Are you interested in journalism? Do you want a change a pace from the usual MUN debating? Normally when thinking about MUN we usually think about delegates and committees, and while they are fundamental, also the Press Corps is a hard-working and important organization not to be disregarded and underestimated. Instead of representing countries and debating, the Press Corps members become journalists that ensure the freedom of press. They work for world news organizations, as they cover developments within the committees' debated topics, take photographs of the ongoing debates, and draw cartoons to address pressing political issues. What is the Press Corps responsible for? Press Corps is in charge of the conference’s gazette, which includes articles summarizing topics that will be discussed during the debates, interviews of delegates and Chairs involved in the conference, as well non-related committee topics like book recommendations and what to visit in Milan. Within our gazette, we can also find pictures of conferences, Milan, and ASM. What you are responsible for will really depend on the role you personally get to choose. In fact, one of the best parts of the Press Team is the freedom of choosing your role, you can be an editor, journalist, photographer, videographer, marketing manager, and political cartoonist. These roles allow you to explore your creative passions and use such abilities to help in the betterment of the conference. Let’s see the opinions from different members within the MUN Press Team: Editor Arianna Zhou: “I never really liked debating, but I have always been interested in politics and journalism. I think that the MUN Press team is a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in exploring the more creative side of MUN. I love the freedom of moving between conferences, interviewing people, writing articles i’m truly passionate about etc..working for the MUN Press is genuinely a very fun experience” Journalist Martina De Falco: Being part of the MUN press is very fun and interesting, especially if you enjoy writing. A press member can enter different committees and listen to many debates while writing interesting topics discussed. This is what I like the most as I'm able to listen to many solutions proposed to different issues and I can write articles about what the delegates say.” Photographer Enzo: I’ve always been passionate about photography as it has always been a thing that my family did and taught me how to do, so I grew up around photography, and when my grandmother gave me my first camera I instantly fell in love with it. And being part of the Press Corps allows me to show my skills and continue doing what I love.” In my opinion participating as a journalist in the Press Corps is one of the most gratificating experiences in the MUN, as you gain new experiences and skills which will most definitely be valuable for the future, while you still get to meet new people and be involved in the committees.
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The American School of Milan this year is hosting the ASMMUN conference, welcoming 18 different schools worldwide. Even though it is a modern school that has been recently renovated, our school is also rich in its history, dating back to 1962. This year we are even celebrating our 60th anniversary! To best celebrate it, I decided to take you on a journey to some of its most important events.
1962 - ASM opens for the first time with 17 students in Sesto San Giovanni; founded by a small group of English speaking parents who want to provide an Anglo-American education for their children. A year later, the school acquires the name of The American Community School of Milan (ACSM) and student enrolment reaches 100+ students. 1973 - The school drops the word “community” and and adopts the name American School of Milan 1976 - ASM changes premises from Sesto to Noverasco di Opera 1990s - Student enrollment reaches 500+ and the Panther become the new mascot of ASM 2000s - ASM becomes one of first laptop schools in Europe and celebrates its 40th anniversary. In 2009, the school increases by 40% the square footage of its facilities, and in 2010 ASM introduces an official Advancement Program and has raised more than1.2 million since its launch! 2019 - ASM is awarded the Green Flag for our initiatives to make improvements to the school in areas of Health, Biodiversity and more. Various other facilities are also added to the school including a new greenhouse and a new auditorium that can accommodate 500 people. ASM is now one of the most modern and international schools in Milan, with over 900 students attending. It is still currently growing and improving as it has done it its previous 60 years! Unlike many prejudiced thoughts, according to Enzo, “Rwanda is a very safe country.” Kigali, as a city, is also very clean,” one of the cleanest in Africa. Additionally, he also characterized “the people in the society” as “very friendly.” This year, ASM was happy to have an in-person conference, welcoming over 13 different countries and 17 different schools worldwide. During day 1 of the ASMMUN conference, I interviewed Enzo Carema from Rwanda who gave some insightful opinions on the club, how the conferences are taking place, and even his own experience as a Rwandan citizen.
Are you interested in becoming a Chair? What is it like being a Chair? Today I will be interviewing the Chair of World Health Organization, Alexander Woods. Alexander Woods is a senior of the American School of Milan, and has been part of the Model United Nations for over 3 years now. He will be offering his insight today into what’s it like being a Chair, and how it’s like living in Milan.
For a very long time I was a delegate, last year in ASM I was the delegate of Russia in the Security Council Committee. This year is actually the first time I decided to chair, and while it is definitely very exciting it is a bit challenging, but I think that it's quite a nice change of scenery. I went from delegate to Chair, and I think it has been quite an interesting process.
Are you passionate about operas, ballets, and concerts? Are you interested in visiting a symbolic landmark of Milan and one of the most famous monuments in the world? Then you HAVE to visit Teatro alla Scala. Teatro alla Scala (also known as “La Scala”) is the main opera house in Milan and it is considered among the most prestigious theaters in the world. It has hosted leading artists in the international field of opera, ballet, and classical music for 244 years. The building was designed by Giuseppe Piermarini and opened again in 1778 after it was destroyed by a fire that broke out in 1776. Since then, it has presented magnificent performances, continuously amazing in awe it's audience. Well-known artists have performed in the theatre including Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Gioacchino Rossini. Along with performances, La Scala also has a museum with an extraordinary collection of paintings, sketches, statues, and other documents related to opera. There are shows almost everyday which present famous operas, ballets, and music. Below are some shows that you should go see during these few days in Milan as they are amazing to watch and will also allow you to gain insight into the beauties of Italian culture and artistry. On October 30th, La Scala is presenting the opera Fedora, an overwhelming story of passion, violence, and betrayal written by Umberto Giordano in 1898. It lasts three hours but if you like romance and thriller stories, you should definitely go watch this opera where the performers both sing and act. Another performance presented by La Scala on October 31st is The Little Prince by Pierangelo Valtinoni. This opera is more lighthearted as the original one has been adapted by a contemporary composer and, although you probably know it, it is a story about loneliness, friendship, sadness, and love where the main character, the Prince, goes on a journey and discovers the unpredictable nature of adults. The tickets can be bought on their website which is very detailed and shows other events planned for the year. If you don’t have time to watch a performance, you should definitely still look at it from the outside and you will be amazed by its beauty. Writer: Martina De Falco
Dear MUN Readers, Since I know many of you have traveled from far away to come here; some coming from Germany, others from as far as Rwanda, Caterina Siciliano and I, wanted to welcome you and give a list of our own book recommendations that you can enjoy while on your airplane flight back home or during your metro ride around Milan! We made sure that our lists involved a variety of genres to best accommodate everyone’s taste, from non-fiction to classics, so here is our own personal list made just for you.
Writers: Arianna Zhou and Caterina Siciliano
The Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM) is the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. The Committee’s primary focus is to discuss issues on the protection of minority rights, such as that of indigenous groups, women, and children. Racial discrimination can be defined as “the belief that some races of people are better than others” and as a result of their racial differences, they will be unjustly subjected to prejudices and negative behavior. Currently, in today’s society, the protection of human rights is being threatened by the prevalent issue of racism and racial discrimination in Europe.
With Denmark-Norway being the first country in Europe to abolish slavery in 1803, the prospect was for racism to come to an end; the idea was that other countries would follow suit, and racism would eventually be eradicated. However, quite the opposite happened. People found excuses to haze, discriminate, and inflict harm upon those they determined to be of another race. The xenophobic ideals behind slavery continued to propagate simply under a different name. Though much progress has been made since the 1800s, many minority groups still face discrimination and racism in Europe; refugees, immigrants and asylum-seekers are especially affected. “Entrenched hierarchies of race, class and gender were unmistakable and entirely normalised” during colonisation, and unfortunately, the after-effects of these concepts still exist prevalent in societies today. Though to varying degrees, depending on the country and region of the world, in almost every society, hierarchies can be identified. The ‘understanding’ that some people were ‘better than’ others was an ingrained mentality, and this way of thinking has been passed down through generations, resulting in unjustified entitlement of certain groups of people today. Racism and xenophobia are issues that countries in Europe are still battling today, despite many attempts to reduce racism and promote equality. The areas where racism is most evident are often in housing, education, employment, access to social services, and law enforcement. Racism is only amplified through hostile attitudes towards and stigmatization of refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers, and the use of racist and xenophobic arguments in political discussions. The use of racism at higher levels of government in a country essentially authorizes citizens to employ such prejudices against other races. Solution Though no tangible solutions have been created and implemented, many suggestions propose “legislation, awareness-raising, education, positive action and participation” to help combat racism. Many Member States of the European Union have implemented anti-discrimination legislation “at a national level,”. Some of which have, “taken steps to set up” “independent national bod[ies] with the unique responsibility of fighting racism and racial discrimination”. In theory, this decision should be effective, however, as discrimination is a deep-rooted issue that has been nurtured by decades of racist teaching, enacting such change and following through with the European goals of equality, might be more challenging than expected. According to a study conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in 2018, “a quarter of black people in Europe experience racial discrimination at work or when looking for a job.” This demonstrates the sheer quantity of racism that exists, in an environment where qualifications, not race, should be the reason for choosing to hire or not to hire someone. One of the findings from the FRA’s ‘EU minorities and discrimination survey,’ was that, “in some countries, 76% of young black people are not in work, education or training, compared to 8% of the general population.” Some solutions that were proposed by the FRA to counter the problems that these statistics depict, were to have diversity audits in companies, or holding public sector recruitment drives among black people. Nevertheless, by routinely inspecting institutions – such as education, housing agencies, and employment agencies – and ensuring they stick to the legislation, it may be possible to reduce the widespread racial discrimination and fight for more equal rights for all members of society. Bibliography: Gachet, Isil. “Combating Racism and Racial Discrimination in Europe.” United Nations, United Nations, https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/combating-racism-and-racial discrimination-europe. McPherson, James. “A Brief Overview of the American Civil War.” American Battlefield Trust, American Battlefield Trust , 24 Aug. 2021, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/brief-overview-american-civil-war. “13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/13thamendment#:~:text=Passed%20by%20Congress%20on%20January,within%20the%20Unit ed%20States%2C%20or. Bieling, Alena. “Discrimination in Europe Remains Present, but under-Reported.” Www.euractiv.com, EURACTIV, 8 Oct. 2021, https://www.euractiv.com/section/non discrimination/news/discrimination-in-europe-remains-present-but-under-reported/. Farge, Emma. “Switzerland Has 'Systemic' Racism Issues, UN Experts Say.” Edited by Ed Osmond, Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 3 Oct. 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/switzerland-has-systemic-racism-issues-un-experts say-2022-10-03/. Lindsay, Tom. “'After All, Didn't America Invent Slavery?'.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 Oct. 2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlindsay/2019/08/30/after-all-didnt-america-invent-slavery/?sh=5682bf1a7ef6. Ross, Elliot. “The Past Is Still Present: Why Colonialism Deserves Better Coverage.” The Correspondent, 9 Oct. 2019, https://thecorrespondent.com/32/the-past-is-still-present-why-colonialism-deserves-better-coverage. “Being Black in the EU Often Means Racism and Poor Jobs.” European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 31 Jan. 2020, fra.europa.eu/en/video/2018/being-black-eu-often-means-racism-and-poor-jobs. What is happening in the C40 committee?
Upon the introductory ceremony, the C40 Cities committee, in their mission to establish a future where everyone can thrive, quickly took action to find a resolution for the current climate crisis. The first topic they debated was the issue of maintaining water supply in metropolitan areas. The issue of water shortages With the majority of the population living in cities, the access to sufficient quantity and quality of water is fundamental. However, the supply of water, is being threatened by various environmental issues that have consequently led to social, economic and sanitation challenges as well. How will the UN respond to these challenges? How will the issue of scarcity of water as a resource be addressed? Resolution of Stockholm to the issue The first issue resolution was submitted by Stockholm. The delegation of Stockholm, proposed how available water supply resources in cities will be managed, in order to meet drinking water needs. Furthermore, as part of efforts to secure water supply, special attention has been paid to better facilitate the transportation of water between cities and the territories from which water is supplied. The supply of water, for urban consumption, by territories raises a number of questions: which water resources contribute to the water drinking supply in cities? Are they endogenous or exogenous? In which geographical and historical contexts are they, or have they been mobilized, and according to which criteria? and what are the technical, financial, health, social, political and environmental challenges associated with their current plan? Did the resolution pass? The delegate of Lagos was the first to offer a motion to give an against speech, stating the resolution was lacking in specificity. This was followed by a number of speeches against the resolution submitted. In finality, the resolution did not stand the pass of the other countries and was ultimately rejected. Conclusion Overall, the issue of water shortages, begs the question as to why there are still water supply issues, despite there being an adequate amount of water to sustain all. In the event that people cannot access enough water to consume, bathe, or feed crops when there is a water shortage, economic loss may ensue. Additionally, poor sanitation, which affects 2.4 billion people, could result in cholera, typhoid fever, and other water-borne infections, including those that are fatal. What is happening in the C40 committee?
Upon the introductory ceremony, the C40 Cities committee, in their mission to establish a future where everyone can thrive, quickly took action to find a resolution for the current climate crisis. The first topic they debated was the issue of maintaining water supply in metropolitan areas. The issue of water shortages With the majority of the population living in cities, the access to sufficient quantity and quality of water is fundamental. However, the supply of water, is being threatened by various environmental issues that have consequently led to social, economic and sanitation challenges as well. How will the UN respond to these challenges? How will the issue of scarcity of water as a resource be addressed? Resolution of Stockholm to the issue The first issue resolution was submitted by Stockholm. The delegation of Stockholm, proposed how available water supply resources in cities will be managed, in order to meet drinking water needs. Furthermore, as part of efforts to secure water supply, special attention has been paid to better facilitate the transportation of water between cities and the territories from which water is supplied. The supply of water, for urban consumption, by territories raises a number of questions: which water resources contribute to the water drinking supply in cities? Are they endogenous or exogenous? In which geographical and historical contexts are they, or have they been mobilized, and according to which criteria? and what are the technical, financial, health, social, political and environmental challenges associated with their current plan? Did the resolution pass? The delegate of Lagos was the first to offer a motion to give an against speech, stating the resolution was lacking in specificity. This was followed by a number of speeches against the resolution submitted. In finality, the resolution did not stand the pass of the other countries and was ultimately rejected. Conclusion Overall, the issue of water shortages, begs the question as to why there are still water supply issues, despite there being an adequate amount of water to sustain all. In the event that people cannot access enough water to consume, bathe, or feed crops when there is a water shortage, economic loss may ensue. Additionally, poor sanitation, which affects 2.4 billion people, could result in cholera, typhoid fever, and other water-borne infections, including those that are fatal. Historical Background Knowledge Following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War One, Britain seized possession of Palestine, an Arab majority population with a Jewish minority. In 1917, the international world tasked Britain with creating a "national home" for Jews in Palestine, tensions between the two people rose. British authorities departed in 1948 after failing to find a solution, and Jewish leaders proclaimed the establishment of the state of Israel. A war resulted after numerous Palestinians protested. More than 700,000 Palestinian arabs fled or were displaced from their homes as a result of the war. In the following year, the conflict ended in a truce, with Israel ultimately having authority over the majority of the area. Jordan and Egypt both occupy the West Bank and Egypt occupied Gaza. The Effects on the Population The economic and social hardship of the Palestinian residents of the occupied Palestinian territory has deteriorated. The use of arbitrary detention, the disproportionate use of force, house demolitions, severe mobility restrictions, a lack of building permits, and closure policies greatly contribute to the worsening of life. Additionally, the internal Palestinian war has continued to claim lives and interfere with the provision of vital services to the populace. The ongoing blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip, which has been cut off since June 2007, has led to inhumane conditions, a near collapse of the private sector, and shortages of basic necessities like food, electricity, and fuel. In December 2008, the Israeli army launched a 22-day military operation in the Gaza Strip that is believed to have resulted in 1,440 deaths and 5,380 injuries. This operation also gravely deepened the humanitarian and economic crisis caused by the ongoing blockade. The Current Situation In the occupied territory in Palestine, the Israeli closure system continues to be a major contributor to poverty and the humanitarian crisis. It also limits Palestinian access to natural resources such as land, basic social services, employment, markets, and social and religious networks. Contrary to the road map, the Geneva Convention, and other rules of international law, Israeli settlement and outpost expansion, land confiscation, and the construction of a barrier in the occupied Palestinian territory isolate occupied East Jerusalem, severely intrude into the West Bank, and severely restrict economic and social life. While Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank claim that Israeli policies and restrictions are disrupting their daily lives, Israel affirms that it is just taking action to defend itself from their aggressions. Author: Peniel Yator Gbem
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