Because Books Still Exist...

Hello UNICEF Delegates,

With the conference less than a week away, I'm sure many of you are frantically researching your country's position on our two topics. Likely, most of your searches are happening online - which is great, since there's tons of information on the internet. But, published books still exist, and can be much better sources of quality information on important issues.

Since most delegates don't think of looking into books, here's a list of relevant books for our two topics that can be borrowed from the Edmonton Public Library (and there are literally hundreds more at the University of Alberta Libraries, which you can borrow if you have a TAL card or a CCID, the first of which you can get at the Stanley A. Milner Library).

Child Malnutrition:

• "Hunger and Health" by World Health Programme (2007)
• "A follow up study of child hunger in Canada" by Human Resources Canada (2001)
• "World Hunger" by Liza Burby (1995)
• "Solutions for the World's Biggest Problems" by Bjorn Lomborg (2007)

Child Pornography:

• "Innocence Exploited" by Canadian Police College (1998)
• "Child Exploitation and Communication Technologies" by Alisdair Gillespie (2008)
• "One Child at a Time" by Julian Sher (2007)
• "Caught in the Web" by Julian Sher (2007)
• "Sex Offenders and the Internet" by Kerry Sheldon (2007)

Especially for the pornography subject, which is hard to research through google, these books can really help for some general information (country specific info can be found through Interpol, which is linked in a previous blog post!).

Usually reading relevant extracts or chapters is enough, it's good to glance into these books even if you don't have time to read them all!

Good luck and see you Thursday!

ECOFIN Takes It Away... Again...

Hello again delegates,

Oversimplification:

Good

Bad

Life is so simple. Although, granted, it is now your job as UN delegates to take on the rather daunting task of avoiding one and pushing for the other. Which is which will be decided in due course. Good luck!

...Arms Control, Russia-USA... Sounds like DISEC!

- Happened to find an article entitled Arms Control Failure & the Balance of Power by Julian Schofield in an issue of the Canadian Journal of Political Science (Vol. 33, No. 4, Dec 2000) on the JSTOR database. Schofield offers a systematic explanation of the failure of arms control agreements, due to the failure to maintain compliance with the disarmament agreement (AKA cheaters). If you are able to access the JSTOR database, scholarly articles such as the aforementioned may prove useful. If you are unable to access the JSTOR database, a hyperlink for Cambridge Journals is provided.

- Something of interest: January 25, 2011 saw Russia ratifying US Nuclear Disarmament Treaty (START). Check it out :)

Ciao for now!

-- The DISEC team.

HSMUN 2011 Keynote Speaker

The Secretariat for HSMUN 2011 is pleased to introduce this year's keynote speaker, Mr. Gordon Houlden, Director of the University of Alberta China Institute. A biography for Mr. Gordon Houlden is on the HSMUN website.

We hope you enjoy listening to Mr. Gordon Houlden's experiences!

Random Tidbits

Howdy ECOFIN delegates!

So it's almost conference time, and hopefully you guys are all set and ready to go. Just some last-minute notes for you guys to keep in mind:

This is a very random link on sustainability. It doesn't necessarily tell you much about what we're discussing specifically, but it does help put economic, social, and environmental sustainability all in perspective and show how they can work together.

http://anewscafe.com/2011/02/04/turtle-bay-takes-sustainability-beyond-tree-hugging/

And this is just funny (in a sustainable way)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxTNZUhesZk&feature=fvwrel

If you guys have any questions between now and the conference, feel free to email us at hsmun.ecofin@gmail.com

Cheers,

WMDs... OMG!!!

Greetings fellow world rulers!!!

In case you haven't noticed, we are bombarding the blog with updates on the topic and the conference! Keep reading! (though if you aren't reading the blog then it is unlikely that you will get this...)

Like the title suggests, we are talking about WMDs (weapons of mass destruction). When WMDs and terrorism mix, life becomes uncomfortable for everyone. The problem is that terrorists have access to the materials needed to produce such weapons and deploy them against anyone! When debating in committee, be sure to think about (maybe even address) access to these weapons:

Nuclear: We all have heard of nuclear weapons. If not, then high school social studies has taken a nose dive since my day. I won't go into the specifics of how they work (partially because CSIS and the CIA may come knocking on my door). However, because of the fall of the Soviet Union and the economic problems Russia faced, they have been unable to maintain their nuclear facilities. Given this and multiple aggressor states equipped with nuclear capabilities, terrorists have the ability to purchase and/or manufacture a dirty bomb (nuclear warhead designed to maximize radioactive debris).

Chemical: Yes, WMD does not only include nuclear weapons. Chemical weapons use chemicals (wow, not at all obvious) to kill or incapacitate either a large group in a target area or an individual (context of a political assassination). Why are they scary? Because any impoverished group or society with even a rudimentary manufacturing sector can produce devastating chemical weapons. Heck, someone with a garage and some welding skills can produce them. Plus, they're cheap and can be made from everyday materials. Therefore, they are very practical for use by terrorists.

Biological: Watch out for the guy with the runny nose! Groups with access to medical labs or groups that are friendly to scientifically developed aggressor states have access to modified everyday bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Biological weapons are very effective as they not only kill or harm large groups of people, but they are very difficult to control after they are deployed, spreading both disease and fear (terrorists like spreading fear like I enjoy spreading peanut butter on my toast... a lot!). South Africa and the UK (wow, both on the Security Council) recently had a bit of a scare with the threat of biological terrorism.

Be sure to think about WMDs in discussing preventative measures and threats issued by terrorism. We look forward to seeing you all at the conference! Keep posted to the blogs for more updates!

"Fighting terrorism is like being a goalkeeper. You can make a hundred brilliant saves but the only shot that people remember is the one that gets past you." -Paul Wilkinson

Sincerely,
Your SC DIAS staff

Challenges in Identifying Perpetrators in Internet Based Crimes

A recent court decision in the United Kingdom has introduced major challenges in the identification and prosecution of internet based crimes. It was decided that the owner of an IP address cannot be charged as the perpetrator of an internet based crime as it cannot be proven that no other individual could have had access to the internet service. If the owner of the internet service allows another to use their internet, whether through giving permission or unsecured WiFi, the UK court has ruled that they are not responsible for that use.

YAY to WHO? YAY to YOU!!!

Hey you guysss!!! Can't wait to meet you all at HSMUN 2011!!!!!!!

Thanks to all of you who sent in your Position Papers... To you who haven't, then keep sending them in!!

Check this artcle out for a better understanding of what could help.
http://www.msf.ca/en/news-media/news/2011/02/six-months-after-the-floods/

Here is a link to a slideshow of pictures with captions of the aftermath of the flood in Pakistan.
http://www.msf.ca/en/news-media/news/2010/10/photos-distributing-aid-in-pakistan/


And one last thing... If you have any questions feel free to email us at hsmun.who@gmail.com!!

HSMUN is so soon!!!

With that said, I hope you are all very well prepared for the conference by the time it rolls around.

Here are two links you may want to peruse:

Reducing the marketing of unhealthy foods to children

Haiti earthquake: One year report

The only Lesson from History is no one Learns from History

Hello delegates:

There is a lot of history behind terrorism. I am going to try and sum it up, but I strongly recommend you look into some of the examples. Even a brief run through of the Wikipedia articles on these historical conflicts will be a great way for you to prepare yourself for discussing terrorism. Reading through your position papers (thanks to all who submitted!), it seems that a lot of you are on the right track. Terrorism is as much a social and political problem as a military one. It's also pretty important to note, that similar themes always pop up in history. Sectarianism, poverty, oppression; these are not new concepts. The driving forces for modern terrorist groups are the same as those 50 years ago. Learning about what has and hasn't worked, empathising with the groups you're facing and understanding their historical context, these are important things to do.

You can find some history, some favourite examples, and a bit of analysis by your's truly: here.

I also hope you are all paying close attention to what's happening in Egypt! It has nothing to do with this council, but it's pretty awesome.

If you haven't submitted a position paper, feel free to do so, though late submissions will not be considered for the award, we will still provide feedback.

"I'm not so naive or simplistic to believe we can eliminate war. We're not going to change human nature anytime soon. It isn't that we aren't rational. We are rational. But reason has limits." - Robert McNamara

If they didn't pay them, maybe it would happen less often

Good morning delegates!

State sponsored terrorism, like any other form of terrorism, is BAD. Morale of the story, DON'T DO IT! State sponsored terrorism presents a massive problem for the UN and the CTC because many who are accused of sponsoring terrorism are member states. The UN cannot make binding resolutions (except the Security Council... FEEL THE POWER!!!) and therefore cannot force its members to comply with investigations. Much of the information that the CTC needs is voluntarily provided by states. Who's to say that these states are being honest? What can we do if they do not comply? What action should we take? The US Sate Department, being nice, happy, and internet savvy folks, have conveniently posted country reports on state-sponsored terrorism. For more reading from a super uber not really academic source, check out this website. It gives a nice little summary of state-sponsored terrorism in warfare. State-sponsored terrorism of the cross-border nature destabilizes regions and sours relations. In short, it sucks.

To end off this thrilling post, just a few housekeeping points. The conference is just a few weeks away (YAY!!!). But, even closer, the deadline for your position papers is quickly approaching! Friday, February 11th at midnight is the deadline to submit your papers! Email them to hsmun.sc@gmail.com. If you want feedback on your position, don't hesitate to ask. You can still submit after february 11th. However, should you do so, you will not be eligible for an award (and we all know that nice, shiny trophies look good to everyone... especially UN related ones!)

Your amazing SC DIAS staff!

"If I were and Al Qaeda guy, I wouldn't go out for a pizza." -Bryan Hilferty

Problems with Addressing International Cyber Crime

While this video is addressing financial cyber crime, it brings up many issues with addressing cyber crimes, such as online child pornography. If you do not wish to watch the full 11 minutes of video, I recommend starting at 00:08:38 to learn about the partnership between Jamaican and American authorities that was forged to combat the cyber crime.

There is also an excellent video on malnutrition in Chad.

2010 Overview of the United Nations

In this video, you will find information about many important events in the last year, many of which are still pertinent to many of the current committee topics. For those delegates who do not read the daily news, I highly recommend watching this video before attending HSMUN 2011. There are other excellent videos on the site as well, focusing on specific topics, such as malnutrition and disarmament.

Daily Delegate, Issue Two!

Daily Delegate Issue 2, Sixth Edition

Is Culture Transnational?

In the Global Traffic map above, one can easily see that the world has become increasingly more connected through information sharing/transfers. Telecommunications, digital and internet use, mobile phone use, and the number of computers sold around the world have all played a major factor in connecting people to information and opportunities globally.

Stuart Hall, a cultural theorist, once said "culture is now irrevocably transnational, irrevocably open at the ends, porous and unable to close its borders and its mind, unable to shut out things that will reach over the barriers that are erected...inescapably taking place on a global plane". He speculated that culture is always global, regardless of individual national cultures. He was supportive of globalization, because he felt that "migration and globalization open in the spaces in which a more diverse set of cultural practices night occur has been set in the context of the complementary movement in the other direction towards ethnic and national closure". Cultural diversity can be seen as something to embrace and celebrate as the world moves towards diversity and simulation.

But is this always the case? Some would argue that cultural diversity is as much of a threat as it is a positive opportunity. A common response to globalization and cultural integration is the defensive movement to protect cultural distinctiveness. Some nations do not want to open their cultural borders, fearing that a multicultural society will shift towards Western preferences and ideas. These movements can stem from both positive and negative roots. Each state has the right to preserve its culture, for the sake of its heritage and history. Cultural distinctiveness helps each nation have a global identity that prolongs values and traditions, and also helps the nation's tourism and promotional industries.

Questions to think about:

Do you think cultural integration is inevitable?

Is culture global, or are there still examples of national culture around the world?

How does technology and digital communication help/hinder global relations?