Coming Full Circle

Almost a year ago, we embarked on this journey of "Model United Nations." Sitting in the CLC while Dr. Jones talked about walking the Magnificent Mile, starting research on this little nation in Africa called Niger, and cautioning us that if accepted into the program we would need to spend our summer researching and networking and getting to know each other, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

Tomorrow we get to present our experiences, and there are so many to report! Being a part of the Model United Nations gives us merely a glimpse at the intensity of international politics and relations. It's hard to fathom that while our frustration at having to lobby our peers to sign onto resolutions or see things from our point of view could become intolerable, when the real United Nations has to do the same, the effects send a ripple throughout the world.

Being able to be a part of this experience was so meaningful because if our generation does not begin to understand political issues on an international level now, how do we expect to better the world in the future?

Chicago, you have served us well and taught us so much. Stay beautiful until we return!

[Final] Voting on Resolutions

Today we had the Combined General Assembly Plenary sessions where all the committees came together to vote on resolutions that had been passed in their respective committees. Having the entire group together was pretty amazing, with buzzing activity throughout the hall.

The first resolution came from the Third Committee, which basically asserted that if the State of Israel did not recognize Palestine as a State in 2 years, the UN would. It passed with 44 in favor, 29 opposed, and 31 abstaining (Niger was in favor).

The second resolution dealt with explicitly defining what were considered as 'small arms.' It passed with 54 in favor, 21 opposed, and 23 abstaining (Niger was in favor).

The their resolution surrounded criminal accountability of UN officials; it barely passed with 39 in favor, 37 opposed, and 17 abstaining (Niger abstained, but was in favor of it).

The final resolution dealt with global partnerships on environmental issues and passed with 57 in favor, 7 opposed, and 16 abstaining (Niger was in favor). After it passed, a delegate from Uganda vehemently expounded that it was 'an abomination' for the UN body to have passed the resolution having only discussed it for about 10 minutes.

My favorite part of the process is the 'roll call vote.' Instead of all in favor raising their placards at once, all opposed at once, and all abstaining at once, roll call votes require each country to announce their vote by calling it out as their country name is called. This process builds accountability for votes, allowing all to know exactly how each delegation voted. I still have my records and sheets recording all roll call votes, which look very official.

Today's session, although chaotic and busy, was a culmination of the UN body and gave us a better understanding of the way the actual UN works.

The General Assembly Plenary

The General Assembly Plenary had a really tough job to tackle. Our two issues dealt with (1) International Cooperation on Humanitarian Assistance in the Field of Natural Disasters, from Relief to Development and (2) Peace, Security and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula. So bascally, (1) dealing with natural disasters and their effects and (2) the issue of Korean relations with the international committee.

Given that Niger ranks among the poorest countries in the world and is slammed with severe droughts for part of the year and sever flooding for other parts of the year, in addition to grappling with regional warfare, the first topic was of great significance. As the delegate from Niger, I had to focus attention on preventative measures, rather than being simply reactionary, because in Niger there is no doubt the natural disasters will occur, just lack of resources to deal with the threat before it happens.

The issue of Korean relations is also pertinent as Niger has strong trade lines with its supply of uranium to Korea. Though this relationship walks a fine line, it is well-known and shapes Niger's view of the Korean conflict.

We passed four resolutions altogether, three on the first topic, one on the second.

The first resolution dealt with upholding sovereignty of nations while allowing regional bodies to deal with disaster relief with international aid as a supplement; it also focused on taking a global initiative with challenges posed by climate change. The resolution passed with 62 in favor, 14 opposed, and 20 abstaining (Niger was in favor).

The second resolution dealt with focusing on non-monetary aid as a larger part of the international response. The resolution passed with 59 in favor, 4 opposing, and 9 abstaining (Niger was opposed as the resolution posed a threat to the monetary-based aid that it is so reliant upon).

The third resolution dealt with creating a merit-based distribution method for aid, tracking who was consistently working with disaster relief. The resolution passed with 51 in favor, 6 opposing, and 16 abstaining (Niger was in favor).

The fourth resolution was connected to the second topic and dealt with calling on both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to stay a part of the Six-Party talks for peace and urged more dialogue and diplomacy. The resolution passed with 44 in favor, 21 opposed, and 18 abstaining (Niger was in favor).

The work of the General Assembly Plenary was rapped up on Monday night since, unlike the other committees our students were in, once the resolution is passed in the Plenary, it's adopted without further vote.

The resolutions took a good forever-and-a-day to pass, with never a dull moment, so getting four passed was a pretty impressive feat!


photo: The delegate from Nigeria and myself, representing Niger; technically, we are not supposed to get along, but we remained 'diplomatically courteous' :)

Small World

This world really is smaller than we think! Since we arrived, I've run into three friends that I had no idea were coming - one of my friends from Minnesota (who also worked on Capitol Hill like me), one of the guys from Missouri (who I co-presented with in DC last month at the Honors Conference), and one of my classmates from my study abroad in Greece! It's so crazy to run into them, but I'm loving it!

We started yesterday, and about 10 minutes before my very first session, Dr. Jones decided to point out what a big deal it is to be in the General Assembly Plenary. As I am alone in there, of course, I felt no pressure! (Thanks, Dr. Jones...) I took the first night in observer status and delved in more today. This conference is turning out to be quite interesting. We've been going in and out of caucusing all day today, drafting resolutions, becoming signatories, debating the merits of fine points in proposals, asking questions, the list goes on and on. The hardest part is not signing on to resolutions that personally I would support, but as a representative of Niger, not so much.

We also got to hear Paul Rusesabagina, the hero of Hotel Rwanda talk today. Such an interesting and courageous man, and so courteous. He signed my book, which was quite exciting!

Anyway, sessions start up in a few minutes, so back to another three hours of conferencing. Be back with some pictures later! Cheers from chilly Chicago!

Welcome to Chicago!! :)

This city has changed so much in 14 years. Chicago definitely gives you the big city feel that I love, and it's fantastic to be here! The weather has been gorgeous, the atmosphere inviting, and the company spectacular.

Today we trekked to the West Egg for lunch, a great breakfast-lunch bistro in the heart of the city. We then visited the Sears tower, now known as the Willis Tower. As with every national landmark nowadays, gone are the days of simply walking in and going up the sky lift - now you first get to embrace security. But the tower is still fabulous, and now even more so with its glass cages that allow you to view the city below - amazing!

What is most fabulous is the view. The awe-inspiring skyscrapers complement the clear skies and all reflect off of each other, glistening fantastically in the awe of the sun.

The delegates have already begun to arrive, and the conference begins tomorrow, so things are beginning to shift into gear. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Returning to the Windy City

Less than 4 days away from Chicago, and with all the craziness, it's still hard to believe. I left the gorgeous Windy City 14 years ago, and of course am more than thrilled to return!

Model UN is like my dream class - I love debating international politics. Just from practicing with the simulations, I've already learned what a challenge it's going to be staying in character. As much as some have moaned and groaned about our representing a less active UN entity - Niger - I am thrilled by the challenge! There is so much to talk about with Niger, so many issues to bring up and keep in mind as we engage in the debates that no doubt the conference will be exhilerating.

I've been taking the class independent study as it conflicts other engagements (hence my absence in the picture), but I've already gotten to work with my amazing colleagues and co-delegates and have no doubt in my mind that we will take Chicago by storm!

More to come!