Model UN (FIRMUN) — November 2016 — Results
Faculty of International Relations Model United Nations was conducted on October 19-22, 2016! The Model was sponsored by Belarusian State University, the International Non-governmental Association for Scientific Research, Information and Educational Programmes "Evolutio" and UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Belarus.
Autumn Model’s session was devoted to the subject of forced migrants. Each of the simulated committees discussed the point in agenda, dedicated to this topic.
This modeling indicated a record number of delegates — more than 150 students doing their Bachelor, Master of PhD degrees from four Belarusian universities (Belarusian State University, Belarusian State Economic University, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio Electronics, as well as YankaKupala State University of Grodno) and Free University of Berlin (Freie Universität Berlin) participated in the Model.
Participants had an opportunity to become a delegate of two English-speaking committees: the Security Council and the General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security (being simulated for the first time), or the Human Rights Council, the simulation of which was conducted in Russian. It is also important to note that for the first time participants could become delegates of the Security Council, modeled in the Spanish language.
October 19, the first day of the Model, was traditionally devoted to trainings, where the rules of procedure of Organs Being Simulated were explained to delegates.
Official opening of the model was held on October, 20 at the Faculty of International Relations. The opening ceremony was attended by Yulia Miashkova, representative of the UNHCR Office in Belarus, and Andrey Selivanov, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of International Relations. In the opening speeches particular attention was paid to the urgent problem of refugees and the implementation of sustainable development goals.
After the official opening, participants started the modeling of selected committees.
Delegates of the Security Council, conducted in English, held discussions on the topic of illegal use of Ballistic Missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and asylum-shopping in the EU as a Threat to Peace and Security on the Continent. Only the second day of discussions successfully resulted in adoption of resolution (S/RES/5/2016).
The Security Council, being simulated in the Spanish language, focused on solving the problem of the threat of terrorist acts, as well as services for the transportation of illegal asylum seekers (S/RES/6/2016). Unfortunately, only one resolution was adopted by the Committee.
The First Committee of the General Assembly was was the most numerous committeein the history of the Model. Reducing the amount of victims of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the Middle East and Fighting Xenophobia and Tolerance Building towards Forced Migrants as a Prerequisite for Safe and Stable Receiving Society were stated as agendas in the First Committee, which in spite of it large number could reach consensus and developed related resolutions (A/C.1/RES/1/1 and A/C.1/RES/1/2).
The theme of the Human Rights Council sessions issues of prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriage, as well as the expansion of the conventional grounds for granting refugee statusbecame. As a result of fruitful discussions two resolutions were adopted (A/HRC/RES/2/3/2016 and A/HRC/RES/2/4/2016).
On the final day of the Model, October 22nd, an emergency session was organized. During the emergency session all committees modeled work of the General Assembly, but the committees' official languages — English, Russian, Spanish — were preserved. Delegates had to develop urgently a possible plan of the joint resolution of the problems that weredelivered to delegates at regular intervals. At the end of the emergency sessionsresolutions of all three committees were adopted.
After the emergency session the results of the autumn Model United Nations at the Faculty of International Relations, BSU 2016 were announced. The final speech at the closing ceremony was presented by Andrey Selivanov, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of International Relations, who awarded Best Delegates of the Committees:
Tatiana Zinyakova (the USA), the Security Council (in English);
Anastasia Horbat (Uruguay), the Security Council (in Spanish);
Tatiana Ragozina (Sweden), Alexei Lukyanin (USA), Pauline Sorokin (Germany), the First Committee of the General Assembly;
Vladislav Korovkin (the UK), Artur Lazarev (Saudi Arabia), Tatiana Sbrodova (Ethiopia), the Human Rights Council.
It should be noted that for the first time at the end of an emergency session the Best Speakers were elected, which were:
Maria Zaikovskaya (the United Kingdom) — the Security Council (English),
Olga Ptaschits (Malaysia) — the Security Council (Spanish),
Andrew Tatur (Canada) — the First Committee of the General Assembly,
Kseniya Volkova(the Russian Federation) — the Human Rights Council.
Dmitry Belko (Venezuela), the Security Council (English) and Helen Holod (Belgium), the Human Rights Council, were also awarded for active work during the emergency session.
According to the tradition during the Modelthere was a competition on the social network ‘Best model coverage’ on Instagram and Twitter, the winners were:
Jana Nenartovich (India) — the First Committee of the General Assembly,
Gleb Solovyov (Ukraine) — the First Committee of the General Assembly,
Daria Sitnik (Botswana) — the Human Rights Council,
Daria Korolenko (the Central African Republic) — the First Committee of the General Assembly,
Sofia Zhivalkovskaya (the Republic of Korea) — the First Committee of the General Assembly.
All the participants were awarded with certificates, the winners were given prizes and diplomas.