#ntumun

Shreya Ghosal | BBC

“Google Baba has the answer to everything” is a famous phrase that is used by pretty much anyone and everyone who is familiar with the use of internet struggling to thrive in the quick-paced 21st century world. The delegate of Philippines at ASEAN actually strongly believes in this phrase as he was researching and reading off Google when asked about “effective measures” against COVID-19 during a press conference. You’re living in the COVID era, seems like you haven’t read the news since March 2020! Shreya Ghosal, BBC reporter  couldn’t help but sympathise for him as she realised his lack of research on the 3rd day of the conference amidst mindful and observant delegates of ASEAN. She was forced to say, “delegate, from next please have your information ready and also try to not read off from Google”.

On the other hand, there was the delegate of China who tried to get herself ‘ready’ for any press questions by actually sending a direct message to the BBC press delegate.

Delegate, do you really think the press reporter would let you know of a question beforehand? Has that ever happened before? Let us know!

Along with delegates who gave opportunity for roasters coming from the press corps, ASEAN also consists of delegates such as the delegate of Malaysia who provided complete justification to each and every point that was brought out successfully sticking to her stance which unfortunately is quite a rare sight in the ASEAN council.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has come to a point where citizens are simply used to the idea of breathing in air that consists a virus. People have developed the habit of wearing masks. People are sick and tired of hearing “social distancing”. Now, the world is opening up and very few countries are truly hesitating before opening up their borders. However, the delegate of Indonesia thinks that opening up the borders with Malaysia and Thailand despite having “full trust” in their measures would not be a good idea. Why? “Uhhh, it is just not a good time”. “But delegate, don’t you think the world would have to open up at some point and don’t you think this is a good time to do so” asked BBC reporter, Shreya Ghosal as a follow up to which the response was once again, “right now would not be that time”. To our dismay, the delegate of Indonesia, couldn’t even answer the question which simply asked, “Why don’t you open up your borders with Malaysia and Thailand”. Delegate, at least come up with a believable reason from next time.

Shafa Amani Anargya Pragiwaka | The Saudi Gazette

On Sunday (20/3/2022), the ongoing WHO (World Health Organization) conference — operating under the objective of gender equality in healthcare and COVID-19 recovery — underwent an exclusive Press Conference subsequent to the cementing of the “Communique” concerning gender equality discussions.

States have posited varying proposals and personal objectives within the get-go, particularly evident in the concession of adopting the “Communique” format, which highlights the distinct polarizations each state wavered to forfeit, as opposed to the bloc-heavy conventional “Draft Resolution” format. In a sense, implying the absence of specific group alignments in the plight to collaboration.

One such solution that protrudes is France’s “REGAIN” initiative (short for Reward and Education as General Measures to Alleviate Gender Inequality in Healthcare). Under this, a specialized WHO GER (Gender, Equity, and Human Rights) team will be formed, fortified by elected member-state representatives, to delineate awards for healthcare professionals deemed to “champion” women and gender equality in their practice.

However, one must note the vagueness and incongruences such a plan may impose. First, there is no stipulated mechanism that details the initiation of the task force in the first place. When inquired by the Saudi Gazette, the delegate of France mentions the aid that the French health sector will provide with the WHO to kick things forward. However, there is no mentioned safety nets that voids plausible impartiality and subjectivity impacting REGAIN due to France’s embryonic involvement.

Secondly, France underlined greatly the need for healthcare provisions to cater individually to each state, rather than be universally encompassing. Then, how could we possibly get around to sequencing these states’ efforts when the playing ground is not leveled, unlike other awarding programs which consider receivers from their individual dispositions?

Thirdly, France asserts the success probabilities of their proposal by stating that there are existing blueprints today, albeit in different fields. However, it was very evident during the council sessions that a concession to any basic, universal upkeep was problematic. Gender equality in health has been a long-spanning issue that plagues even the best systems in the world, and the fact of said issues have not been properly combatted under developmental processes so far is proof of how intricate it is.

Lee Loch Kean, Shreya Ghosal | BBC

Upon UNSC’s failure to pass a resolution on Biological Weapons yesterday, press delegates from the BBC were invited to hold a press conference. During this, the UNSC continued to deliver humorous moments reminiscent of past sessions.

The delegate of Iran, when asked about the use of Internet memes in her working papers stated enthusiastically, “a picture speaks a thousand words, add six more and boom! Such an influential picture that can bring forth a big meaning.”

At this, the press chair quipped without hesitation, “Delegate, you might want to be careful with the use of the word “boom” as it’s taken in another way in your country,” a joke accompanied by laughter seen rarely at such a serious meeting of the UN.

Seems like the press just had its best press conference moment at UNSC. The writers of this article are lucky to have viewed it, especially with the delegate of Israel releasing several bursts of laughter every couple of minutes.

However, it seems that today might see more serious and productive debate. The delegate of Russia stated that the debate so far had been “very fruitful” and “better than yesterday”. The delegate of France seemed to agree, also adding that delegates were “explaining their views very clearly.”

The press conference also found time for more serious questions. Lee Loch Kean, a reporter from the BBC asked the Israeli delegate to “confirm that Israel will not use biological weapons in any conflict.” The Israeli delegate appeared stunned at this, but answered calmly, “Israel has always taken a defensive stance in its defense system…and does not trust in global conventions to adequately provide coverage for national security.” The delegate proceeded to explain that “it [the Biological Weapons Convention] was not comprehensive enough,” failing both to answer the question posed nor convince many of her sincerity.

On the other hand, UNSC presents itself with the selfish delegate of USA who says, “there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interest” when questioned about his seconding with the delegate of UNSC which shocked the delegate of Brazil. The USA says that he would side with China only because they have the same stance and it’s rather egoistical of the USA doing the same. Nevertheless, it’s not surprising to get perplexed when China and US agree with each other since all the ex-president of the USA, Mr.Trump was riveted towards, was the destruction of China.

Voon Kee Shand |  The Saudi Gazette 

Cyber-censorship, otherwise known as internet censorship, is defined by the UNHRC as the effort to control or suppress accessibility of certain publications or content or the internet, both in publishing and viewing, by regulations or collaborations with media entities. Simply put, it is the restriction of online resources on the Internet.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not shy about the fact that cyber-censorship is carried out within the country at all. In fact, cyber-censorship is extremely essential for maintaining a safe and positive environment, both online and offline. By blocking content that promotes hate speech, illegal activities, or defamation of the monarchy, harmony and political stability is established within the Kingdom.

In the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) first committee session to address cyber-censorship of online activism, many countries acknowledged the potential repercussions of the radicalisation of the Internet; a vast, shared space accessible by all.

Even countries that originally abhorred censorship and cried for the upholding of free speech could agree that censorship to a certain extent is needed for the greater good of their people. However, the amount of censorship advocated for by the delegates varies greatly. Such a sentiment may have been formed due to the hesitance to censor activism in particular, which is defined as “the use of direct and noticeable action to achieve a result, usually a political or social one” and usually perceived as positive.

In an exclusive interview with the delegate for Saudi Arabia, he aptly pointed out that “some types of activism are not good, (such as) activism for illicit purposes or (that promote) immoral opinions,”, which may be a realisation that the other other delegates have not yet come to.

Alicia Ng | The Saudi Gazette 

Tensions ran high at the United Nations Security Council, as the delegates of the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), Israel, Egypt and France presented their working paper accusing the country of Iran of financing terrorists and “trying to take over the world through terrorism”, as the delegate of the UK delicately stated.

These tensions were preceded by and stemmed from conflict over the role of foreign intervention in dealing with terrorist organisations, as the council saw itself divided between countries supporting foreign intervention, like Egypt and France, and countries against foreign interventions, like China, Iran and Brazil. The delegate of Russia accused of the USA and the EU of abusing their power, stating that they feel that the “US thinks it has the right to intervene”, despite the UNSC having “the responsibility to protect, not the right to protect”

In the defence of their government, the delegate of Iran said that they “do not support terrorist organisations, but rather organisations fighting for freedom”, a tagline largely reminiscent of many terrorist organisations.

Another can of worms was opened regarding the role of the USA in the war in Afghanistan, as they said that that was precisely why foreign intervention was not a way to go, as it would turn states into “failed states”, as the delegate of Iran said with the support of the delegates of China and Brazil.

Karl Adormeo | New York Times 

UN-Habitat: The morning starts off with a slow discussion on the problems of urban governance. As one would assume, urban governance is the planning, financing, and management of urban centers. In UN-Habitat, member states are dead set on resolving current issues of strategy, transparency, and accountability in urban governance.

The Gutters of Urban Governance

In this fantastically convenient and modern world, populations are more and more inclined to inhabit the concrete jungles of today, drawn to them like moths to a flame. Clearly, this poses some problems. As the delegate of Malaysia said, “Urban governments are unable to keep up with the growth of urban slums and a rapid flow of people into their cities.”

That’s not where it ends. For the delegate of Indonesia, the corruption in the justice system of urban governments seems particularly significant, mentioning how the downfall of law and order leads to increased crime rates. Another woe for UN-Habitat.

As discussions went on, the delegate of the United States made a particularly mild call to action, saying that, “We [the USA] hope that solutions can be found. The delegation of the USA understands that a new urban governance policy needs to be put in place.”

Old Solutions to Old Problems

However, some states seem to have the solution: transparency, which is obviously not ground-breaking (unlike what the title implied). Marketing it like the solution to the problems of tomorrow, the delegate of South Korea passionately calls out the “lack of transparency” in already existing efforts to improve urban governance. Who would’ve thought that honesty did some good to society?

Chiming in, the delegate of China boasts about the country’s smart cities, emphasizing the need for strategic planning and adapting UN goals to the needs of each country.  

These proposals for solutions were joined by the delegate of Norway, who provided a liberal stance: that local governments need more autonomy in the implementation of urban governance projects. This was echoed by the delegates of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

Several Forks in the Road Ahead

Shreya Ghosal | BBC

Swinging into Day 3 of NTUMUN22, DISEC is running slower than usual whilst discussing their draft resolution for their first agenda, ‘Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Military’. Delegates have just more than 2 council sessions now to work on their second agenda. As a beginner committee, would the delegates be able to prove their worth?

In fact, the chairs of the council had to personally ask the delegates to “read the draft resolution word to word” well after its release. Delegates, stop slacking, start acting. QUICK! The council lost 10 minutes simply waiting for delegates to read the draft resolution. Usually, committees do not consider this as a “waste of time” since delegates are familiarising themselves with the draft resolution but it seems like the delegate of Israel doesn’t follow the usual conventions as he goes on to say, “This resolution looks like cheese, it is full of holes although it has substance”.

Ong You Jie (Gerard) ⎪ Fox News

The first press conference by the 9/11 commission has finally been held. Amidst allegations of incompetency, controversy and lack of transparency, Mr Alvin S. Felzenberg, the Director of Communication, struggled to answer our Fox News 9/11 correspondent's question with confidence and certainty. Why is that? Is there something the commission is trying to hide? What’s there that the public can’t know?

There seems to be a recurring theme throughout the short press conference, one that entails concealing the truth from the public. When asked about the progress of the investigation, Mr John J. Farmer, the Head of Ground Investigation, seems to always come to the same conclusion - “We cannot reveal too much due to national security concerns”. Yes, national security. Well, if national security is a genuine concern, why didn’t America’s intelligence community take action upon knowing potential threats? That was something the commission was supposed to shed light on, but to this day, they still haven’t.

However, Felzenberg did give some details, stating that “The investigation is currently still in the beginning stages and a lot of data still needs to be obtained; a lot of documents from law enforcement agencies still needs to be sieved through. Nevertheless, the direction of the investigation is quite clear and we are working with relevant authorities. We will disclose what we can without revealing too much that it compromises national security.”.

How can they expect us, the populace, to have confidence in them again? How can we trust the government when the government doesn't trust us? How can the American people have faith when the very committee that is supposed to give us closure thrives off cover-ups and mysterious and suspicious proceedings.

The purpose of the 9/11 commission is to serve the American people, to give us the truth. The whole truth. By holding press conferences, Fox News will continue to exert pressure on the 9/11 commission to give us the respect and answer we rightfully deserve.