Undisputed Naturally Essential Proteins

Hello, lovely UNEP delegates! Less than 5 hours til our opening ceremonies commence... are you excited yet? We sure are! After reading all your position papers, we know that you are all well-prepared, and that we are in for some exciting (and perhaps heated) debate. Don't be shy... we want you to bring your all to the conference. Remember, we are here to solve some very important environmental issues that will shape the future of our fragile planet earth. Use tonight to make your position well-known to the rest of the committee and meet your ally countries. By making an impression tonight, we will be more than ready for a full day of debate tomorrow. And make sure to listen during the opening ceremonies and our very exciting mock debate, as you will gain important information that will be useful for the rest of the conference. And don't forget your business attire! Let's be the best-dressed committee of HSMUN 2012! Lastly, and most importantly, HAVE FUN! We can't wait to meet you all!!

Sincerely,
Your UNEP Dais

UNEP: Using Neurons Enables Progress

Hey there guys and gals,

UNEP checking in. Probably for the last time. But never fear! On Thursday, you will finally get the chance to meet your lovely dais staff and fellow delegates!

Thanks to all of you who sent in position papers, and if you didn't - not a big deal, just make sure you read up on a little background before coming Thursday (at bare minimum, just read the old blog posts tagged UNEP). Here are some last minute tips:

If you've done this before, you know exactly what to expect. We'll be counting on you returning delegates to steer the committee and make sure the conference runs smoothly. Hope you guys are just excited as we are! (Why else would you be back for another year). For those of you who are new to this, not to worry! Thursday is always a relaxed day where we go over all the rules, formalities, and procedure. We like to keep it really informal, so if you feel like you're hopelessly lost with no hope of rescue, keep your ears open and ask questions! That way we can make sure everyone gets the most out of the three days. And trust me, no matter how confused you feel, I promise that by the end of Thursday night, everything will make sense. Now I have been asked by a couple delegates whether they will be forced to talk. For the most part, we'll give everyone their space - we understand if you're nervous and it takes you a while to settle into it. Some people will obviously be better acquainted or have more to say on some issues. That being said, we do want everyone to participate, so we will be trying to get to know you all personally and encourage you to have your say on the topics.

With that, I believe my rant for the day is concluded. Please email us at hsmun.unep@gmail.com if you have any questions between now and the conference. We look forward to seeing you all in your best business attire on Thursday. Cheers!

UNEP Dais

Introduction to HSMUN 2012: UNEP

UNEP: Unicorns Never Eat Pringles

Hello delegates!

Countdown is on! 8 days left before HSMUN! Thanks to all of you who sent in position papers. They're a great way to make sure you know your stuff. We'll be sending out emails in the next couple days to all of you who did send in papers just to confirm that we received them.

A couple quick points I wanted to touch on.

1) Allies - Make sure you know who your allies are! First day of the conference can be a little scary, especially in a big committee like ours. Knowing which countries will be 'on your side' on the issues is a great way to start meeting people and coming up with ideas. Especially if you're not quite sure where you stand on an issue, talking to others can be a great help. Now, how do you figure out who your allies are? For some countries, it will be obvious, for some - not so much. For example, we know that USA, Canada, UK, etc. all generally get along fine. We also know that North Korea doesn't have many allies. If you're somewhere in between, like Belgium, it's safe to figure that you're friendly with most European countries. Just looking around on Google will probably help you out on this one.

2) Perspective - Especially on the resource extraction topics, it might be interesting to think about different perspectives. Take a look at the links below on the Alberta Oil Sands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1mZMOP-wbY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dpOzvmBj8k

Cheers!

UNEP Dais

Unarguably Not Environmentally Pessimist

Hello, my dear UNEP delegates. So, let’s start this blog with a very important issue: we have not received any position papers yet! Not even one! This kind of concerns us, considering they are due tomorrow! So this is just a friendly reminder to please get those in, by Sunday at the absolute latest!

Well, this time in 2 weeks, we will be halfway through the conference. Do you feel prepared? What techniques does your country use for resource extraction? Are they trying to go green, or are they extremely damaging to the environment? Do they care? Do they think that the government or the private sector should be held accountable? If your country is not focusing on the environment, what exactly are they focusing on? What about organic food? Does your country have any standards in place regarding what constitutes “organic”? Do they want standards? Would standardization of the organic food label benefit your country? Regarding organic food or food production in general, what impact does your country have on the environment? Again, do they care? By now, you should not only know the answers to all of these questions, but you should be prepared to defend them should these issues come up in debate. Let’s hope that all you guys are so prepared, you’ll think of even more factors to debate on! We all want an interesting and exciting time, so make sure you know your foreign policy inside and out!

Now, I know we’ve been talking about foreign policy a lot, and how it’s super important, because it is the foundation upon which you will debate. But, if you’re still a little bit unsure, it’s not the end of the world! Don’t hesitate to e-mail us, or post on the blog if you have any questions or concerns. And remember, we have an intervention attaché who is our expert on every country’s foreign policy, and she will be there to guide you throughout the conference.

Again, feel free to comment on the blog! Ask us any questions you may have in the less-than-2 weeks leading up to the conference, or just tell us how you’re feeling! Excited? Pumped? Thrilled? We sure hope you know the answer to that one! :)

Until next time,

UNEP Dais

UNEP - Unknown Nuclear Energy Plans

Hello delegates!

Unfortunately, this blog post isn't about nuclear energy. Actually, to be honest, it's not really about energy at all (although stay tuned for another post on the resource extraction topic next week!) In the last 3-ish weeks leading up to HSMUN it is normal to experience any combination of the following symptoms: panic, fear, apprehension, anxiety, agitation, distress, despair, terror, trepidation, or uneasiness. you may be thinking: "What did I sign up for? February seemed so far away but now it's here!"

Not to worry. The following simple steps will have you well on your way.

Step 1. Start breathing. It always helps, I promise.

Step 2. Scroll through the UNEP blog posts for the last couple of months to familiarize yourself with your topics and committee.

Step 3. Use any combination of Wikipedia/Google/websites/journals/books/libraries/textbooks to research your country and its perspective on the topics. As we've mentioned in earlier blog posts - don't worry if you can't find exactly what your country thinks about an issue. Instead, think about the bigger picture. For example, responsible extraction of resources involves raising standards, passing new legislation, and potentially rehauling damaging practices and industries. This involves a significant financial commitment for long-term benefit. Many governments, among other things, may have problems with the UN telling them how to spend their money. Moral of the story (for you anyway) - try to expand the topics and look at the greater issues such as environmental/social/economic.

Step 4. Once you think you've got it all down, sit down and write your position paper. We're looking for 1-2 pages (total) on how your country feels about each topic. Remember, the papers are due by Feb. 11. See last blog post for more details.

Step 5. Sit back and enjoy the ride. The conference is only 3 weeks away, so once you're all prepped, get ready to bring your A game, and we'll take care of the rest.

During the conference, expect to experience one or more of the following symptoms: delight, excitement, amusement, enjoyment, fun, adventure, and satisfaction.

That's all for now!

UNEP Dais

UNEP Needs Exciting Papers!!

Well, you must all be starting your position papers now, since most of you are done your exams! It may seem like a daunting task, but it is really simple if you have a thorough understanding of your country’s foreign policy (yes, we are going to keep hounding on that… your country’s foreign policy is the central component to your debate!). These papers are extremely beneficial in preparing you for the conference, because they force you to apply your country’s foreign policy to our two topics in writing, which will give you a solid understanding of your country’s position
as well as provide a written document that you can refer back to during debate. The best part? There’s awards for the most outstanding papers! So, how do you write one?

1. Position papers should be 1-2 pages long. Once you get going, this is not a lot!!

2. The position paper simply outlines your country’s position on each of our two topics. By now, you should already be familiar with the topics and you should have a good grasp on your country’s foreign policy. If not, refer back to the older blog posts for some ideas to get you started.

3. Specific questions to answer in your paper can be found here: http://www.ualberta.ca/~hsmun/positionpapers.html. Even though this is the “work” portion of the conference, we suggest that you put considerable effort into your paper. When you have a super-solid understanding of your country’s position on each topic, you are better able to present your argument as well as defend it, which makes the conference so much more fun and enriching for everyone. Make HSMUN 2012 the memorable, exciting experience that it’s supposed to be… dive right into your country’s foreign policy and become its delegation!

Now, you have 2 weeks, as they are due on February 11, 2012.

If you have any questions, please e-mail us at hsmun.unep@gmail.com. Or, better yet, comment right on the blog so that everyone can see, because chances are that other delegates will have the same questions!

Good luck with your papers!

UNEP Dais

UNEP - Usually Not Entertaining Posts (just kidding!)

Hello Delegates!

The conference is fast approaching and excitement is (hopefully) growing! Well, ours is anyway.

We'll start with some (organic) food for thought. Organic food is going to be a hard one to research in the sense that most nations aren't going to have a clear and definite stance on standardization of the organic food label. So, don't worry if you can't find how your nation feels on the issue - it's one of those issues where it's tough to find a wrong answer. At the same time, it's worth breaking the issue down and thinking about how pieces of it relate to your country's policy.

When we talk about standardizing food labels on an international level, this involves a lot of new rules and regulations that come into effect. The goal is essentially to set guidelines as to what can be called organic, making sure that Canada's version of organic is the same as China's. Right away, there are a few nations that could have problems with this - nations either with low health/environmental/agricultural standards, who would need to invest a lot of money to match the quality of international competitors, or nations who prefer to keep legislation in the hands of their own government, not the international community. So, that said, there are political and economic issues involved. Finally, the standardization process is potentially quite expensive, especially if it requires changing or completely restructuring the existing system. This might also be a deterrent for some nations.

Check out this link for more useful information:

http://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/hottopics/should_i_choose_organic_foods.html

Good luck with your exams!

UNEP Dais

UNEP - Understanding Negative Environmental Pressures

Hello Delegates!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year! Although the ground is still green (by green, I mean yellowish-brown), for better or for worse. Judging from my own experience in the last week, the only relevant resource extraction was shovelling turkey onto my plate. But now that that's over and we're down to leftovers, we can get back to the environment!

For starters, here are some general definitions that will come in handy:

Resource Extraction is a blanket term that refers not only to the collection of natural resources, but also to the location and distribution of the same. So when you're considering accountability, you're looking not only at the processes required to acquire resources, such as mining and logging, but also associated actions both before and after the acquisition process.

There are a lot of issues surrounding resource extraction, and it is important to keep the focus on environmental accountability. When talking about accountability, it is important to think in very concrete and specific terms. It's easy to point fingers and say that some nation or government is to blame, but it's a lot harder to objectively monitor environmental impacts and hold nations accountable. Food for thought (organic, of course).

Cheers,

UNEP Staff

UNEP - U Need Environmental Protection, but we're going to talk about organic food right now

Hello, my dear UNEP delegates! I hope you have done some research on the resource extraction topic! Here are some points regarding the topic of standardization of the “organic” food label:

What exactly does “organic” mean?

Many nations have differing viewpoints on the definition of “organic”… make sure you know where your nation stands.

Who is this issue important to?

In Canada and the USA, the organic movement is a big deal that has been steadily growing in recent years. However, not all countries place such heavy importance on organic food. Make sure you know which countries are in favour, which countries are against, and which countries don’t really care. Know who your allies will be before even arriving to the conference!

Here is a quick video to get you thinking. While watching, think about how this relates to the standardization of the organic food label. Does this seem standard to you? Are the labels specific enough? Too vague? What company endorses these labels? Is it an American company? With these things in mind, is there a need for standardization of the organic food label? If so, why is it so important to standardize? Remember, your viewpoints will be those of your country, not yourself. This is the challenge of HSMUN, and one of the things that makes it such a fun and unique experience!

Happy researching!

UNEP Dais

UNEP - Ultimate Never-Ending Parties

Hey all!

Here's some stuff to think about for your resource extraction topic:

What kind of resources are we referring to when we talk about extraction?
- Anything from nonrenewable resources, such as minerals and fossil fuels, to renewables, such as forests (logging)

Which processes are most harmful to the environment?
- This depends on several factors, including what technologies are used, how hard it is to extract the resource, and how closely the resource is tied to the surrounding environment
- For example, logging can cause physical damage (soil erosion), atmospheric damage (less oxygen production), and biological damage (no habitat for animals)


Since there are so many factors at play, what should you focus on?
- Research your nation's imports/exports to get a sense of which resources are most important. Find out your nation's stance on environmental concerns. Once you've done that, you have a pretty good idea of where your focus will be.

That's all for now. More info to come.

To start looking at some impacts resource extraction can have, check out this link.
http://www.indepthnews.info/index.php/global-issues/529-resource-battles-polluting-africa

Cheers!

UNEP Dais

UNEP: Unanimously Naive Electric Penguins

Hello Delegates!

So we've got the introductions aside - always the hardest part. I'd like to take this post to just go over some basics. For those of you who are HSMUN veterans, this should all be old stuff. For the rest of you, this might help you avoid complete and total confusion. So here goes:

For the duration of HSMUN, you shall be representing a country in the United Nations. This means that you do your best to put personal views aside and represent your country's prespectives and interests. There are two topics the UNEP committee will be discussing: 1) The Question of Environemtnal Accountability for Resource Extraction; and 2) The Question of Standardization of the 'Organic' food label.

Your goal between now and conference time is to research the topics and find our your country's perspective. We will be helping you guys out by posting on the blog and putting up background papers, which should have much of the information you're looking for.

Let me give you a quick example (a fairly obious one). Pretend you are the delegate representing Saudi Arabia, and we are discussing the first topic. It would be your job to stand up for the interests of oil extraction. Although Saudi Arabia does recognize the need for controlling environmental damage during the extraction process, this is not something they'd like the UN to meddle in. As far as you are concerned, Saudi Arabia will figure out its own policies.

Honestly, when it comes down to it, HSMUN is about having fun. So don't worry about doing loads and loads of research, and if you're having trouble, feel free to email us at hsmun.unep@gmail.com. Cheers for now!

Alan

DO NOT UNEP - Underestimate Nerdy Environmental People

Welcome to HSMUN 2012!
Congratulations! You have been chosen for UNEP - the coolest committee ever to grace the halls of HSMUN. Or at least the lecture theatres. Together, we are the United Nations Environmental Programme, saving the world one hop at a time.
My name is Alan, and I will be your chairperson! I am a third year Earth Sciences student at the U of A. In my free time, I enjoy long walks on quicksand beaches with my cannibalistic rabbit Sony. I do not like hats.

Hi! I'm Ashley, and I'm your director! I'm in my first year of a Molecular Genetics degree at the U of A. I, with my clone, Dee Enay, will one day save the environment from its imminent doom using genetically modified mangoes.

Hey, I'm Teresa and I will be your intervention attache (I will always be watching). I am a first year general science student at the U of A and a huge language and history nerd. Eventually I plan on working on agriculture development within developing countries and I enjoy country-hopping with my dual citizenship.
 
We cannot do this without you! This year, we need YOUR help to solve these grave and potentially disastrous issues. Here is your quest:
 
1) The Question of Environmental Accountability for Resource Extraction
2) The Question of Standardization of the 'Organic' Food Label
 
The power is in your hands! Good luck.
 
UNEP Staff