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2010 Committees
International Atomic Energy Agency
Chairs: Aditi Verma, Debora SlutskyEmail the chairs:
Announcements
Position Papers are due Sunday, January 31 at noon by email to the chairs. Position Papers are required for delegate awards. More information about position papers can be found on the preparation page.
Background Guides have been posted. Download full pdf
Topic 1: Elimination of Rogue Nuclear Programs
Background GuideThe IAEA works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. Its key roles contribute to international peace and security, and to the World's Millennium Goals for social, economic and environmental development. In order to ensure safety and security, the IAEA must ensure that nations, organizations and agencies use nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes only. Therefore the IAEA must actively engage in the elimination of rogue nuclear programs.
Topic 2: Enforcement and Relevance of Nuclear Treaties
Background GuideThe two main Nuclear treaties that are in force today are the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). This agenda aims to explore the relevance and effectiveness of these treaties and seeks to determine how they can be better enforced and implemented to promote nuclear non proliferation.
United Nations Security Council
Chairs: Radhika Malik, Eyas B Alsharaiha, Bahar ShahEmail the chairs:
Announcements
Position Papers are due Sunday, January 31 at noon by email to the chairs. Position Papers are required for delegate awards. More information about position papers can be found on the preparation page.
Background Guides have been posted. Download full pdf
Topic 1: Iran-Israel Conflict
Background GuideRecent times have seen a tremendous escalation of tension between these two nations. As Iran continues with its nuclear program, refusing cooperation with the UN or the IAEA, tensions rise between Iran and Israel, with the latter feeling threatened by Iran's nuclear program. Previous statements by Iranian President Ahmadinejad issuing several statement regarding the state of Israel, Zionism, and the holocaust, most recently in United Nations General Assembly in 2009. Israel believes their security is threatened by Iran, and stresses that Iran's nuclear program is designated to create nuclear artillery that will target the country, offering a literal interpretation of President Ahmadinejad's statement that Israel should have been "wiped off the map". Iran, on the other side, maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, and that all enriched Uranium is being used in the sake of energy. Iran maintains that its views on Israel, though legitimate in their perspective, will not be translated to a direct military conflict. The world is still divided on the issue, and it is imperative that the UNSC finds a feasible solution.
Topic 2: The Situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Background GuideThe eight-year long war in Afghanistan, aiming to eradicate Taliban influence is again facing major setbacks. While the post-war Afghanistan never realized its full stability, indeed seeing numerous IED explosions, increased opium and drug trade, itself economically linked to Taliban, today's challenges in Afghanistan are even more serious; the direct influence of Taliban has resumed its growth, and Taliban-backed insurgency is, again, on the rise. The issue, which was previously a problem exclusively in southern Afghanistan, has been spreading in all directions. North and West Afghanistan are witnessing increased Taliban influence, and the Taliban is also rapidly expanding its base into Pakistan. There is internal instability in the Pakistani state, which is making it even more difficult for Pakistan to resist the militant infiltration. Can the UNSC agree on how to foster security and stability in this critical region, and thus control the increasing threat of fundamentalist terrorism?
World Trade Organization
Chairs: Ahmed Hussain, Pranav RamkrishnanEmail the chairs:
Announcements
Position Papers are due Sunday, January 31 at noon by email to the chairs. Position Papers are required for delegate awards. More information about position papers can be found on the preparation page.
Background Guides have been posted. Download full pdf
Topic 1: Special and Differential Treatment for Developing Nations
Background GuideThe World Trade Organization is tasked with administering trade agreements, providing forums for trade negotiations, handling trade disputes, monitoring national trade policies, assisting and training developing countries in issues regarding trade, and generally cooperating with other arms of the United Nations in order to promote worldwide peace and prosperity. How can the WTO help both developing and developed countries better implement, integrate, and streamline the obligations established in the Uruguay Talks?
Topic 2: Issues in Agricultural Trade
Background GuideUntil the Uruguay Round negotiations (1986-1994), the GATT was mostly ineffective in dealing with many important facets of international agricultural trade. Many countries established export subsidies as well as import restrictions such as tariffs. This unbalanced trade ran the risk of creating a volatile market, the crash of which could send many countries into famine. One of the first significant steps of the WTO was to curtail these import restrictions and export subsidies in order to create a more balanced global agricultural market.
World Health Organization
Chairs: Nikita Consul, Arianna MosharyEmail the chairs:
Announcements
Position Papers are due Sunday, January 31 at noon by email to the chairs. Position Papers are required for delegate awards. More information about position papers can be found on the preparation page.
Background Guides have been posted. Download full pdf
Topic 1: Reducing Maternal Mortality
Background GuideProgress in reducing maternal mortality rates has barely amounted to 5% in the last 9 years. Maternal mortality rates are especially high in developing nations, where mothers during childbirth may not necessary have access to proper childbirth/healthcare facilities. In addition, overall quality of maternal health influences maternal mortality rates.
Topic 2: Increasing Access to Safe Drinking Water and Proper Sanitation
Background GuideIn locations without safe drinking water, people suffer from waterborne diseases such as Cholera, Typhoid, Giardia, Cryptospondium. Such diseases spread quickly where proper sanitation and hygiene is not common. As people still lack access to safe drinking water, there is a need for stronger health measures in place around the world that provide for containment of such diseases and provide for proper care of the victims in clean, sanitary healthcare facilities.
United Nations Environment Programme
Chairs: Arfa Aijazi, Yangbo Du, Jaclyn WilsonEmail the chairs:
Announcements
Position Papers are due Sunday, January 31 at noon by email to the chairs. Position Papers are required for delegate awards. More information about position papers can be found on the preparation page.
Background Guides have been posted.
Topic 1: Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Background GuideGlobal warming climate change is a term most people have heard before. One of the causes of global warming climate change is the excess amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from anthropogenic causes, with carbon dioxide being a main focus of these greenhouse gases. In order to deal with this problem, it has been suggested that carbon dioxide be taken out of the atmosphere (capture) and stored (sequestration). The question now is, is this feasible to do, and if so, what methods could and should be used to capture and sequester carbon dioxide?
Topic 2: Regulation of Heavy Metals
Background GuideHuman exposure to heavy metals has risen dramatically in the last 50 years as a result of an exponential increase in the use of heavy metals in industrial processes and products. In many nations, domestic regulation of heavy metals is relaxed in the rush for profit and to compete in the global economy. In February 2009, the Governing Council of the UN Environment Programme unanimously agreed to launch a global crackdown on the toxic metal mercury. But the call for regulation has had no significant effect on global toxic metal poisoning. There is no doubt that high emission of toxic metals pose a significant threat to human health and the environment, but the debate lies in enforcing regulation and updating previous regulations. This issue is even more pertinent as nuclear power is increasingly seen as an alternate energy solution.
