Education: Internal and Sustainable, or External and Immediate?

Aashna Miharia, Press Corps 11

WHO, General Assemblies — Money may make the world go round, but so does education. On Saturday of NAIMUN LX weekend, the World Health Organization discussed how to grapple with increasing urbanization and its branching issues, ranging from poor sanitation to climate change. 

Two blocs, in particular, addressed education headfirst in their working papers—but in starkly different ways. 

For members of “Developing Countries for Improvement,” or DCFI, education belongs to the people. 

“A main part of why these diseases are spreading so rapidly is because of the illiteracy of medical expertise in these developing countries,” the delegate representing the Kingdom of Eswatini said to The NAIMUN Daily. 

On Saturday, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia joined forces with DCFI when their entire bloc, SPEECH.IO, merged with DCFI. 

“One of the things that is really important to our group is that women’s rights, and minority rights, and the concept of poverty have often not really been respected,” Ethiopia said, speaking of the newly-merged group. 

This sector of delegates in the World Health Organization emphasized reform of the education systems worldwide in WHO. DCFI’s working paper specified that they want to implement sex education and maternal mortality into the curriculum. 

“My hope is that the work that our bloc is doing is going to help bring minority groups [and] historically marginalized groups access to more resources, fighting poverty, and its health consequences from the perspective of improving economic development, education, [and] access to resources to hopefully reduce that disparity that exists right now,” explained Ethiopia. 

On the other hand, the bloc “HEIS” wants to establish an International Exchange Fellowship for students in the healthcare field through the World Health Organization. They believe this education-oriented program would address various issues stemming from urbanization, including improving infrastructure, access to healthcare, and climate change. 

As a delegate working with HEIS, The Republic of India explained what this group of nations plans to do regarding the International Exchange Fellowship: “We’re primarily working on sending accepted applicants for the fellowship to countries with major health issues due to poverty through existing study abroad programs.”

The Fellowship addresses how, in the name of global cooperation, developed nations are responsible for supporting developing countries. Rather than promoting the expansion of general medical literacy to entire populations of developing nations, HEIS aims to give healthcare workers invaluable experience while filling the system gap of equity, particularly in quality and access to healthcare, that developing countries endure. 

“We’re basically sending young teachers [and] young professors who haven’t had much experience to other countries to teach them and basically pass on the word, honestly,” India explained further.

With that, the large committee of the World Health Organization stands divided. DCFI saw internal improvements take priority, as spreading vital medical literacy fosters a smarter, independent population. On the other hand, HEIS viewed external enhancements to take the cake so developing nations can receive a better quality of life immediately. 

Delegates supporting either DCFI or HEIS must join forces and combine their ideas. HEIS’ International Exchange Fellowship addresses the immediate crisis of rapidly-growing urbanization. Still, DCFI’s ideas will help those developing nations become self-sufficient in the long run, as medically-literate generations will grow up to serve their homelands as healthcare workers. 

Hopefully, discussions in the World Health Organization will wrap up on Sunday to weave everyone’s ideas into a multi-faceted solution that helps people in the present and gives hope for the future. 

The Human Rights Council’s Groundbreaking New Approach to Tracking and Catching Sex Traffickers

Cooper Grabow, Press Corps 13

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, General Assembly – In their third day of session in the Human Rights Council, delegations presented their working papers to the committee, and formed mergers with other blocs. One common theme of the papers was the implementation of new technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), to both identify and track sex traffickers, and to use social media to flag potential trafficking activity.

In an exclusive interview with the NAIMUN Daily, the delegation from South Africa discussed their plan for a bilateral approach to technological implementation. The first part of their plan involves a user-based push to increase rural connectivity in regions prone to sex trafficking, that would emphasize an increase in mobile phone usage in order to facilitate reporting of trafficking, leading to more offenders arrested for their crimes. 

The second part involves unifying government databases of the individuals being sex trafficked, with the goal of increasing worldwide connection and making the international identification of those trafficked more efficient. The linkage would take advantage of emerging AI technologies that can easily sort through databases of facial images, and compare all of the data in order to verify if two images are of the same person, and flag them if the person is a sex trafficker.

“The power of AI is that you can make a computer that is so smart that it can talk to different databases and cross reference data to get the quickest possible information,” said the South African delegate. “If someone is being trafficked in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and they are on a database in their government, how is the UNHRC going to access that database?”

When asked about potential concerns related to the novelty of artificial intelligence, and the risk of falsely identifying an innocent person as a trafficker, the delegate responded by advocating the utilitarian benefits that they saw with the new technology.

“It is more beneficial to at least attempt to use this tech, instead of the alternative situation which is just letting these people be sex trafficked,” the delegate from South Africa said. “We do see some problems with AI, however, we see that there is a greater benefit as since these technologies get better over time, we need to implement them now, so that when the technology does catch up we have a system in place.”

Many other delegations agreed that the implementation of technology was necessary to creating a long lasting solution to sex trafficking. The delegate from Fiji also proposed artificial intelligence solutions, involving neural networks and deep learning algorithms.

Their proposed solution was to track social media, and watch for repeated patterns and behaviors of known traffickers. It would also scan every direct message sent on popular social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to try and identify trafficking behavior. When questioned about probable pushback to the drastic change in previous privacy policies, the delegate responded tentatively, but established clear policies to maintain anonymity of the users unless something gets flagged by the technology.

 “what we are using for our framework is … pseudonymization [a way to mask information about individuals to protect their privacy], … so we can just find our perpetrators through zero knowledge proofs [a protocol to prove that something is true without revealing any sensitive information about it],” the Fiji delegate stated

Much progress was made through the course of the day, and the delegations finished off by commencing the voting process on their four final resolutions. Tune in to the final NAIMUN Daily online tomorrow to read about what resolutions ended up being passed, and what shenanigans go down in Fun MUN!

Violence and Conflict Between Tokugawa Shogunate and Imperial Court Leads to Matriarchal Society

Anastasia Stoltz, Press Corps 14

THE FALL OF EDO, Historical Crisis  —  Amongst many new updates on the status of Japan, the Tokugawa Shogunate is focusing on relations with the Imperial Court. While many members are establishing communication, and focusing on allying and unifying the Shogun and the Court, there are also members who think conflict is inevitable. 

Viscount Enomoto Takeaki seems to be preparing for conflict, as he proposed a directive that would only be acted upon if the Imperial Court declares war. The directive, “Worst Case Scenario” was passed, so it can be assured that if war erupts in Japan, the Tokugawa Shogunate has a plan. 

“I think war is very possible, and I have information that the Imperial Court is planning an attack against us. Establishing a democracy takes time, it will not alleviate the tensions between the Court and the Shogunate. If they are already planning a war against us, it will happen very soon,” states Viscount Takeaki. 

It seems that Viscount Taekaki was correct, tensions and power disputes have reached an all-time high between the Imperial Council and the Shogunate, despite developing democratic relations. Both the Imperial Court and Tokugawa Shogunate want their branch to be more powerful than the other. 

The tensions between the Shogunate and Imperial Court have erupted into violence. Members of both sides have been kidnapped and/or assassinated. Both sides are debating whether to resolve this peacefully or go to war. The future of Japan depends on whether the Court and the Shogun can make amends. 

Many members of the Shogunate are arguing for an alliance, prioritizing the future of Japan. “I have been kidnapped, but I still believe we should mend our relationship before we try to solve our other issues,” declares Matsudaira Sadaaki. In response, a member of the Court agrees, “The Imperial Court and the Tokugawa Shogunate have not been in contact, that is why I kidnapped Sadaaki; we need to improve communication with each other if we want progress.” 

However, many members insist on going to war. “It is obvious that members are doing secret things behind our backs, why would I continue to support a corrupt system,” states Chikako. “I don’t think Japan is in a position for a democratic government,” explains Itagaki Taisuke.

While it might be obvious that there are two sides: one in favor of war, and one in favor of peace, there’s also an unforeseeable group that has risen out from this debate. The Nihon Women’s Revolutionary Movement has also gained traction as a development that would establish a matriarchal society in Japan. The slogan for this movement is “We like peace, but we like women more.

While Japan is currently  in a civil war, the Nihon Women’s Revolutionary Movement, run by women with power, land, wealth, and resources, will secede from Japan to create a society that uplifts and protects women. “We want to liberate all of the women in Japan to create a society that will truly appreciate all of their efforts and contributions,” declares Abe Masahiro. The feminist government now occupies the top third of Japan, controlling most of the agricultural industry. 

Bomb After Bomb: RAWA Blasts into Action

Amy Liu, Press Corps 25

REVOLUTIONARY ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN OF AFGHANISTAN, Historical Crisis — 

What little peace left in Afghanistan was wiped out at precisely 1:15 p.m. on February 18, when bombs detonated on Kabul, Afghanistan. 

Two weeks later, a series of aerial bombs dropped on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Afghanistan is in a state of emergency and panic, and the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan immediately launched into action to respond to the crisis. 

“RAWA’s focus needs to be on ensuring that we have rapid response sites in neighboring countries apart from Pakistan, but also in Pakistan, to make sure that when these kinds of emergencies occur, we can help women make sure that they can escape and get to safety,” Majid, an Afghan Airline attendant and RAWA’s foreign affairs manager, told the NAIMUN Daily. 

During the first bombing, a fourth of Kabul had been taken over by Soviets and an eighth completely wiped out, resulting in thousands hospitalized and 30 deaths. At this time, the bomber is unknown but identifies as “Noor,” and is rumored to be funded by Cuba, Kate Clark from the BCC reports. 

RAWA spurred into action, passing two directives. The first, the merged directive between “Safety” and “Slay-fty” gathered support from local groups, expanded funding for medical resources, created shelter zones and opened a chapter of RAWA in Pakistan. Directive “Boom Boom Boom” further focused on healthcare by opening local clinics and distributing aid to vulnerable communities. 

"We have to dedicate more of our healthcare resources to the victims of this attack," Doctor Hajira said to RAWA. 

The source of the second bombing is unknown. Although there were no casualties, RAWA leader Meena Keshwar Kamal, who was in hiding on the border following the assassination attempt on her, has been left alone and unprotected. In response, RAWA enacted five directives to rescue Kamal, provide aid to refugees, ally with neighboring cities and investigate the culprit of the bombing. 

However, RAWA is not without its flaws. Differing opinions has increased disagreement in discourse, causing seven of 13 proposed directives to fail. More notably, only members of RAWA know Kamal’s location of hiding, meaning someone is working against the organization and continuing the assassination attempt. 

“All our solutions for helping Meena are simply a band-aid,” Pakistani journalist Anis Haroon stated to RAWA. “We cannot pass ways to keep her safe. If we have a mole in this body, whatever action we take is just going to get leaked.” 

Even with all this immediate action, RAWA has much more work to do before Afghanistan, and the organization itself, can return to normalcy. 

“The long term goal is secular democracy and ensuring the rights for men and women in Afghanistan,” Majid said. “Hopefully, we'll have a new government that can ensure those values.”

What on Earth Is Going on in the House of Commons?

Kate Radzville, Press Corps 24

BRITISH HOUSE OF COMMONS, ECOSOC — From imposing tariffs to leaving earth, the British House of Commons has been working to solve the economic, cultural, and political effects of climate change. Climate change is a world-wide issue, and the Commons are presenting many diverse resolution papers in order to find solutions to slow down the rate of Global Warming. The NAIMUN Daily had an exclusive interview with Sir Robert Goodwill and Sir Roger Gale on their resolution to send Britain to Mars.

Goodwill and Gale prefaced this interview by explaining how they’ve given up on earth.

“Climate change is inevitable, and we just have to accept that we’re not gonna be able to change that,” Gale said. “so we’re actually actively funding Elon Musk and SpaceX to get the UK up to Mars.”

They believe that their working paper stands out above the others because the other blocs still think they can reduce and even prevent climate change. The other papers want to limit the UK’s emissions to eventually zero percent, but how will this have a huge effect on such a global issue.

“Everything in there (committee) that we’ve heard so far is about like changing, like climate, like different climate change bills that are all the same thing just with different aspects from the past climate change bills, and they’ve all failed us (Britain). We got Mars up there, and it would be great.” said Sir Robert Goodwill.

On the grand scale of things, the UK makes up about one percent of the world’s carbon emissions, so it’s not gonna really change all that much unless we get other countries to change, but that’s very unlikely seeing as many of the larger carbon emission contributors aren’t allied with the UK. We hope they continue to try, as it’ll buy us more time to research and fundraise for the trip to Mars”, Sir Roger Gale explained.

Their resolution was built unlike any of the others within the committee. Instead of planning to implement measures to decrease the currently rapid rate of Climate Change, they plan to colonize the planet of Mars!

Who’s going to do this, you ask, well, they told all of their plans to the NAIMUN Daily. The key is, they’re getting the kids to do the work. It’s perfectly legal, Goodwill and Gale aim to teach the newer generation agricultural sciences and skills to help them AND the United Kingdom in the future, the bright new future on Mars.

“We’re also gonna change the way kids are educated” said Goodwill, “they will learn more on, like farm-based planning”.

All of this is funded by the UK’s money and revenue from the Agriculture programs in British schools. The main goal is to get other countries to fund Musk and SpaceX’s research to relocate the UK to Mars.

One Goal Four Solutions: Working Papers at the Commission on the Status of Women

Ane Usandizaga, Press Corps 22

CSW, ECOSOCs — Member states at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women voice their innovative solutions aimed at mitigating the consequences of climate change on women.

Delegates of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) have congregated once more to discuss the challenges that women face in this global environment. Specifically, members are debating and devising reasonable solutions to the difficulties that women face due to the ramifications of climate change.

Solutions for these struggles presented included the programs Women on the Edge, FEARS Plan, PLANET Riptide, and GALS.

Delegations from the countries of Greece, Nicaragua, Denmark, and Haiti among others collaborated together to develop Women on the Edge, a directive that focuses on bringing attention to reinforcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, reducing gender stereotypes, encouraging the use of clean energy, and assisting the creation of laws to protect and educate women.

“We started with the concept of creating a summit where we can include everyone’s personal opinions, their goals… and really taking into account each individual nation’s needs,” said the delegates of Nicaragua to The NAIMUN Daily on Feb.18. “Then we went on to focus on different topics like carbon emissions. We've even created educational programs and supported nonprofit organizations. We also focus on raising awareness, educational programs, and just promoting that sense of education for the women whose voices are not being heard.”

Other delegates from the countries of Australia, Burkina Faso, India, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, and Singapore among others also cooperated on the formation of FEARS Plan, an initiative that accentuates the need for different strategies to protect women’s entrepreneurial endeavors and educational initiatives in developing and rural regions, and the collection and analysis of data to respond and adapt to the ever-changing needs of women.

The delegate of Australia stated, “So the program really aims towards helping women who are affected by the negative effects of climate change. We really want to help women who are in the agricultural sector. We want to give them a voice… that they haven't had in the past.”

Representatives from Armenia, Senegal, Nigeria, and Albania among others also united to initiate PLANET Riptide, a program that highlights the urgency of implementing a gender perspective in policies and using online devices to educate women, particularly in rural areas.

“We know that oftentimes, women [in rural areas] have very difficult access to the internet, information, healthcare [and] education, so we're really trying to… incorporate technology and… utilize this tool to achieve our goal and part of our legislation,” explained the delegate of Albania.

Representatives from Sweden, France, Ireland, and Spain among others put forward GALS. This program stands for Green Agriculture Leadership Sustainability and underlines the necessity of the involvement of women as leaders of international conversations surrounding climate change and the integration of sustainable infrastructure to expand women’s access to resources.

“So our goal is to attack climate change as it affects women… Essentially, we're trying to work with governments, but on a regional level, to uplift the voices of women and give them more autonomy, especially when it comes to land ownership and agriculture production,” said the delegate of France.

All of these proposed working papers will be debated and deliberated upon in order to select the most effective and plausible programmes to aid women who are being negatively impacted by climate change.

The Bug Behind the Chug Jug Drug: An Exposé

Siena Kraft, Press Corps 21

REPUBLICAN PARTY, NSA - Speculation and conspiracy was been stirred up in the Republican Party today. The mysterious chug jug, a drink that is prescribed by hospitals to people to keep them from feeling hungry, has begun to take over the economy and people’s lives.

It was discovered today that the production of corn and wheat had gone down in the outer islands of Indonesia. Meanwhile, the production of soy, a key ingredient in the chug jug, had been ramped up. The correlation between the larger presence of the Chug Jug and the higher production of soy could only mean one thing: It actually helps people not feel hungry.

Make no mistake though. Even if the Chug Jug gets rid of the feeling, your body is still hungry and still depends on food. This is seen as a huge threat to malnutrition in Indonesia because Indonesia already suffers from malnutrition and the addition of something like the Chug Jug could be detrimental to the health of the people.

Not only does the Chug Jug inhibit the ability to feel hunger but it causes hallucinations and has not been approved by the government. There has been no trial or research into the Chug Jug and what it does and nobody is certain of where it comes from. This has caused a lot of uncertainty surrounding how this could affect the loyalty of the people of Indonesia to the Republican Party.

That being said, it was announced that somebody under the name of Queen Itawamtaf is associated with the production of the drink. Saadah Alim, a tabloid journalist, quickly realized that this name is very similar to the name of somebody else in their party. In fact, it is Fatmawati spelled backward.

Alim told us “At first I thought [the name] was a Japanese person, which kind of made sense because at the time they were against us. But then I [realized] that is Fatmawami but backward.”

In response to this news Fatmawati said “I deny the accusations but I am in support of the Chug Jug because it is helping people feel less hungry and increasing the happiness in Indonesia,”

Fatmawati is the inaugural First Lady of Indonesia. She met President Sakurno when she was a teenager, but Sakurrno was married to his second wife, Inggit, at the time. Sakurno divorced Inggit to marry Fatmawati and Fatmawati became his third wife. As the First Lady, Fatmawati would have the political power to pull strings in order to get what she wanted.

After Alim had this realization she wrote a crisis note to one of her assistants at her journal, Muhhamad, and he did some digging. It was confirmed that Fatmawati was indeed responsible for the production of the Chug Jug.

The Chug Jug has been banned by the Republican Party and it is no longer allowed to be given to patients. After learning that his wife betrayed him the President filed for a divorce and told the NAIMUN daily

“It was clearly an attack on my leadership and I can’t have that in my family”

Civil War: The Fracturing of Japan

Jonathan Moore, Press Corps 20

FALL OF EDO, Historical Crisis – Yesterday, members of the Imperial Court and the Tokugawa Shogunate met for a peace summit, hoping to find a solution to the taxation crisis in Japan. However, the summit took an unfortunate turn and led to the attempted murders and kidnappings of the attending Shogunate members.

After news of the events of “Bloody Summit” spread to the rest of the Shogunate and Court members, foreign powers involved in the conflict called another meeting to settle their disputes among themselves rather than start an international war.

Despite the members’ great efforts, the summit resulted in a split of the two bodies into various factions, one of which was the New Tokugawa Shogunate.

Heading the party, Matsudaira Sadaaki gave insight into the New Shogunate’s goals in an interview with NAIMUN Daily.

“We’re seceding from the rest of Japan and setting up our own government to ensure that the people in our provinces are supported,” stated Sadaaki. “We will have one main leader who will be elected democratically by the people.”

The New Shogunate faction of the Japanese Civil War stated in their collaborative block that they wish to form their own independent nation entitled “Ultraman State”, consuming the Southern regions of Japan.

Another faction involved in this war, the Jade Order of the Bonsai, sent their leader Kodama Gentarō to offer their stance on the war.

“Our current objective for the war is to consolidate all of our military assets to unify Japan by force,” stated Gentarō. “It is of the utmost importance that we end the war swiftly to avoid as much collateral damage as possible.”

The final faction involved, the Feminist Party, held a communal press conference to voice their goals for their newly formed faction.

“We decided to break apart and focus on abolishing the typical social hierarchy that was built in Japan,” stated Princess Sumiko, a member of the party. “We really wanted to get rid of all the things that were making Japan miserable.”

After establishing their plans, the Feminist Party and the New Shogunate formed an alliance to unite against the War Hawks. At the signing of the Treaty, a representative for the Feminist Party detailed the intricacies of the union.

“We are not combining our separate nations. We are simply uniting to fight against the Jade Order,” said Sumiko. “We also wish to make immigration and trade between our nations easy to achieve some sort of unity between the factions of Japan.”

Due to poor military strategy on all sides, the Japanese Civil War resulted in the disunion of the Japanese nation. In the northern regions, the Democratic Feminist Party elected their first president, Aruhuko Okise, to lead their democratic, anti-social division republic. In the middle region, the Jade Order of the Bonsai established their specialization-based government and has yet to elect a Jade Shogun yet is content with having its own section of the nation. In the southern region of Japan, the Ultraman State also has yet to elect an Ultraman Shogun and is still working with the Democratic Feminist Party to improve immigration and trade between their newly formed states.

Lwiterally Gwiddying on the Hoover Dam: Protester Threatens to Blow it Up

Juliette Sánchez, Press Corps 19

An unidentified protester, who has been nicknamed the “Hoover Dam Bomber,” was seen griddying on the Hoover Dam, holding a stick of dynamite. “He’s lwiterally gwiddying on the Hoover Dam,” stated an onlooker, citing the popular TikTok reference.

“I’m here for Earth First!” He told the NAIMUN Daily. “Nobody listens to the environment and we have to do something. I’m blowing up the Hoover Dam!”

Earth First!, a radical environmentalist group cited by the protester, denies any involvement.

“What Earth First! needs to do, as a global, multinational organization, is to get in front of it as fast as possible, to denounce these actions and make sure we’re not seen as this terrorist organization by the people,” said Ted Turner, philanthropic environmentalist and entrepreneur.

Earth First! has begun to reach out to reporters, denouncing the bomber in the process. “We don’t approve of actions taken by the Hoover Dam Bomber,” Dr. Dave Parks, longtime Earth First! member and collaborator, told the NAIMUN Daily.

Furthermore, Earth First! has published a press release accusing BP Oil of hiring someone to impersonate an Earth First! activist. Earth First! believes BP Oil has done this in attempts to lessen the group's influence.

BP Oil, one of the world's leading oil and gas companies, has declined to comment.

Earth First! and BP Oil have had conflicts in the past. The recent social media campaign against BP led by Earth First! has reportedly brought the once-prosperous company close to filing for bankruptcy. 

Earth First! has sent a response team to defuse the bombs, citing that they have no intention of hurting anyone. 

“The main objective of Earth First! is not to harm and attack the government. It’s to have environmental reform.” said Ted Turner.

If the Hoover Dam were to explode, the implications would be disastrous. The dam holds back Lake Mead, which holds 3.5 trillion gallons of water. Flooding would cover approximately 10 million acres of land and 25 million people rely on Lake Mead for access to water.

Additionally, the dam is currently a large source of renewable energy, providing communities with the energy they need without the use of coal or oil. The destruction of the dam would be devastating to the environment, counterintuitive to Earth First!’s mission.

However, when constructed, The Hoover Dam changed the Colorado River's course, which affected water quality, sediment structures, and fish habitats. The dam is representative of human intervention in nature for their own benefit, something the Earth First! group has advocated against frequently in the past.

Whether the protester is truly a part of the BP Oil Company, the Earth First! organization, or another third party is still unknown, however details are anticipated to arise once the bomber is identified by officals. Nontheless, enviromental tensions are on the rise as NGOs like Earth First! work to bring the importance of climate change to the public’s attention.

To Condemn or Not To Condemn: That is the Question as the European Council Falls into Economic Disarray

Olivia Metelo, Press Corps 18

EUROPEAN COUNCIL, Contemporary Crisis — Economic crisis was anything but scarce within the European Council today, and members are divided on how to best address those responsible. How the council responds has the potential to prevent future financial crises in Europe, council members tell the NAIMUN Daily.

Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, pulled all of her country’s funding from the European Union as a form of protest against the lack of action to combat democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland. These nations face notable issues such as violence against LGBTQ+ people, racism, and discrimination against immigrants, all of which Merkel believes calls for more attention from the council.

“It is extremely frustrating that it is something that is not being talked about because it should be our most important value,” said Merkel. “These are the lives of our people and the people that live in the countries that we support.”

The pulling of Germany’s funds caused the European Union to enter a financial crisis, something certain council members found to be concerning.

“The fact that the European Union's budget was based very largely upon one nation's economy is not a good idea because if an event something like this happens again, the rug is pulled out from underneath us,” said Dubravka Suica, vice president of the European Commission. “We need to start developing other solutions so that an economic crisis like this one won't happen again.”

Many were frustrated with Merkel’s decision to pull Germany’s funds, especially regarding her lack of communication with the council. 

“They should have told us that they were going to start an economic crisis by taking out all of their money,” said Jutta Urpilainen, european commissioner for international partnerships. “I thought that was incredibly short-sighted.”

Directives were presented in an attempt to punish and condemn Merkel for her actions, though none were able to successfully do so. In response, Suica co-sponsored the “Three Steps Back Plan” directive, which aimed to prevent Germany from being condemned or punished, start EU-based investigations into how European nations were impacted by the financial crisis, and create domestic economic improvements. 

Suica maintained that punishing or condemning Germany would have negative ramifications.

“We want to help the European people. Germany is a European Union member state and I think isolating [...] Germany like that is a bad decision,” said Suica. “I've talked to the Chancellor of Germany, and they said they would be opening to bring in funding back eventually if we keep relations open and fair with them.”

Only the latter two clauses of the directive were passed, as many members were still divided on whether or not Merkel deserved condemnation. Merkel’s role within the directives was surprising, however.

“I wrote some of those directives to condemn myself because I agree that I definitely should be condemned,” said Merkel. 

In a similar fashion, Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, later pulled funds from Poland, Hungary, and Slovenia.

“We found out through an audit that they were misappropriating funds for personal use and participating in insider trading,” explained Lagarde. 

Urpilainen was again frustrated and questioned Lagarde’s motives.

“Do what’s best for our political interests and not your political pawns,” stated Urpilainen. 

Still, Lagarde defended her decision, arguing that pulling funds from these nations would result in their eventual compliance with the council’s expectations.

“We need to hold these leaders accountable,” said Lagarde.

Regardless, the council members were diligently working to alleviate the financial crises.

“Honestly, financial crises always have been very small,” said Urpilainen. “But the problem with this is it came into the public and got entirely out of control, and now we are trying to work to solve it.”

French Involvement Ignored by ‘Kohimarama’ Delegates as Negotiations Stall

JJ Dove, Press Corps 16

THE KOHIMARAMA CONFERENCE, Historical Crisis — As the Kohimarama Conference continues through mid-July 1860, new conflicts with the French in New Caledonia go unaddressed. British-Maōri infighting stalls negotiations, and collaboration between the two looks increasingly unlikely. 

The French territorialized New Caledonia in 1853 as a penal colony, but despite its proximity to New Zealand and the pre-existing aboriginal Maōri presence there, French actors have remained largely unconcerned with British-Maōri relations in the past. 

Then, a Maōri ship docked on the island. Maōri disguised in British military uniforms attempted to provoke the aboriginal people and French detainees imprisoned there with calls to join them in rebellion against the British. 

Believing these agitators to be British military infringing upon their territory, the French dispatched ships from their own navy to Auckland, New Zealand, threatening to shell British actors (and collaterally, the Maōri people) there. 

As delegates to the Kohimarama Conference scrambled to resolve the crisis, initial solutions to diffuse the conflict failed. However, under threat of dismissal by the British prime minister, British representatives issued a formal apology to the French and withdrew their forces. 

Despite its efficacy, how exactly this resolution was executed remains a mystery, as the British military was never involved in the conflict. Its forces, therefore, were unable to be withdrawn, since Maōri agitators in British military dress bore the true responsibility for these events. 

Even as these dubiously legitimate conciliatory measures brokered peace, one of the Maōri agitators involved in the initial venture to New Caledonia detonated a bomb just three and a half miles away from the New Caledonian prison. While no fatalities or injuries occurred, this development has unraveled any progress made towards French-British-Maōri conflict resolution. 

Despite the gravity of this development, internal discord among delegates to the Kohimarama Conference has turned their attention away from the French. 

The Native Land Court Intervention, unrelated to the New Caledonian crisis, reached the floor for a committee vote. Presented by Tamati Waka Nene and Wiremu Patene, it addresses disputes over British-Māori land exchange in New Zealand. Sponsors of the directive desire that plots of land be exchanged via purchase and sale, rather than forceful acquisition.

Delegates Tamati Waka Nene and Wiremu Patene present their Native Land Court Intervention directive in the Kohimarama Conference.  

Despite the arguments of Paora Tūhaere and Te Mānihera Poutama, alleging that regulating the sale of land would increase collaborative efforts in both parties, many stood in opposition to the proposal. 

“We do not need to submit ourselves to some sort of international or inter-tribal authority that deprives us of our own sovereignty,” said Tohi Te Ururangi.

Wiremu Tamihana, against the Native Land Court Intervention, chastised the delegates for their inattention to the French conflict. 

“This does not address the crisis update whatsoever. The crisis update had to do with militia activity, however, this is a land reform directive, and we shouldn’t be wasting resources on it.” 

When the proposal was put to a vote, it failed, with far more than the requisite majority of thirteen voting against. Similar issues of infringement on sovereignty and irrelevance to the conflict with French forces caused a second directive on the floor, concerning “executive use of railroads”, to fail as well.

The Kohimarama delegates vote against the “executive use of railroads” directive on the floor, with an overwhelming majority denying its passage.

These outcomes are not encouraging for the future of the Kohimarama Conference. Should representatives of the British and Maōri peoples continue to reject compromise and succumb to infighting, any hope of lasting peace is unlikely, both with respect to French involvement and in the Kohimarama Conference itself. 

Not Revenge, but Retribution: The Fall of the Elam Kingdom & Egypt’s Power Struggle

Mantra Iyer, Press Corps 12

BRONZE AGE POWER COUNCIL, Historical Crisis – The goal was never to just survive – but to thrive. On February 18, 1200 BCE, in yet another pointless gathering of prominent Pharaohs and Queens of the Mediterranean, one Pharaoh seemed to have had enough. King Adad-Shuma-Usur of Babylonia had just raided the neighboring Kingdom, Kingdom of Elam, conquering it with ease. 

Although previously echoing the necessity of cooperation and collaboration (see Discourse in Kingdom Paradise: Tensions Reach a Boiling Point in Bronze Age Power Council), King Adad-Shuma-Usur seemingly abandoned his principles when given an opportunity to power grab. His justification? The Kingdom of Elam was his birthright. 

The NAIMUN Daily managed to wrangle the opportunity to talk to King Adad-Shuma-Usur (who was last seen thoroughly enjoying his victory over Elam).  

“Elam used to be a tributary kingdom to Babylonia, up until 80 years ago when they rebelled,” Usur said. “Lore [the background guide] tells us that the King had ambition to conquer Babylonia, and I just wanted to get a jump on them first.”

Facing almost no retaliation from Elamite King Kidin-Hutran III, Adad-Shuma-Usur was able to reclaim Elam in one swift motion, even feeling “gracious” enough to offer newly former King Kidin-Hutran III a minor job on his council. 

“Believe it or not. I never even had the intention to take over Babylon.” Kidin-Hurtan told NAIMUN Daily. “The fact of the matter is that Elam has been brutally subjugated by Babylon, but all Elam ever wanted was indepence.” 

This inspiring takeover resulted in a domino effect of other attempts at the thrones – there was a collective hunger to not just survive but to thrive. Although many failed attempts occurred, one seemed to slip through the cracks, fracturing Egypt’s power balance. A once thought-to-be innocent duo Amenmesse, King of Northern Egypt, and Ramesse Khamenteru (Bay), a powerbroker in Egypt with long-standing relationship with the King Seti II, seemed to be implicated in the crime of attempting to steal King Seti II’s throne. 

“Safe to say, I did feel betrayed by Bay,” King Seti II told NAIMUN Daily. “I mean yes, we both tried to kill each other, but that doesn’t mean you try to steal my throne.” NAIMUN Daily can firmly conclude that these two aren't baes anymore. 

Although initially committed to claiming stake as Egypt’s new Pharaoh, Bay later pulled out of the running of Egypt’s Next Top Pharoh, the Pharaoh candidacy race, explaining she would rather have a hidden role, running the shadow government of Egypt. This abdication in candidacy allowed crowd-favorite Nakht-Min, police chief of Egypt, to swoop in to steal the throne in a pluralistic vote, embarrassing the other candidates. 

Despite this, a jealous Amenmesse threatens to torch Egypt – now whether the rage of flames will be able to incinerate the Mediterranean or be extinguished just like all other Amenmesse ambitions is yet to be discovered. 

Education: Internal and Sustainable, or External and Immediate?

NSA JAPAN, Non-Traditionals — On February 18, 1946, five hundred soldiers perished in a naval ambush while docked in Java, Indonesia. However, one survivor’s testimony and an admission of guilt reveal that the soldiers were not killed at the hand of enemy battleships, but that of their very own leader. Last night, Japanese Army Minister and government official Sadamu Shimomura led an attack on his country’s naval fleets, citing his government’s lack of military action as justification for his treachery.

Sadamu’s symbol, a lightning bolt surrounded by the letters of his name, was found at approximately 10:56 P.M. painted on the buildings destroyed in the attack. An estimated twenty-six ships were lost, leaving behind only one confirmed survivor from the entire Japanese fleet in Java.

The ships that perpetrated the ambush have been identified as French navy battleships. A proud ally of France, Sadamu often references his control and authority over the French navy, which he uses to garner support for military action against Japan’s enemies.

“I’m the French military ataché, and close friends with the French president,” Sadamu told the NAIMUN Daily. 

Despite Sadamu’s public admission of his French affiliations, the Japanese government remains largely unaware of his involvement in the attack. Sadamu is a prominent advocate for Japanese military intervention and emphasizes the importance of having an armed presence in Indonesian waters. 

The surviving soldier remains the only witness to the ambush. The soldier, who requested that he be referred to as Soldier Li, spoke to the NAIMUN Daily about his recollection of the event. 

“Last night, [Japanese ships] were stationed in Java. We were about to be evacuated to our home islands after serving a long tour in Indonesia,” stated Solder Li. “But these French forces attacked us without provocation and started burning down houses. We were just in shock because we didn’t know how to respond.”

He tells about the unnamed Japanese officers he witnessed aboard the French ships, who were assisting in their attack on his fellow soldiers. He also provided an illustration of Sadamu’s symbol, which he witnessed the Japanese officers painting on the hulls of targeted ships, along with other buildings destroyed within the port.

“Yeah, it seemed odd that these French forces would just attack us. I spotted a few Japanese officers on the ships, I’m not sure if they were behind this attack,” said Solder Li. “They were leaving these strange logos around that stated ‘Sadamu’.”

Soldier Li’s illustration of the Sadamu symbol he saw painted on destroyed buildings by dissenting Japanese officers.

Credit: Minji Bu, Delegate 10

An interview with Sadamu himself revealed the legitimacy of Soldier Li’s testament, unveiling the true motivations behind his ambush on the Japanese fleet.

“The committee was being too inactive and kept wanting to pull out our troops,” Sadamu stated. “I had to do something, so I took control of the French navy and knocked out the general with a good uppercut,” he said, demonstrating the motion with his arm. “Then, I took control of the entire French army.”

Sadamu’s betrayal spells disaster for the Japanese people’s faith in their provisional government. As a country still in recovery after the events of World War II, Sadamu’s treachery is the final nail in the coffin of Japan’s imminent demise. In a newly established government such as Japan’s, every member is a foundational pillar preventing the country’s collapse. Now, following Sadamu’s secession from Japan’s path to peace and prosperity, the remaining members of the government are tasked with prosecuting Sadamu for his crimes and stopping his betrayal from destroying the country’s future. They lie at the crossroad where opportunity and prospect diverge, leaving the world waiting with bated breath to witness the Land of the Rising Sun’s fate.

"It Was What Needed To Be Done": Japanese General Attacked his Own Naval Fleets

Minji Bu, Press Corps 10

Sadamu’s joyful thumbs-up following his attack on the Japanese troops.

NSA JAPAN, Non-Traditionals — On February 18, 1946, five hundred soldiers perished in a naval ambush while docked in Java, Indonesia. However, one survivor’s testimony and an admission of guilt reveal that the soldiers were not killed at the hand of enemy battleships, but that of their very own leader. Last night, Japanese Army Minister and government official Sadamu Shimomura led an attack on his country’s naval fleets, citing his government’s lack of military action as justification for his treachery.

Sadamu’s symbol, a lightning bolt surrounded by the letters of his name, was found at approximately 10:56 P.M. painted on the buildings destroyed in the attack. An estimated twenty-six ships were lost, leaving behind only one confirmed survivor from the entire Japanese fleet in Java.

The ships that perpetrated the ambush have been identified as French navy battleships. A proud ally of France, Sadamu often references his control and authority over the French navy, which he uses to garner support for military action against Japan’s enemies.

“I’m the French military ataché, and close friends with the French president,” Sadamu told the NAIMUN Daily. 

Despite Sadamu’s public admission of his French affiliations, the Japanese government remains largely unaware of his involvement in the attack. Sadamu is a prominent advocate for Japanese military intervention and emphasizes the importance of having an armed presence in Indonesian waters. 

The surviving soldier remains the only witness to the ambush. The soldier, who requested that he be referred to as Soldier Li, spoke to the NAIMUN Daily about his recollection of the event. 

“Last night, [Japanese ships] were stationed in Java. We were about to be evacuated to our home islands after serving a long tour in Indonesia,” stated Solder Li. “But these French forces attacked us without provocation and started burning down houses. We were just in shock because we didn’t know how to respond.”

He tells about the unnamed Japanese officers he witnessed aboard the French ships, who were assisting in their attack on his fellow soldiers. He also provided an illustration of Sadamu’s symbol, which he witnessed the Japanese officers painting on the hulls of targeted ships, along with other buildings destroyed within the port.

“Yeah, it seemed odd that these French forces would just attack us. I spotted a few Japanese officers on the ships, I’m not sure if they were behind this attack,” said Solder Li. “They were leaving these strange logos around that stated ‘Sadamu’.”

Professor Angelo Rivero Santos on the Future of Latin American Democracy

Ember McMullen, Press Corps 9

CHILEAN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, Contemporary Crisis - Dr. Angelo Rivero Santos is no stranger to the intricacies of Latin American politics. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Santos originally immigrated to the United States to study mechanical engineering, but he soon found himself enamoured with the world of international diplomacy. This interest in diplomacy eventually led to his appointment as the White House’s Deputy Ambassador to Venezuela, where he represented the interests of his home country in the United States.

Over his lengthy career in international relations, Dr. Santos has become an expert on Latin American politics, and for the past several years he has focused on the communication of his experiences to future diplomats as faculty at the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. But you don’t have to be a Hoya to learn from Dr. Santos; this Friday, he spoke to the Chilean Constitutional Convention about his visions for the future of Latin American democracy. 

“You have a responsibility, your generation has a huge responsibility, you know why? Because we have bought the idea of democracy as the best system to organise a society. In Latin America, we have bought the idea,” Dr. Santos told the delegates. 

Yet the protection of democratic ideals is not an easy task, as these delegates have been learning through the drafting of a new Chilean constitution. These ideals are particularly hard to live up to in Latin America, where the diversity of the acting powers, diversity of economic sectors, and diversity of the population represent hundreds of conflicting interests all given equal importance under a democracy. As many Latin American countries, including Chile, recover from post-colonial dictatorships, they are increasingly using the redrafting of national constitutions to protect marginalised groups and democratic ideals.

“So the challenge is what kind of [constitution] we can use to optimise and maximise the interest of the different sectors of the particular population,”Dr. Santos stated. “Does the social contract represent the interest of the majority of the people? That is a key question for us in the politics of Latin America.” 

When asked for further advice for drafting the Chilean Constitution by the delegates, Dr. Santos said, “I don't want to take a side, [but] what I can tell you is this. What we have learned in Latin America [is] that the over-concentration of power at the central level…perhaps is not very efficient. We have tried that in the 19th century as central, strong states. Then we went to the other extreme. [We did that] beginning in the 1980s-1990s, when something called the neoliberal process told us, ‘Government is a problem. You need to decentralise.’… So the point is that there's got to be a balance [of centralisation and decentralisation] depending on the local conditions of different countries, where you need a strong state and [an] efficient state, [as well as a] capable state that… satisfies the needs and wants of the majority of the population.” 

In the face of widespread social unrest, including the 2019 student protests in Chile, democracy seems to be on the back foot. However, this is not necessarily the case. According to Dr. Santos, if we wish to secure the future of democracy in Latin America, the rights of all people, not just those in power, must be protected, and the government must be strong enough to enforce the laws that protect these rights. This is a delicate balance indeed, and it represents a difficult path forward for the delegates of the Chilean Constitutional Convention. However, Dr. Santos believes these delegates to be up to the task, and he knows that they will do what is right for the people of Chile.

Islamic countries for and against the Islamic democracy

Kyla Fisher, Press Corps 8

Organization of Islamic Cooperation, ECOSOCs – On Friday, February 17, 2023, Countries such as Senegal, Jordan, and countless others were speaking with passion about things such as flexibility, how to handle money,

Many delegates seem to think that this whole situation with terrorism and wealth calls for secularization and that the government should have complete control over everything. During the Moderated Caucus, many countries such as Nigeria, Mozambique, Tajikistan, and others discussed whether they think that their countries, as well as others, should become democratic, or if their government system is already working.

Mozambique and Brunei both agree that imposing democracy should be a choice and that forcing it upon countries isn’t an option.

“Western democracy should not be imposed, don’t force democracy,,” Brunei said.

Meanwhile, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia were more about peace

“Strength lies not in our differences, but [in] what we share. China isolates Muslims, which is (basically) a genocide,” said Saudi Arabia, whom the UAE agreed with.

While Cameroon talked more about things such as “justice” and “peace.” To be more precise, Cameroon said, “Implementing values of peace and justice is important,” then proceeded to talk about alliances/ agreements with other countries, that had similar if not the same ideals.

Tajikistan was more on the side of “slowly moving towards democracy,” but also agreed with “freedom of religion,” as not all people are Muslim (or religious at all) and therefore should be respected.

Togo also agreed with those mentioned above “Slowly influencing democracy.”

Nigeria was more on the side of Tajikistan with “Being flexible enough for other countries, as well as the fact being multifaceted- technology wise and tailoring to everyone’s needs.”

Most countries seem to think that democracy isn’t something that should be administered freely to everyone, but instead, choices should be made and lines should be drawn.

Supreme Court upholds 9th circuit court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA case

Zachary Irani, Press Corps 7

SCOTUS, Non-Traditionals - In August of 2021, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concluded that the EPA does in fact have jurisdiction over Sackett’s property under the Clean Water Act. Today, after hours of debate, the Supreme Court of the United States heard the case and determined their own decision on the matter.

The respondents began by questioning the petitioner’s argument, suggesting that the permit Sackett (two Idaho landowners - Michael and Chantell Sackett) obtained was somewhat disingenuous, as they only asked for a permit after they began construction--dumping sediment onto the wetlands. Beyond that, many felt that Sackett would have been happy to continue the project without the permit had they not been caught.

“They would have been more than happy to just quietly develop that land without anybody noticing,” a counsel respondent said.“They only requested a permit when they got caught. And that means they don't have any moral high ground to stand on.”

The petitioners had many questions for respondents as well. A dilemma for them was the economic precedent the court’s decision would leave. Many felt that siding with the EPA would mean restricting many Americans' right to build on land across the country. Following that argument, Justice Brett Kavanaugh brought another economic argument to light, stating that it would cost the United States approximately 384 billion dollars to maintain clean water across the entire country every year.

When the NAIMUN Daily asked a counsel respondent about these claims they expressed concerns over the Court’s motives.

“At the end of the day, the job of this court is not to discuss the economy,” he stated. “This case is about the Clean Water Act. It's not about the United States economy. And as a representative of the Environmental Protection Agency, my sole job is to preserve the chemical, physical and biological safety of US waters.”

Eventually, the discussion shifted towards the impact of Sackett’s proposed building. The CWA (Clean Water Act) states that building practices, such as laying sediment down on wetlands adjacent to a protected body of water, are harmful and therefore prohibited. The respondents argued that though there is not a constant surface connection of water, there is still a subsurface flow of water that significantly impacts the surrounding protected bodies. The petitioners, on the other hand, suggested that there was a very loose connection to the surrounding bodies, arguing that the word adjacent would not apply to Sackett’s construction.

When it came to a vote, the majority of the court sided with the EPA, with four Justices, Jackson, Kagan, Kavanaugh and Sotomayor, wholeheartedly agreeing with the EPA, and another two, Alito and Gorsuch, agreeing with a concurrence. The latter argued that there were flaws in both arguments, mainly that the CWA was too vague and that some of the conditions were loosely met by Sackett. Ultimately though, they sided against Sackett in their final decision. Three justices, Roberts, Thomas, and Barret dissented, arguing that for both economic reasons, and state’s rights, Sackett should be allowed to build on the land.

This decision sets the precedent that the United States, more specifically the EPA, is committed to their promises under the CWA and has no intentions to compromise with their interpretation of it.

Smithsonian in Shambles: Georgetown Students Protest Handling of Indigenous Remains

Kevin Wang, Press Corp 6

Senator Masto berates one of the protesting Georgetown students, leaving her in tears.

SMITHSONIAN BOARD OF REGENTS, Contemporary Crisis — On February 18, 2020, in bitter cold and shredding wind, a group of four Georgetown students chained themselves to the outside of the Museum of Natural History. These activists came to protest the failure of the Smithsonian to repatriate the over 2000 remains of indigenous people they’ve kept from their communities of origin.

The Smithsonian has a complex history with the repatriation of Native American remains. In 1989, the Smithsonian established the National Museum of the American Indian Act, which requires the Smithsonian to return, upon request, any Native American objects of cultural significance to their tribes of origin. However, of the 14,000 remains they’ve stored since 1987, there are still 2,000 remains that have yet to be returned.

The students at Georgetown stand firm in their commitment to protest the Smithsonian’s policy.

“We’re prepared to stay here as long as it takes before the Board of Regents makes the correct decision,” Ted Weezer, a sophomore at Georgetown studying peace studies, said. “However long that takes is however long we’ll stay.”

These recent developments have polarized the Smithsonian.

The majority are in favor of repatriation, but a vocal minority question the necessity of it. Three members of the Board—Senator Masto, Senator Boozman, and Barbara Barrett—don’t think repatriation is necessary and even called for the expulsion of the protesting students.

“We can't be bullied by a bunch of random students,” Senator Masto proclaimed in a passionate fervor. “We must get their administration to expel them immediately. We’re just telling them to move, and maybe to go to class a little bit, which is what they should be doing in the first place.”

The rest of the group, mostly led by a directive known as “Lovely Loans: 2 L’s Make a W,” have condemned Senator Masto’s treatment of the Georgetown students in this manner.

“[Senator Masto’s] behavior is no less than childish”, said Congresswoman Roybal-Allard. “Whereas the students are acting so much more like adults by utilizing their first-amendment rights.”

In fact, the majority of the group believes that repatriation must happen as soon as possible. Congresswoman Roybal-Allard remarks, “it’s necessary for families to feel solace that they have their loved ones back”

Fundamentally, the disagreement between the two groups is about the bureaucracy inherent to the process of repatriation. 

“It seems like they’ve created so many unnecessary hurdles that it makes me wonder if they really want to repatriate the objects at all,” said Weezer.

In contrast, Senator Masto said, “I think repatriating the remains is something we should do extremely carefully. Right now, it sure does seem that these processes were put in place for a reason: to avoid fraud and incorrect repatriation.”

The Georgetown students’ protest has brought to light the underlying tension in the Smithsonian’s stance on repatriation. The question of resolution lingers in the air. The brave, young students of Georgetown against the crushing, ancient bureaucracy of the Smithsonian. The times are changing, and it’s time for the Smithsonian to change with them. 

Refugee Crisis Causes Tie Between Different Directives

Truman Schulte, Press Corps 5

KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE, Contemporary Crisis - A refugee crisis caused by bombings in Albania and Serbia and war in Macedonia have caused a refugee crisis displacing 400,000 Albanians and Serbians, and another 100,000 Macedonian people displaced. Serbia, Albania, and other neighboring countries want Kosovo to take most refugees. At the same time, the European Union heavily discourages Kosovo from taking many refugees as it believes it does not have the resources to take all of them. The bombings are partially blamed on the Kosovo government due to an unexploded bomb having a Kosovan flag on it.

The parliament made two referendums, one called Happy Independence Day and the other called Light in the Dark. Both referendums are similar, but the details between them vary.

The Happy Independence Day referendum proposes that Kosovo take in about 250,000 refugees and only from neighboring countries. The refugees would be put into different areas based on Language, with people being put in communities with higher amounts of Albanians, Serbians, and Macedonians, creating a joint coalition of Miliaty, Government, and Journalists to figure out who did the bombings. Kosovo would reach out to Non-Governmental Organizations to provide initial funding for the refugee camps and give refugees jobs in agricultural and tool-making trades.

Garman Kraja, a wartime reporter, empathizes that the Happy Independence Day directive would not bow down to the European Union and that the immigrant workers would increase trade and the economy of greater Kosovo.

The Light in the Dark referendum proposes about 300,000 refugees from bordering countries. The refugees would have tracking numbers and be placed into rural integration camps; expanding the size of the KLA would guarantee citizenship after about five years of service, and most of the refugee camp funding would be by neighboring Balkan countries and the United Nations. That would reduce dependence on European Union funding and strengthen the relationship between the Balkans and the European Union.

Edi Shukiriri points out that the lack of specificity gives a little leeway to keep neighboring countries on their side and not anger the European Union.

Sanije Alijaj of the Committee for the Rights and Indifferences believes that the tracking numbers and over-surveillance of the refugees would be inhuman and not morally right as they are already leaving their homes.

When the committee put these ideas to the vote, the vote ended in a tie, with eleven voting for and eleven voting against The Happy Independence Day and the Light in the Dark directives. The Under Secretary generals determined that the second directive put to the vote, the Light in the Dark, was chosen based on committee rules.

Unity of Mujeres Libres on Trial as Rumors Abound

Jacob Cross, Press Corps 3

AD-HOC COMMITTEE of the SECRETARY-GENERAL, Non-Traditionals – With the announcement of the Spanish Civil War, delegates faced incredible troubles trying to advance the status of women as the split in government prevents the entirety of Spain from seeing the potential benefits of any measures passed. The once entirely unified committee is itself divided, continuing to splinter over individual ambitions and the political struggles of wartime.

The split between the Republican Party and those endorsing a neutral approach continues to develop with the war encouraging more support to the Republicans, although many are still advocating remaining neutral with both sides, hoping to enable flexibility based on the outcome of the war. 

Three members of the committee, Mercedes Composada, Amparo Poch y Gascon, and Lucia Sanchez Saornil were also contacted by mysterious outside sources which spread even more rumors amongst the committee as they refused to elaborate on what the messages contained. Although placed on trial, the insistence to maintain strict secrecy of the message led to suspicion from the entire rest of the body, leaving many disappointed and distrustful. As anarchists, this committee resists any hierarchical oversight, meaning these three delegates withholding information appeared as if they were establishing themselves as superior to all of the others, which many found insulting.

Saornil, Composada, Gascon (left to right) defend themselves on trial

Matilde Piller, a wealthy mother known for her advocacy of greater female education, remained nervous about the three delegates, although she does still have sympathetical trust for the Mujeres Libres founder, Mercedes Composada.

“I don’t fully trust anyone, but I think, particularly Composada, she genuinely has the best interests at heart. I’m not sure about the other two guys, but I trust her,” Piller told the NAIMUN Daily.

However, the three delegates ultimately revealed the messages were a prank from the crisis manager and simply told them to “have a nice day,” proving their innocence. Although the letters were not filled with vital information, the trial itself demonstrates the extent to which the committee is distrustful and quick to accuse when knowledge shared directly with individuals is not made transparent. 

With rumors swirling around the trial, the three founders of the Mujeres Libres, Angustias Lara Vargas, Mercedes Composada, and Dolores Arizcuren were confronted with another even larger issue– a failed arrest attempt. These three, while not wholly aware of their crimes, were thus forced to argue for their own safety, further dividing the committee. Events like these continue to derail the body, where unity seems to be placed on trial after each crisis.