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XIAMUN

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Xiamen International School March 1 ~ 2

About XIAMUN

Welcome to XIAMUN. This is the third annual Model United Nations simulation organized by Xiamen International School. The conference is designed to provided students a change to meet different delegates from toerh schools and have debates on various significant problems throught out the world such as ‘Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space,’ ‘Measures to prevent and deter cyber warfare,’ ‘The protection of civilians in armed warfare,’ ‘Guarenteeing the Access to Education for Girls and Young Women in Develping Countries,’ ‘Proecting Refugess in the Indian Subcontinent,’ ‘The Situation in the South and East China Sea,’ ‘The Situation on the Border between Afghanistan and Pakistan,’ ‘Demilitarizing African Militias,’ ‘Eliminating State Sponsored Policies of Targeted Killings,’ ‘Prevention of Teenage Pregancy,’ ‘Implementing International Regulations on Junveile Tobacco Use,’ ‘Guarenteeing the Access tto Eudcation for Girls and Young Women in Developing Countries,’ ‘Guarenteeing Intellectual Property Rights in all Countires,’ ‘ Genetically Modified Food Industries Exploittion of Developing Countries Farmers,’ ‘Reducing Surface Pollution in Ocean and Seas’ and ‘Resource Extraction in the Artic Circle. There will be nine committees during this simulation including Middle School Plenary General Assembly, Middle School Disarmament, Middle School Human Rights Council, Human Rights Council, UN Disarmament Commission, ECOSOC, Security Council, Environment Council (UNEP) and World Health Organization.

The Secretary Generals expect many delegates to actively participate and confidently speak in front of others. We look forward to productive and favorable debates among the delegates. For inexperinteced delegate, we hope this simulation to be a nice chance for them to develop their skills and have an amazing simulation.

We all hope you to enjoy the two days of MUN simulation in Xiamen International School.

By. Stacey Lee

Behind the Scenes of

Planning XIAMUN

“Hurry! Let’s get everything done by Thursday!” exclaimed director Ben Wagor on Monday. “How many do we need?”, “Where do I put this?”, and “I’m hungry!” were all common phrases said by all Chairs preparing for XIAMUN; they wanted the conference to be perfect. Along with writing the background papers for every single committee, all chairs participating in XIAMUN made and cut the badges, assembled the delegate packages, cut out the note-passing paper, moved the tables in the committees, and organized infinite amounts of placards. The food, bus schedule, and admin staff were organized and planned by senior chairs of the simulation. As the guest schools were being escorted to their hotels, the staff members of the simulation spent all their spare time setting up the committees. A special group of students known as the ‘technical support’ is devoting their time to create a final video of the simulation as a whole, to highlight an important event as well as a memorable and worthwhile experience.

Sweaty, hot, and in terrible need of air

conditioning, the chairs of XIAMUN worked so hard to ensure a great two days of debate, and should be congratulated accordingly. Hopefully after the two days coming, all delegates will have learned something new and cherished it.

By. Jonah Klinghoffer

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Opening Ceremony

Gathered in the middle of the cafeteria, the student participants and their advisors filled the seats as Ann Liu, one of the Secretaries General, opened the third annual XIAMUN conference. Her speech was followed by a video that showed this year’s conference topic, which includes both environment issues and the political protests occurring throughout the world.

Although there were minor technical issues pertaining to the video, students were attentive and seemed eager to participate in upcoming debates. After the video was finished, Ann Liu then introduced the principle of XIS, Mr. McGrath, who spoke about the importance of MUN. He stressed out that what we do now will later define who we are. After Mr. McGrath ended his speech, Jessica Zhou, the other Secretary General, reminisced about her first experience with MUN. Unlike the others, she didn’t say she was nervous, but rather said she was thrilled to be in MUN. She ended her speech by wishing everybody luck and encouraging every delegate to actively participate in MUN. “This is my first time doing MUN, it has been a very exciting first session, I look forward to fruitful debates, and I hope I can speak a lot and win an award!” said one of the delegates after the opening ceremony.

By. Harry Seo

Middle School Plenary General Assembly

On Friday, in the Middle School General Assembly (MSGA), there were many nervous, scared, and anxious faces. All of the delegates in the room were inexperienced and this was their first-ever MUN simulation. When being asked to volunteer and present their country’s position, nobody dared speak up, and the simulation was off to a slow and sleepy start. A speakers list was then created and the first person to speak was the delegate from Germany. At first no one was brave enough to ask a question to the delegate who had the floor; however, after a couple of delegates with well written speeches spoke, many people became more comfortable with asking questions without being called on by the Chair.

Despite the number of delegates in the room, only a few had the courage (or curiosity and willpower) to ask points of information to delegates who were presenting their country’s position and resolutions. The delegate from New Zealand was the one that asked other delegates the most questions that night in the MSGA. The other two people who also asked quite a few questions were the delegates from Peru and China. Nonetheless, problems that seemed to keep the simulation from hitting its stride were the questions and points of information. When I asked the delegate from China what the most frequently asked point of information was, she replied a bit annoyed, “’What is your position?’” She also stated that, “Why don’t many of the delegates have any resolutions?” The delegate from the Republic of Korea said, “It seemed that many delegates had the same resolutions.” Because of this, the Chair pointed out right before lobbying and merging began that not everyone could form one large group, but had to split up into at least two groups. After the simulation was done, I asked the delegate from Argentina to describe the simulation in two words. She said “Noisy and hard.” The delegate from the DPRK stated, “Boring and quiet,” before laughing. By. EmmaD. Westgard

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The topics given to the Middle School Human Rights Council were, “Guaranteeing the access to education for girls and young women in developing countries,” and “Protecting refugees in the Indian subcontinent”.

The first day of the conference was mainly given to delegates for policy debate. It was a time for delegates to step up to the podium and speak out regarding their country’s position. At first, because for most of delegates XIAMUN was their first MUN experience, they seemed to be reluctant to raise their placards and simply sat anxiously. But after the delegate from the United Kingdom gave his exquisite speech, everyone else was inspired to actively participate in speaking.

Half of the second day was given to lobbying and merging the resolutions that the delegates wrote, and the other half was given for debating about the resolutions the delegates successfully merged. Unlike the first day, all the delegates eagerly participated as soon as the session began. After the lobbying and merging, two resolutions were created. One was submitted by the United Kingdom and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and other was submitted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia.

The senior chair, Jennis Ma, commented, “I am very pleased with all of the delegates. I believe they all spoke at least once and they all brought really good points. I could clearly see that they all have researched thoroughly regarding their topics.” He continued, “Although this is my first time working as a Chair, I do not think I will ever be able to forget this committee.”

The junior chair, who was also a chair for the first time, said, “It is a very wonderful experience. Everybody in this committee is very active, and having fruitful debates.” He also said, “I would like to tell all the delegates that they have done wonderful job. But please try to keep restrain emotions from being involved!” By. Harry Seo

In the Middle School Disarmament Commission (MSDC) on Saturday morning, during lobbying and merging, all of the delegates were hard at work trying to find their country’s allies and busy coming up with different resolutions based on their country’s position. The resolution group that wanted to prevent cyber warfare was made up of countries such as Russia, China, Greece, and the UK. Another resolution group was one that wanted to improve the protection of civilians in armed warfare, which included countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, USA, DPRK, South Korea, and Cuba. According to some delegates in that group, most of these countries would never be allies in real life. It seemed like many of the resolution groups were with the wrong allies, and even in some cases, their enemies were their allies. The Iranian delegate’s reaction to this was, “I think it’s really funny,” though he noted that some people hadn’t done a lot of research. The delegate of the DPRK laughed, “I think it’s confusing and silly.”

Despite the fact that everyone was involved in some type of resolution group, there were many funny moments. The Chair had to repeatedly yell at delegates for being out of order, regardless of if it was because people were playing games on their iPads, hugging and arm-wrestling one another, or trying to guess the names of countries. In fact, it seemed that some of the male delegates were more interested in talking to each other, doing magic tricks, and laughing at inside jokes instead of trying to work peacefully with other countries. Perhaps they had forgotten that their resolutions were due before lunch.

Nevertheless, once lunch was over and the simulation was back in order, three different resolutions were presented. As presenting countries took the floor, many intense points of information were asked and delegates attacked one another viciously. Overall, everyone laughed, made new friends, worked hard, and had a good time. By. EmmaD. Westgard

Middle School Human Rights Council

Middle School Disarmament

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UNEP started this year by addressing the reduction of global water pollution. The delegate from Sweden suggested that using about 800 people as security guards could catch most of the people who were contributing to the pollution of the ocean’s surface. Unlike Sweden, China suggested that less boat traffic might reduce the pollution. Of course, both of these solutions needed all the countries’ participation and assistance. After dinner, they moved on to discuss resource extraction in the Arctic Circle. UNEP ultimately decided to limit the extraction of resources. By not using them too much or too often they will experience fewer problems.

After each of the countries had spoken out on their solutions, they formed four focus groups: two groups of topic A and two groups of topic B. Indonesia presented two possible solutions: education for young students regarding oceanic pollution, and advertising about the effects of the pollution to people by internet. Iceland’s solution was to rely on renewable resources, rather than using nonrenewable resources such as oil. However, Iceland also suggested allowing extraction, but limiting it to the least amount of resources possible.

After lunch they debated the proposed solutions, and the delegate from Sweden questioned Indonesia about their education solution, asking, “How would undeveloped countries educate people?” The delegate from Australia suggested that developed countries could fund the education programs in undeveloped countries. Even though there were numerous conflicts between delegates, the debate ended well.

By. Jason Byun

UNEP

Security Council

The Security Council commenced in an orderly fashion; attendance was called, policy debate was briefly explained by the senior chair, and a speakers’ list was formed. Even though the Security Council had the smallest number of delegates, since its members all contributed to debate, it was a contentious session. From the moment Senior Chair Stanley Zhou triggered debate, delegates began preparing their speeches, positions, and possible solutions to the issue of the South China Sea. The delegate from Togo was listed first; she wanted to focus on the countries’ similar interests, promote peace, and avoid violence. The delegate from Afghanistan also encouraged cooperation: “We should set differences aside and find economic common ground.” Although a few delegates were a bit rusty at the start, they quickly shook off their fears of speaking in front of an audience and proceeded with important debate. As the delegate from China boldly claimed that the islands in the South China Sea belong to China, mainly because they were originally owned by that nation, the delegate from the USA and its allies disagreed. Many are curious how these provocative debates in the Security Council will be resolved.

Along with the issue of the South China Sea, the Security Council has another topic to pick on, namely the border dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The conflict is mainly between Afghanistan and Pakistan because they are coming to an agreement regarding their linked border. The delegate from Afghanistan doesn’t recognize the border between the two countries, however the delegate from Pakistan does. They both want to reach a solution, but with two basically opposing ideas, it will be interesting to see how they will arrive at resolution.

The delegates enter a period of lobbying and merging, hopefully coming into a consensus for a resolution per topic. The delegate from the Republic of Korea derived his clauses from previous positions and solutions, and was able to submit a perambulatory which passed for the resolution solving the South China Sea problem. This resolution included a joint-development zone in the sea where countries would share and exploit resources and a long-term stability to ensure peace between the nations. All delegates from the Security Council performed fantastically and should be congratulated accordingly. By. Jonah Klinghoffer

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Human Rights Council

ECOSOC

“Good afternoon, honorable delegates and chairs. I am from the double ten school, and I would like to make a few points,” said the delegate from the Russian Federation. His voice resonated throughout the room, and the other delegates were surprised at his confidence in being brave enough to start the day. Jessica Li and Shiu Rou Quek, the experienced chairs of the session, gave precise instructions for the simulation, and led the first session of the debate.

The predictions for this conference had been pessimistic, with the delegates expected to be quiet and too shy to raise their placards and get involved in the debate; however, the predictions turned out to be the opposite of the truth: all the delegates were very brave, willing to raise their placards high and participate in the debate.

In the ECOSOC Committee, delegates represented a total of twenty five different nations. For this XIAMUN simulation, the assigned topics for ECOSOC Committee were “Guaranteeing Intellectual Property Rights in all Countries” and “Genetically Modified Food Industries’ Exploitation of Developing Countries’ Farmers.” The delegates for the Russian Federation, Japan, the United States and Singapore gave strong speeches asking for more information and urging others to engage in the debate. The delegate for the Russian Federation confidently stated his county’s position against the idea of genetically modified food. This superior speech resulted in strong opposition from the delegates from Japan and the United States. The result? The United States and Russian Federation both brought delegates whom the others should watch carefully. At the end of speeches and questions, the lobbying and merging started. All the delegates got together and shared ideas to come up with a resolution.

Over the course of the two days, all the students from their separate schools have done a great job. Even though most of the students’ first language is not English, they tried their best and spoke with pride. We are looking forward to see how all the delegates will improve by this time next year. By. Stacey Lee

It’s the first day of the human rights council and we see many faces, both familiar and new. This is the third annual XIAMUN at XIS and everyone is fired up and ready to get going. This year the council talks about protecting the rights of refugees in the sub-Indian continent and guaranteeing access to education for the girls and young woman of developing countries. Like always most delegates started out a little shy, but it wasn’t long before they were in the game. One of the first delegates to speak was Yeon Soo Woo, the delegate from Australia. Though she started a little shaky, she managed to get ahold of herself and presented a strong statement. Another notable delegate on the council was Michelle Low, the delegate from Malaysia. The delegate from Malaysia captivated the council with her powerful voice, clear statements and strong arguments. It’s clear that she knew what she wanted and how she planned to get it. Low clearly has the potential to dominate any debate. During lobbying, delegates quickly formed into groups. Many delegates who weren’t active during the opening statements came out of their shell. Delegates like the representative from Argentina took charge of their groups with no problem and it was clear who will be first and second speaker, but there is still a lot of time for other delegates to speak up and shine.

Both chairs stated that they were excited about final debate and hopeful that all delegates will continue to volunteer in the future. Overall everything has gone well and it’s only going to get better. By. Janice Ip

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UN Disarmament Commission

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization debated about two social issues: teenage pregnancy and tobacco use. The delegates seem to agree that both teenage pregnancy AND tobacco use are appalling, however the measures needed to solve these problems differ per country. For instance, discussing the topic of teenage pregnancy, the delegates from South Africa and Slovakia both agreed that abortion should be made illegal because of its negative consequences; however, the delegation from the United Kingdom believes that abortion should be allowed. The delegates from Romania, UK, Germany, South Africa, and the USA submitted their resolutions to be discussed shortly. Many countries believe that measures such as increasing sex education at a young age in all schools is required, parental guidance is encouraged, and raising awareness of the issue through campaigns is crucial.

The use of tobacco also sparked the committee’s interest.

The delegate from India stood out, not only due to his strong speech with clever ideas, but also his cute bowtie. The delegate agreed with UK’s position and solutions to teenage pregnancy. With the clever move, India is definitely the delegate that the others should watch carefully.

By. Jonah Klinghoffer

[Press Members]

Supervisor - Mr. Steward

Chief Editor -Lauren Kim

Writer

-Andy Yoon -Janice Ip

-Jonah Klinghoffer -Stacey Lee -Jason Byun -Harry Seo

-EmmaD. Westgard

Photographer -Lauren Kim

-Porter Huang -Andrew Choi

“Thank you chair, thank you all,” said the delegation of Somalia, and the debate began. At first, it wasn’t very organized, because a lot of delegates hadn’t had enough experience with MUN conferences; so the majority of them were making naïve mistakes such as asking questions without the permission of chairs and making direct conversation between the delegates. However, all the delegates were very passionate about participating in the conference. So after delegates got educated about how to act during the conference, the debate went on smoothly without any big problems.

The UN disarmament commission debated issues of ‘Demilitarizing African Militias’ and ‘Eliminating State-Sponsored Policies of Targeted Killings.’ The chairs of the UN Disarmament Commission, Charlotte Zhang and Ann Liu moderated the debate.

Delegates from Germany, Croatia, the United States of America, Israel, and Iran made strong speeches and took the lead in the debate. The atmosphere got very intense when delegates were debating about the second topic, ‘Eliminating State-Sponsored Policies of Targeted Killings.’ Sides were clearly divided into two groups, one that says targeted killings should be eliminated and another that says it is not a very serious matter.

During the lobbying that happened the second day, a lot of delegates actively participated and shared a lot of good opinions. The delegate from Germany, Diane Jeong from ISNS, said, “I had a very productive time, sharing a lot of different opinions and hope our resolution gets passed as we worked hard to form it.”

Thanks to the active participation of the delegates, the debate was active and vibrant. By. Andy Yoon