MUNterrey´s Opening Session as delegates take their seats in the auditorium
Last weekend, on the 24th, 25th and 26th of January MUNterrey 2013 Jr. High-Schools and Middle Schools edition took place. Occurring in the northern city of Monterrey, Mexico, This simulation was the culmination of the year-long efforts of a staff numbering over 80 students from the ITESM High-School institution, and over 300 delegates from diverse High schools and institutions on a regional scale. The Simulation itself was a tremendous success, having diverse committee types and a special guest speaker addressing the simulation all of which shall be explained in the following recap.
Committees:
In MUNterrey there are 3 types of committees; the General Assemblies, Crisis Committees and Court style committees. Both in English and Spanish delegates got to debate on different topics and in different methods.
General Assemblies:
Similar to the methodology employed in many high ranking international simulations, MUNterrey faced a challenge this year, the simulation wanted to have plenary committees in which delegations where split up into regional General Assembly committees such as: GA of Asian States, GA of African States, GA of Latin American States, GA of Eastern European States and GA of Western European States. With a common topic among all regional committees of “Strengthening the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance”. Successfully, all 193 delegations were represented and on the final session were put together in the auditorium simulating what would have been an actual and complete General Assembly summit. Other typical committees also progressed efficiently, committees such as UNICEF and The United Nations Sustainable Development Division where held in Spanish yet where quite interesting as well.
Crisis Committees:
The special branches of crisis committees require both much more intense and controversial delegates and topics. These committees employ a highly demanding method of crisis, similar to the method Harvard simulations use, MUNterrey employs “Time-Bombs”. These are crisis presented with a twist, instead of having a person come with (fake) guns blazing and kidnapping delegates, Time-Bombs are presented. They consist of a news event or a video presented either by a single person (who acts as a reporter or an Advisor to either the committee or the UN) and are adjusted to the format of a News corporation such as BBC or CNN.
Also, there are 2 different types of crisis committees. The typical Security Council (one SC in English and one in Spanish) and Historical Security Council, but also MUNterrey has USPC (The United States Presidential Cabinet) and MPC (Mexican Presidential Cabinet, in Spanish). These 2 committees are special and different to others; this is due to the fact that delegates do not represent a country as done typically. Instead they are Secretaries, such as Homeland Security or Secretary of Defense and the Chair president represents the Presidency of the Nation, such as President Obama or President Peña Nieto.
The Chair and Delegates of the Mexican Presidential Cabinet prepare for a delegate to establish her posture
Courts:
MUNterrey also has a legal committee section for all those delegates who have a calling for international law, these are the 2 committees ICC (International Criminal Court) one committee in Spanish and one in English. The special thing about these committees is also that delegates do not represent Nations, yet they take the role of a judge and represent the current judges on the ICC. Staff members also play a key role in these committees, because since the committees do not only carry a topic. They also have the objective of judging an individual on his crimes in the international community; Staff members represent the prosecution, the defense and the witnesses of the case. Thus giving the judges (delegates) the decision to sentence the accused either declaring him guilty or innocent. Both of these were quite interesting and controversial, the English court discussed the situation in Darfur, Sudan accusing Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein. The Spanish committee discussed the violent situation in Mexico accusing the recently out of office ex-president Felipe Calderon.
The Chair and Prosecution of the International Criminal Court
Advisor Committee:
MUNterrey also offered an Advisor Committee for teachers and Advisors to remember their delegate era, said committee was chaired by special staff and was the Mexican Presidential Cabinet crisis committee.
MUN Teachers and Advisors from diverse institutions participate in the Advisor committee.
The Guest Speaker:
This year MUNterrey had the special honor of having a live-link Skype video conference with an ex-student from the ITESM institution. Said student currently works at the United Nations Development Program in New York. Her name is Lorena Sandler and she was kind enough to have donated an hour and a half of her time to answer questions Delegates had on either topics the simulation was hosting or general worldwide UN related topics.
Guest Speaker; Lorena Sandler addresses delegates in the auditorium through a Skype live-link.
The Staff:
After having Staff meetings every Saturday at 8:30 AM for the past year, many staff members were quite pleased to have seen the results of their efforts, specially the Senior Staff (Secretariat). Many congratulated the efforts of the Secretary General Daniela Morales and the New MUN coordinator of the institution Perla Caballero, yet all were happy to have seen MUNterrey Jr. High schools Edition to have been such a success and to have gone “beyond boundaries”… now they anxiously wait for MUNterrey 2013 High schools Edition held in April.
The Senior Staff (Secretariat) Left to Right: Perla Caballero-MUN Advisor of ITESM, Rocio Lopez-USG of Court Committees, Adriana Muñoz-Head of Student Relations ITESM, Daniela Morales Aseff-Secretary General, Paulina Araiza-USG of General Assemblies, Jaime Gutierrez-USG of Image and Technology and Gerardo Llamas-USG of Crisis Committees.
To learn more about MUNterrey or contact the Simulation, visit: http://prepatec.mty.itesm.mx/munterrey/
