Update

Hello everyone!

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, April 14th. We're thinking of getting t-shirts this year, so if you want to give any input make sure you show up!

Also, check out the MUN bulletin board on the C-Pod wall to see some pictures from SSUNS and NCMUN.

See you Tuesday!

- The Secretariat

Meeting

Congratulations to all NCMUN delegates on a job well done last week!

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, the 24th, from 6-8 in the library. (And if we all happen to wear our NCMUN/SSUNS t-shirts on that day, that would be pretty cool...)

See you all there!

Vacation Homework

Use your vacation time to prepare for NCMUN! Here's your homework:

Research your country: If you have completed your country questionnaire, you're in good shape. If you haven't than make sure you visit the following links.

• CIA World Factbook
• US State Department (Click on your country. Once on your country's page, explore some of the links, in particular the "background notes.")
• BBC News Country Profiles
• Sites like Infoplease.com and Answers.com (Your country's page will likely have many other useful links.)
• Library of Congress Country Studies (Not all countries are listed here, but the ones that are have excellent and detailed profiles.)
  

Research your topic: The best way to do this is to actively read (take notes, highlight, etc.) the study guides provided by NCMUN, but you should definitely go beyond that and visit some of the sites listed below.

• NCMUN (Simply click on your committee's study guide to access it. Most will have links for suggested further research as well. Hint: USE THOSE SUGGESTED LINKS.)
• News agencies, like Time, CNN, and the BBC. (Search your topics on their websites, and you'll get commentary, news, and history of those issues. When we get back from vacation, you can even search the school's physical archives of Time and Newsweek for more information.)
  
• US State Department (Enter your topic into the search bar and you'll find plenty of articles, reports, and links.)
• Information websites like Infoplease.com and Answers.com (my personal favorite).
• Infotrac (This is a school resource and may require you to enter a password [the school password is porch]. It has tons of resources, and you should check out the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center in particular. Search your topic and it will spit out viewpoints, articles, and more.)
  
• Google or Yahoo (The world wide web has tons of information on your topics, and search engines are the easiest was to sift through it all.)

Research your country's position on your topic (extra credit): This will be our focus once we get back from vacation, but you should get a head start now on collecting information for your position paper. Try to find out how your country feels about the issues. Googling your country and your topic together should give you plenty of useful links. In addition, if your country has an online newspaper (that can be translated to English...), try searching for information about your country there.


So that's your homework. And don't worry; your research really shouldn't take a great deal of time if you use the tools provided, and I think you'll actually find it very interesting! If you need any help though, please don't hesitate to contact the Secretariat. You can either comment on the blog, or email us at mvuhsmodelun@gmail.com.

Also, we will be meeting on Wednesday, March 4th (the day we get back from vacation), from 6:00 to 8:00 in the library.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your vacation, and I'll see you on Wednesday!

- Maddie

NCMUN

We have finally been assigned countries for NCMUN! They are: Bahrain, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Australia, Central African Republic, Jordan, and Tibet. And we will have delegates in every committee except UNICEF. At last night’s meeting, we began assigning countries to those who were there. However, we have more students going than we have positions. Therefore, we will have several dual-delegations (meaning that two students will represent one country in one committee). And this is where we’re having a little trouble placing everyone. So, before we give out final country/committee assignments, we want to talk to everyone, which is why we will be meeting tomorrow, during TSA, right after announcements. It is extremely important that you be there if you intend to come to NCMUN. Hope to see everyone tomorrow!

- The Secretariat

Meetings Now Every Tuesday!

Hello everyone!

You may have heard by now that our meeting dates needed to be rearranged in order to accommodate conflicting schedules. At our last meeting, we discussed this issue with those in attendance, and have decided to switch our meeting date to TUESDAYS, from 6:00 to 8:00 in the library. We understand that Tuesdays aren't best for some of our members, and are taking this into consideration. A possible solution would be to have alternating meeting dates, one week Tuesday and the next week Wednesday. We would love your feedback (either in person or on the blog) before we go in this direction. Also, please note that in preparation for our upcoming conference, we will be meeting every week, and in order to be eligible to attend NCMUN, you must attend meetings as frequently as your schedule allows.

All these changes can be a little confusing, but we promise that the blog (and the calendar, located above this post) will always be up to date. So if you ever have any questions, and you can't find a Secretariat member, this is the place to come.

In other news, at our last meeting we debated human trafficking, and were chaired by the honorable Remi and Jeremy. There were fights between multiple personalities, questionable working papers, and some interesting illustrations... For those of you who didn't attend, you missed out on a good one. But no worries! With approval from the dais, we are going to continue our debate on Tuesday! If you'd like to prepared for the discussion, you can read the NCMUN topic summary for more information on human trafficking, and try visiting humantrafficking.org if you want learn about your country's position.

Hope to see everyone on Tuesday!

Sincerely,
The Secretariat

Hello everyone!

We are trying to get justifications finished by 3:00 tomorrow, so we can send them to NCMUN. Remember, by writing a justification, you will get first choice in country/committee selection for the conference.

We still need justifications for:

- Djibouti

- Bahrain

- Monaco

(If you would like to write one, please post below to let us know!)

Justifications are much like position papers, and should include:

1. Foreign policy of the country on major issues confronting the UN.

2. The Nature of the government’s involvement in current international conflicts.

3. Major UN actions the country has supported or rejected.

Visit the NCMUN website for more information.

NCMUN Website

Justification Info

Below is the justification I wrote for India. Yours does not need to be as long as mine, but try your best to make it detailed and well written. Remember, the quality of our justifications will determine the countries we will get to represent. (And if you have any suggestions/corrections for the one below, please feel free to let me know!)

Good luck and thank you to everyone who is helping!

- Maddie

p.s. WE DO NOT HAVE A MEETING TOMORROW.

Sample Justification

Missisquoi Valley Union

Justification: India

Since its birth in 1945, the United Nations has been gathering the international community to work toward a better, safer, healthier and a more prosperous existence for the world’s citizens. India is proud to be part of such a forum, and is committed to promoting its noble aims. Throughout its history in the United Nations, India has made significant contributions to the furthering of UN goals, and continues to do so. We maintain strong policies on development, peacekeeping, disarmament, the environment, and human rights, and continue to be a leader in working to improve the world’s overall environment.

India has made significant contributions to the UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF, in addition to being a major sponsor to the World Food Programme. We have also donated substantial voluntary assistance to UNEP, Habitat, UN Drug Control Programme, UN Volunteers, and more. It is our hope that all developed nations will follow India’s lead and amplify their contributions and efforts to aid the developing world.

India considers environmental and developmental issues to be closely intertwined, and is committed to a global partnership that simultaneously seeks to protect the environment while addressing the development requirements and aspirations of all nations. In addition to being an active member of the Commission on Sustainable Development, India also participates and contributes to numerous multilateral environmental conventions, including the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. It fully supports international cooperation in the field of the environment so as to effectively deal with global environmental problems.

As demonstrated through their peacekeeping efforts, India is committed to strengthening the international community, as well as protecting international peace and security. Indian troops have taken part in some of the United Nation’s most difficult operations, and their professional excellence has won them universal admiration. India has assisted in UN peacekeeping operations throughout the world, contributing most significantly to achieve stability in Africa and Asia. Presently, India is ranked as one of the largest troop contributors to the UN, with over 55,000 Indian Military and Police personnel having served under the UN flag.

India believes that a world free of nuclear weapons would improve both global security and India's own national security, and has therefore pursued the objective of global disarmament. India was the first country to call to an end to all nuclear testing in 1954, and in 1978, following many other initiatives, such as the Partial Test Ban Treaty, India proposed negotiations for an international convention that would prohibit the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. Our continuous commitment to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation is evident from the voluntary measures announced by India after undertaking a limited series of underground nuclear tests. Though India currently maintains a limited amount of credible nuclear deterrent, we have pledged to not engage in an arms race. We are willing to strengthen this commitment by undertaking bilateral agreements, as well as by engaging in discussions for a global “no-first-use” agreement. India believes that a global “no-first-use agreement” would be the first step towards halting threats of nuclear weapons, thus enhancing international security.

India believes deeply in protecting fundamental human rights, and has made it a priority since our independence to secure freedoms for all. Not only did India take an active part in drafting of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, but we were also an influential member of the Commission on Human Rights since its creation in 1947. India established its own National Commission for Human Rights in 1993, and was elected in 2006 as a member of the newly created Human Rights Council. We stand committed to making both as effective as possible at promoting and protecting human rights.

Today, the UN faces new challenges, particularly given the changes which the world has experienced over the past few decades. These challenges, be they economic, social, political, or environmental, are, above all else, global. India believes that we must stand together to tackle these tests of international character and perseverance. As the United Nations strives to find solutions to the world’s complications, India pledges to work, with unshakable conviction and optimism, towards the United Nation's success.

Meeting on Thursday

Vacation is over and it’s time to start preparing for our next conference! NCMUN is quickly approaching, and we’ve got a lot of work to do before then. That being said, we will be meeting on THURSDAY of this week (the switch in date is due to potential bad weather on Wednesday). Please note that there is also a chance that we will be meeting in D20, rather than the library. We will notify you of any such changes. If you’ve got any free time in the next few days, please go ahead and visit www.nccscougars.org/ncmun. Browse the site and make sure to check under Topic Summaries. Look at each committee and what its discussion topics will be. Try to get an idea of what committee you’d like to be in and what country you’d like to represent. (Below is a brief overview of the committees/topics.)

We hope everyone had a great vacation, and we can’t wait to see you on Thursday!

- The Secretariat

p.s. Just a reminder to sophomores: It is your turn to provide snack, if we’re not mistaken…


COMMITTEE TOPICS

Legal Committee
Topic Area A: Situation in Somalia
Topic Area B: Palestinian Refugees

Political Committee
Topic Area A: Kashmir Conflict
Topic Area B: Climate Change

Economic and Social Council
Topic Area A: Mail Order Brides
Topic Area B: Drug Trafficking
Topic Area C: Micro-Finance

Commission on Human Rights
Topic Area A: Situation in Burma
Topic Area B: Tibet Conflict

UNICEF
Topic Area A: Child Trafficking
Topic Area B: Child HIV/AIDS

International Court of Justice
Topic Area A: ICC vs Omar al-Bashir
Topic Area B: AU vs Robert Mugabe

Security Council
Topic Area A: Nations Harboring Terrorism
Topic Area B: Iran Disarmament