Thought from the Secretary-General and More!

Delegates!

A couple weeks back, we HSMUN volunteers had a training meeting, and one part of our discussion focused on what we'd like to see delegates accomplish this year. To quote our beloved Secretary-General, Amy Sanderson (at least, I hope I'm quoting correctly): "It's very hard to pass a resolution with 'teeth'." Now, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was actually one of the Under-Secretaries who actually said that first, and Amy just decided to pass it off as her own, and... well, never mind, that's not important.

What is a resolution with "teeth"? I hear you cry. Simply put, it's a resolution that makes a lot of forceful demands, perhaps is accusatory, probably arouses the ire of other states, all the while being out of place with its direct and assertive nature. In short, it's the kind of resolution you won't see getting passed by the General Assembly, at least not in real life.

Consequently, one of our goals for this year`s conference is to really push content of the resolutions we`ll be writing. As nice as it is to have something to show during plenary for all of your hard working, simply getting that oh-so-much-needed two-thirds majority vote and passing a resolution is not the be all end all. What we want to see at this conference is well-written draft resolutions* that show an understanding of dynamics on the stage of international affairs, and, at a more basic level, good debate and caucusing (I love using this as a verb) demonstrating familiarity with foreign policy. (*It`s worth noting that more `realistic` resolutions may also have the added benefit of being more likely to get passed, but remember: that`s only secondary.)

Want to see what a typical UN Resolution dealing with climate change looks like? Follow this link to check out a recent resolution passed by the General Assembly:

Climate Change and Its Possible Security Implications

I don`t want to be all depressing, or anything, but, um, it`s not much, is it? Realistically, your average UN resolution is going to more-or-less adhere to the following format.



The General Assembly,

(followed by 14 seemingly different clauses which are really just variations of:)
Deeply concerned by such and such a travesty that`s causing a lot of problems for everyone everywhere, about which we really should do something right now,

1. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

And that`s about it. Am I just being silly now? Maybe. But it`s something to consider.

By the way, here`s a resolution with a little more substance that actually deals very directly with not just climate change, but also its effect on marine life and what to do about it (yay! It`s been a little difficult to find stuff that deals directly with your debate topics). But you`ll have to search carefully through an awful lot (this one deals with everything water-related. Good luck, delegates) to find the `gems` you`ll need!

Oceans and the Law of the Sea

All right, now, having said all this, the qualification: Despite what you`ve just read, please please please don`t let us keep you from thinking BIG and CREATIVELY. Okay?

By the way, if you`re looking for resolutions, use the UN`s Official Document System. It`s helpful to type the code a/res in ``symbol`` field when searching- that will filter your search to just resolutions. We highly recommend that you read a few resolutions to get a feel for both the resolution format and the kind of document you`re aiming to create. (Oh! I just felt a twinge of excitement there! Man, I am SO looking forward to February! You guys are going to make us so proud.)

And, a last-minute announcement: You might have noticed the picture up in the right-hand corner of this post. The story: I was walking about campus, when suddenly, a mysterious masked bandit (I may or may not be exaggerating) swung down from a nearby building on a vine and shoved an envelope (with "Secret Dossier No. 31" typed neatly on the front) into my hands. I opened it and found the flyer that I've scanned in and posted above. So, for all you keeners who are a) looking for some good discussion and research opportunities relating to Climate Change and the Copenhagen Conference, and b) free this Wednesday, you can head over to the university on the 18th for ECOS's November "Green Session". As you can see, you'll have to e-mail them TODAY to sign-up, but I'm sure, if you miss doing that on time, it'll be okay if you still show up. Just don't go eating all their cookies and juice!