#sumunc23

WHO: A heated debate broke out between the delegates of Western Countries and Muslim-majority countries, as genome editing goes against their Muslim beliefs. Genome editing, also known as gene editing, refers to a group of technologies that give scientists the capabilities to alter an organism’s DNA. However, according to the Islamic law, these actions

are considered wrong.

“—In most developed countries, clinical genetics service was established by the end of the twentieth century. However underdeveloped countries such as Pakistan face multiple infectious diseases, malnutrition and so on and so forth. We are agreeing to use genome editing in the healthcare sector in order to save our country’s citizens. We are not against the islamic policies.” said the delegates of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, agreeing on the usage of genome editing

solely for the healthcare sector.

“—Human genome editing is a method that involves modification of the DNA cells. It is edited by adding, removing or altering the DNA in the human genome.The purpose of human genome editing by modifying is that we are able to increase our understanding of gene functions and develop ways to treat diseases. Besides, the pros’ of human genome editing, it can lead to certain type of cancer, allergy reaction or damage of the tissues of an organ, if an injection is involved. Thus, it should be handled as ethically as possible.” state the delegate of the Republic of Zimbabwe, speaking up on the pros’ and cons’ of human genome editing as a whole. “—Human genome editing should not be trusted by the public, for the catastrophe it could cause is unpredictable. How can the public assure that human genome editing would not be misused in the future for selfish desires? Another concern surrounding this issue is the increase of the existing gap between the rich and poor. Genome editing is expensive and is only accessible to the richer citizens.” Added the delegate of the People’s Republic of China. Questioning the equality of the accessibility of genome editing if it made its debut in the medical sector. The session carried on with a ten minutes unmoderated caucus, where delegates from western and muslims countries separated to create their own draft resolution regarding the issue at hand. Each delegate works in a collaborative manner to support their own stands with the issue at hand.

“—We deemed that genome editing are forbidden in our country as it is according to the Quran, it’s a sin to change God’s creation. Although an individual might be using this technology as a medical treatment, we still strictly forbid it as our country takes religion seriously.” stated the delegate of the Islamic Republic of Iran, that is strongly opposed to the usage of human genome

editing commercially.

The debate went back and forth between the countries who are in favour of human genome editing and oppose it. The debate was both on the rights, one to stand for the betterment of the

health of the general society while the other to stand firm in their beliefs.

UNHRC: The US delegate says that racial discrimination is one of the biggest issues in the country. “To combat racial discrimination, we must have only one pure race in the country,” the US claims. The US argues that genocide is the right way to fight racial discrimination, despite its many drawbacks.

The Palestinian delegate accuses the US of making other countries suffer worse by treating them like commodities.

Iraq believes that the agenda is close to a conclusion and has found a solution to the issue. Iraq proposes that every country in the council must work together. Kenya supports Iraq’s idea, saying that it shares the same ideology of treating all detainees equally regardless of their race. Kenya also compares Russia and the US to Nazi Germany, saying that they are committing war crimes.

“I don’t want to kill 7 billion people, but only 6.4 billion people,” the Russian delegate declares. Russia thinks that there should be only one pure race if they want to end racism.

The UK criticizes Russia and any other countries that support genocide, calling them insane and uneducated. “If the UK ruled over Russia, then Russia would have been more educated,” the UK asserts. The UK denies that it stole any resources from other countries, saying that they were given as tokens of appreciation. Therefore, the UK says, the countries that were involved in this act have no right to call out the UK.

UNW: The final day focused on the urgent issue of “Addressing the Mistreatment within Women Enlisted in the Military.” The discussion sparked a heated debate about the discrimination, sexual assault and mistreatment that women face in military settings.

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam set the tone by acknowledging the prevalence of “gender-based violence due to deeply rooted ideologies,” raising concerns about women’s rights, especially among women serving in the military.

Many countries seemed to share similar stances and stood firm to protect the rights of women in the military. Germany, for instance, said, “30% of the German military force is women, but the representation is not enough.” The country elaborated on how women’s lack of power leads to mistreatment and discrimination, urging for more recruitment of women in the military force. The delegate also called for “more transparency in the military reporting” to “allow for more scrutiny.”

The delegate of France seconded these efforts by agreeing on increasing the presence of women within military personnel. The country said, “We urge for a better reporting mechanism that is time efficient and effective as it is important for women’s lives and women’s future.”

The council continued with a lobbying session, where a bloc of most nations shared a common goal to “advocate stricter policy reforms for military women.”

UNEP: The UNEP council has passed a draft resolution on the protection of coral reefs and sustainable development in less developed countries, after a lively debate and some controversies. The draft resolution, submitted by Russia and the UAE, proposes solutions to the environmental and social challenges faced by the two agendas. Some countries opposed the voting procedure, but the majority of the council supported the draft resolution.

UNW Press Conference Wrap

by Times of India

The delegates of the Nations of Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, UNW, gathered to attend a press conference. The delegates of the Kingdom of Thailand were questioned about their country’s stand on preventing the increasing number of childbirth deaths in rural areas.

Delegate of the Kingdom of Thailand to TOI: “As we have stated in our draft resolution, if making it to the hospital is less feasible, then the midwife will provide a safe and clean home delivery, by having complete tools and delivery kits that will ensure that the childbirth process is done in a safe and clean environment.”

The conference continued with a question to the delegates of the Republic of Germany about whether the cultural and traditional beliefs of the people in rural areas would affect the health and safety of pregnant mothers and their children.

Delegates of the Republic of Germany to TOI: “The draft resolution that we have amended is balanced on all sides. It will not completely disregard the cultural and traditional beliefs of the people in rural areas, but it will only discourage the ones that are jeopardizing the health and safety of a pregnant mother and her child.”

The press conference came to an end with a closing speech from the delegates of the Kingdom of Thailand: “I thank all the delegates who have collaborated and made this draft resolution to its finest and successfully passed the assessment. The delegate of Thailand would look forward to the members of nations implementing this policy in their countries.”

UNW: The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UNW) has presented a draft resolution that champions gender equality and improves maternal healthcare in third-world countries. The resolution, spearheaded by the Kingdom of Thailand and supported by co-submitters and signatories, aims to address the challenges faced by mothers and expectant mothers in these regions.

The delegate of Germany stressed their priority to protect the lives of women during the press conference, saying, “The lives of mothers should be preserved.”

The resolution acknowledges the high maternal death rates in third-world countries and recognizes the profound socio-economic challenges they face. It emphasizes the need to accelerate plans and projects to assist local pregnant mothers, focusing on education, access to quality healthcare facilities, and innovative partnerships.

Education is a cornerstone of change. The resolution introduces programs in schools to nurture younger generations and promote early sex education, empowering individuals with knowledge that can shape healthier reproductive choices. It also fosters awareness about maternal health among husbands and wives through diverse communication methods, including on-site investigations, posters, social media, and seminars, tailored to local contexts.

Partnerships are a driving force behind the resolution. The collaborative effort between public and private organizations, including NGOs, will play a pivotal role in ensuring the successful implementation of the resolution’s provisions. This collective approach, enriched by the diverse strengths of each participating country, exemplifies the power of international collaboration in effecting meaningful change.

However, as the resolution advances, some questions arise. While the resolution proposes comprehensive solutions, concerns over implementation in resource-constrained regions and overcoming deeply ingrained cultural practices warrant consideration. Critics may also question the potential impact of private partnerships and whether they could inadvertently compromise the goals of equitable and accessible healthcare for all.

Nonetheless, the UNW’s commitment to facilitating dialogue, raising awareness, and fostering collaborative action on maternal healthcare improvement is commendable. The resolution serves as a testament to the global community’s dedication to ensuring the wellbeing of women and mothers in third-world countries, moving us a step closer to a future where gender equality and improved maternal health are not just aspirations, but realities.

The delegate of Thailand expressed gratitude to co-submitters for their unwavering commitment and collaborative spirit, saying, “We want to express thanks to co-submitters for their commitment and collaboration on the draft resolution. We look forward to seeing countries implement these solutions.”

The UNESCO council, composed of delegates from various countries, met to discuss how to preserve the biosphere reserves, which are essential for sustainable development. These reserves provide opportunities for research and education on the diversity of life within them. The UNESCO council aims to ensure the protection and continuity of these reserves through collaborative efforts.

The third committee session started with a moderated caucus, where each delegate shared their perspectives on how to conserve the biosphere reserves. The session also featured a Draft Resolution that was proposed by the sponsors of the document. The Draft Resolution outlines the strategies and initiatives that are needed to enhance the longevity of the biosphere reserves. The document is based on BIOSAVER, an acronym for Biosphere Initiative for Outstanding Sanctuary Expansion and Vital Ecosystem Resilience.

“The framework envisages a global ecosystem of biosphere reserves that harmonizes human activities with nature, safeguarding both natural and cultural heritage,” said the delegates of Federation of Malaysia, one of the sponsors of the Draft Resolution. They then explained the six sectors that comprise the Draft Resolution, which are Comprehensive Surveys and Assessments, Educational Initiatives, Stricter Regulations and Monitoring, Sustainable Practices and Restoration, International Collaboration and Transboundary Reserves, Efforts In Eradicating Climate Change.

by Nurin Afiqah binti Abu Bakar from Times of india

UNW: The council of The Nations of Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women or known as UNW has gathered delegates from all across the world in SUMUNC to propose a solution to the issues that women face across the globe.

In today’s conference, the council’s agenda was “Improving Maternal Healthcare in Third-World Countries”. The delegates were given the first committee session to discuss and draft resolutions for the issue at hand.

Draft resolution 1.0 was presented by the delegate of the Kingdom of Thailand in the third committee session. The delegate of the Kingdom of Thailand introduced the first draft resolution and explained its benefits to pregnant mothers in third-world countries.

The delegates of the Kingdom of Thailand believe that these resolutions will lessen the mortality rate of childbirth. “—This draft resolution provides a variety of solutions and possible approaches that can be done by all third-world countries, and we believe that this is feasible and affordable for them to do so,” said the delegate of the Kingdom of Thailand in the closing speech.

The delegate of the Republic of Germany asked a question about how the draft resolution will improve the health of pregnant mothers. “—we believe that it is very important for the lawmaker and the government to enforce laws against domestic violence that was usually caused by the economic issues that the people of the third-world countries faced.” said the delegates of the Kingdom of Thailand in response to the question.

The delegate of the Republic of France raised a question about the hygiene of a home birthing space. “—we have to ensure that the environment is free from any diseases that are in the rural space and we will provide ‘delivering kit’ that will make sure that during their childbirth, the environment and their body will be as safe and clean to proceed with labour without harming both the mother and child with potent diseases.”

The committee session continued with an amendment, where the delegates came forward to give their opinion for or against the draft resolution that was presented by the delegates of the Kingdom of Thailand.

“— Most of the problems in the third-world countries in terms of maternal healthcare are their affiliation to culture, since the people of third-world countries tend to prioritize cultures and traditions, in contrast to taking care of maternal healthcare,“ said the delegates of the Republic of Germany.

“—there are a lot of different problems that could arise with this for example, female genital mutilation might be a part of cultures and traditions that third-world countries tend to prioritize over the health of mothers. Therefore, this will jeopardize the health of the mothers and their children too.” The delegates of the Republic of Germany went on and were supported by other delegates.

“— Expressing the importance of preserving culture while not jeopardizing the health of pregnant mothers and children. We should improve on maternal cultural participation and culturally focus on interventions for mothers. It’s not to eradicate culture but to ensure that the cultures and traditions that are harmful to mothers would be reduced. “ said the delegates of the Commonwealth of Australia to counteract the points made by the delegates of the Republic of Germany.

The amendment went on as the delegates debated on the draft resolutions and ways to improve it. The amendment was put on hold as it was time for a break.