as a Secretary General and a Human Rights Chairperson as well?

As both chairperson and Secretary General you have to be the person who sees the big pic-ture and has distributive atten-tion. That means you have to be aware of all the things and events that happen both before and dur-ing the conference. In order for things to run smoothly you must ensure communication between organizers, chairpersons and delegates.

Do you have something to say to the IASIMUN delegates?

The only piece of advice I want to give them is to be confi-dent and to speak up. Enjoy the conference and make the most out of it, as it has a lot to offer you.

ANCA APOSTOL, SECRETARY-GENERAL AND CHAIRPERSON OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE

ALEXANDRU ARGHIROIU

GEORGE OPREACHAIRPERSON OF THE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

9THE IASIMUN OBSERVERFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012

INTERVIEW

Interview with Chairpersons of Environemnt CommitteeANDA PASCUIAŞI

This year’s conference surprises us with both “veterans” and new fac-es in the Environment Commit-

tee. We had the pleasure to interview George Oprea, who has been a chair in the IASIMUN Conference from its very beginning in 2009. Ilinca Roman, the new addition to the Environment Committee has also answered our questions about her first experience in IASIMUN as well as the reason she chose to be a chairperson. Last but not least, Andrei Coca explained to us what it is like to be the youngest of the chairpersons.

George OpreaWhat did you like most about

your first IASIMUN experience? Was it difficult for you to speak in public?

Actually my first IASIMUN expe-rience came in 2009, when we were forming the team and I applied from the start for being a chairperson. It was the first conference we were or-ganizing, highly demanding in terms of structure and logistics. What I loved about it is that we were building it up from scratch, putting all sorts of ide-as and visions into the process, hav-ing the support of Mr. Pi and going for the brand image of what became IASIMUN as we know it today.

What made you want to be-come a chairperson?

As of 2006 I am involved as aco-ordinator in a NGO that works with personal development and non-formal education of youth. I had al-ways been passionate of working with youth, public speaking and trainership.

IASIMUN came in as another op-portunity for me to grow, practice and expand, while still serving my vision and goals of how to create space for others to learn. One of my favourite quotes in this sense being:

“Teach kids to solve interesting prob-lems, not to memorize answers to problems we’ve already solved!”

How has the IASIMUN confer-ence helped you so far?

The IASIMUN conference helped me launch on a public speaking ca-reer, improving my project manage-ment skills, my way of communicating and coordinating groups,how to train people or how to empower them to develop in a qualitative way.

Could you give us a reason why other people should join the IASIMUN Conference?

People should not only join, but actively participate in the IASIMUN conference, because it is a huge opportunity to stand up for yourself and some of your reasons and arguments. It is a great place to prac-tice and improve your public speaking, nego-tiation and coopera-tion abilities. There are people who are bet-ter than you and peo-ple worse than you! But you can learn from both sides and grow and expand your knowledge. Can there be a bet-ter tasting expe-rience than this?

Ilinca RomanWhat did you like most about

your first IASIMUN experience? Was it difficult for you to speak in public?

My first IASIMUN experience was in 2010, in the Human Rights Committee as the delegate of the UK. I was a freshman if I could say so, and my experience is pretty much related to the second question. I liked the se-riousness and elegance of the debates and the order in which we discussed the topics. It was the perfect way to see if something in this domain would fit me. I was the main-submitter of a resolution and when it came to an-

swering a question I just froze in front of the room, speechless and all red. It was actually terrifying at that moment, but now it’s just a point which I use to compare my evolution in matters of pub-lic speaking. So yes, it was diffi-cult, but now I’m glad I’m over it. Somehow that is the main trade-mark of my first IASIMUN expe-rience, even though it’s not too professional.

What made you want to be-come a chairperson?

Since debate doesn’t fit me at all, I joined the Press Corps in 2011 and this year I decided to take everything to the next level. Seeing the confer-ence from different points of view: as a delegate, as a reporter and now as a chairperson, gives me a hint on how I can adapt to different situations, like an exercise. It might seem strange that I don’t like debates, yet I’m mod-erating the sessions, but helping and keeping the conference in order is more fulfilling for me.

Will you follow this path and pursue a career in this field?

I’m more of a thinker than a speaker, so anything in this field

would be off my board. I will prob-ably follow Economics, but many say that I have enough time until 12th grade to make up

my mind, but I’m sure about my options. The only thing I would trade Economics for would be Fine Arts, but that would mean going abroad. I might be old fashioned,

but I would like to stay here and make a change rather than go to another country because it is easier. How do you know you’re still living when you don’t fight for something? “How do you fight for something if you don’t speak?” you

might ask, consid-ering the begin-ning of my answer.

Besides being a thinker, I make things happen.

Could you tell us a reason why other people should join the IASIMUN Conference?

First of all, it’s the best opportuni-ty to see how the UN works. Not many citizens have the occasion to actually go to the UN and see how the debates take part there.

Second of all, getting actively in-volved in the topics raises awareness and builds up personal opinions, so it is a great opportunity to know your-self and find out how you would act in different situations, even if you are in the position of the delegate of a coun-try; it actually makes you see and ac-cept differences between nations.

Last but not least, you can meet wonderful people with great initiatives that could inspire or help you.

Andrei CocaWhat did you like most

about your first IASIMUN experi-ence? Was it difficult for you to speak in public?

My first experience in the IASIMUN Conference was as

Junior Admin Staff, position given to me by my teacher, Mr. Pi, as I was too young to be a delegate. I liked the se-riousness of the debates and how it all looked like a play: the delegates act-ed in such a way that they forgot their person and managed to get into the shoes of a native of their country.

This is what made me want to be a delegate in the Political Committee. It actually came naturally to me to talk in public.

Last year you were a delegate. What made you want to become a chairperson?

Chairing is not about keeping the committee in order; it is about sharing knowledge that will help the delegates improve.

What is it like to be the young-est chairperson?

I don’t feel marginalized at all since we’ve divided our tasks and completed them in time. It is a chal-lenge, but it is a challenge for every-one in the conference, not just for me!

How has the IASIMUN confer-ence helped you so far?

All the things I’ve done and learned seemed to have a domino effect: achieving skills in public de-bate helped me improve the ability to think logically. Also, tolerance is a fea-ture which every delegate should cul-tivate and develop.

Could you tell us a reason why other people should take part in the IASIMUN Conference?

IASIMUN gives you a good ap-proach on different issues and makes you think globally, not individually. Also, it’s different when you’re inside of a world-wide institution, but since not many citizens have the opportuni-ty to be part of the actual UN, we must go with this simulation – a great one in my opinion.

GEORGE OPREACHAIRPERSON OF THE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

ILINCA ROMANCHAIRPERSON OF THE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

ANDREI COCACHAIRPERSON OF THE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

10 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012THE IASIMUN OBSERVER

FEATURES

Once upon a time, as every story begins, there was an old man, who had three young sons, whose love for fortune made them split. Little by little, they grew apart and left their brothers and their father behind.

The day he felt death was near, he gathered his children to tell them his last words. He handed each of them a wooden stick and asked them to break it. They did as he said, amused by the easy task they were giv-en. The old man then asked them to put the sticks to-gether and do as before. One by one, they all tried, but as he expected, they didn’t succeed.

It was his turn to be amused. Instead, he spoke to them kindly and said: “It is useless to try. They are unbreakable now. Imagine each of the sticks is one of you. Alone, anyone can harm you. Together, howev-er, your strength makes you invincible.”

THE TALE OF THE DAY

Divide et imperaby Raluca Irimia

IasiMUN – a striking experience

Attending the fourth edi-tion of IasiMUN (and prob-ably the last one for me), I

feel like making a confession. Yes, I am one of the oldest participants, starting my debating “career” to-gether with this conference.

It all started four years ago, when Mr David Pi came to my high school, in Bârlad, and talked about this conference. He made a brief presentation, but it was enough to attract many of us. I ap-plied, having no idea what it was going to be like. Everything was new and so exciting that, long af-ter the conference had ended, I was still referring to myself in the third person when talking to my classmates who had also attend-ed. What`s more, it was easy to notice how our debating skills im-proved and how the fear of public speaking vanished.

Last year, I decided to try

something else and I joined the Press. I had the chance to work with a lovely team that made those three days simply fabulous.

In the final year at the mo-ment, I know what I want to do with my life. And IasiMUN, I must confess, was a decisive factor in what regards my decision. I would like to combine both diplomacy and journalism and study them at a higher level. I am sure many of you are or will be in the same situation.

What do I like best about IasiMUN? It`s not only the pur-pose MUNs were designed for that I enjoy. What I find impressive is how students my age can or-ganise such a high quality event. They are also a model of team-work and determination that is so hard to find in nowadays soci-ety. Communicative, prompt and hardworking, they made use of what David Pi has taught them, keeping the tradition long after his departure.

Any drawbacks? The only

misfortune was that I could not join the organisers` team, being from another town.

Drawing the line, the day David Pi made us discover a new path will always stay fresh in my mind. If you want, it is one of those stories beginning with “It all started…”

ANTONIA NIŢĂIAŞI

WAITING FOR THE CONFERENCE TO BEGINŞTEFAN NEMŢANU

11THE IASIMUN OBSERVERFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012

OPINION

IASIMUNmicrophone

by Alice Munteanu and Anastasia Anea

Distinguish delegates, it’s time to answer a fundamental questionWhat expectations do you have from this year’s conference?

I expect from this year’s conference to work with my fellow friends in order to solve the world’s problems and also to find the best solutions in helping it to be a better place.

Andra Bejenariu Delegate of Japan - Human rights

I hope that this conference will allow us to see the per-spectives of opinions that we may not share making us better world citizens.

Rosemary Nastia Bornstein Delegate of Russia - Environment

I am expecting to develop my English knowledge by inter-acting with other delegates and to get more familiar to the international problems nowadays

Niki Mancasi Delegate of Switzerland - Ecosoc

I am willing to see a lot of communication and I hope we will manage to solve all the major problems, at least in my committee.

Ştefana Luca Delegate of Sudan - Human rights

I hope that this conference will allow us to see the per-spectives of opinions that we may not share making us bet-ter world citizens.

Tudor Chirilă Delegate of Germany – Political

It’s not what I expect from IasiMUN, but what I expect from myself. My goal is reciv-ing the Best Delegate award.

Ana-Maria VochitaDelegate of Germany- Ecosoc

12 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012THE IASIMUN OBSERVER

SOCIAL EVENT

Every country, move your body!

After an exhausting day, what else could be more refresh-ing than a well-deserved dinner and a dance floor?

Meeting people in a formal environment, such as the com-mittee rooms, is a real pleas-ure. However, having so much fun, as we did last night, is un-forgettable. Medieval servants made sure that everything was in order. They were prompt and amiable, certainly wish-ing not to upset the important representatives.

A delicious meal in a perfect location along with the good music were the ideal combina-tion for a lovely evening, spent among teenagers who define-tely know how to party. Well-known hits made all of us move our bodies next to armours and swords. What’s more, we shared dance moves, setting the atmos-phere on fire. There was also a delicious surprise; the “Happy birthday IasiMUN!” cake, cut by the sword-keeper, our honour-able Secretary General, brought

joy to everybody at the party. Allies or enemies in the

committee room, the dance floor brought all the delegates together. Carried away, they were looking as if they had no intention to leave. However, duty kept them away from be-ing caught by daylight there. Everyone left around midnight, with the regret that the fun was over.

ANTONIA NIŢĂIAŞI

”Cavalerul Me-dieval” hosted

an exciting party everyone

seemed to enjoy.

DELEGATES HAVING FUN AT IASIMUN PARTYŞTEFAN NEMŢANU

THE IASIMUN SOCIAL EVENT IN PHOTOGRAPHSŞTEFAN NEMŢANU