Revolutionizing the Indian Model UN Circuit : DUMUN Crisis Summit 2013

by Rajat Rai Handa on March 14, 2013

Delhi University Model United Nation Conference (DUMUN) Crisis Summit 2013, hosted by the University of Delhi, took place from 10^th to 12^th March 2013 in the sprawling South Campus of the University.

After the success of DUMUN 2010, DUMUN 2011 and DUMUN China 2012, the organizers decided to make this edition of the conference unique and extraordinary yet again for the delegates of the Indian Model UN circuit and so the idea of a Crisis Summit was structured. It was the first conference in the country to have unique crisis based committees only. This edition of DUMUN saw the simulation of seven unconventional crisis committees namely Research and Analysis Wing of India(R&AW), UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session(UNGA ESS), UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination – OCHA (UNDAC-OCHA), UEFA Champions League 2012-13 (UEFA CL), and the Triple Joint Crisis(TJC) comprising of the United Nations Security Council, Palestinian Cabinet and Israeli Cabinet.

Breaking pre-conceived notions of how only MUN regulars could excel in crisis situations at the simulation, this conference saw enthusiastic participation from a lot of first time MUNers who instantly fell in love MUNing. DUMUN played host to more than 300 students who participated enthusiastically and aimed towards resolving the various crises thrown at them. Knowledge, Compsure, Diplomacy, Resourcefulness and the Presence of Mind; everything was put to test at this summit and the delegates came out with flying colors.

The Palestinian Cabinet was informed about a seemingly systematic slaughtering of Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli prisons which could be reasoned out as in response to the discovery of “Operation Adafitni” by the Israeli intelligence. The Chief of Palestinian Intelligence, Mukhabbarat, informed the Cabinet that the mission had been compromised and one of the double agents had been arrested. Following the subsequent interrogation of the spy, the Cabinet determined the future course of action in order to ensure the success of Palestinian operations. The commitment of the delegates to this Cabinet could be seen not only in their discussions but also their attempts at imitating characters as well as attires. After a very close competition between the Supreme Leader of Iran and Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, so much so that a tie breaker had to be conducted, the Best Delegate was awarded to the Minister of Jerusalem Affairs.

Delegates of the Palestinian Cabinet

Tense Situation in the Israeli Cabinet

In a parallel time frame, the Israeli Cabinet continued to receive its own intelligence and retaliated to the presence of “Operation Adafitni” by launching “Operation Slowkill” and “Operation Buzzinga”. The on-going protests in Palestine were being fuelled by weapons being transferred through Egyptian borders. The Ministers emphasised on the need to immediately devise a border security plan and to identify the source of these weapons. The Cabinet came up with documents of action highlighting the movement of battalions and the appropriate use of terrain. The Best Delegate Award was won by the Director of Shin Bet.

While the above two mentioned Cabinets considered the Palestinian and Israeli perspective respectively, the UN Security Council discussed the international repercussions of a Third Intifada. Owing to the mass demonstrations and riots in West Bank, emphasis was laid on the recognition of Israel’s responsibility to protect Human Rights of the people within its jurisdiction. The Security Council witnessed intense debate on the inhuman cruelty and violation of human rights versus state sponsored terrorism as the root cause for the conflict. The Best Delegate was awarded to the Delegate of Azerbaijan.

The United Nations Security Council in session

The United Nations General Assembly Emergency Special Session in action

The UN General Assembly Special Session has only been held 10 times by the United Nations. Held on the request of the UN Security Council, at DUMUN, UN GA met to discuss the escalation of violence in Syria. A major question raised was about how Syria planned to put an end to violence in case of a ceasefire. The Delegate of Libya was of the opinion that a halt in the violence can be brought only through reforms in the government. The situation was further worsened by the kidnapping of 21 peacekeeping officials from the region which was handled well with active participation from each and every delegate. The delegate of Libya was awarded the Best Delegate Award.

In the absence of diplomatic courtesy and unrestricted expression of the opinions of the representatives, Research and Analysis Wing of India (RAW) was simulated for the first time ever at DUMUN 2013. The Indian intelligence agency sought to exploit the delicate political, military and economic situation of Pakistan in order to strengthen the Indian standpoint. The council hinted that a trusted resource had been planted inside the Pakistani setup to provide information. After three days of heated deliberations, the Additional Secretary won the Best Delegate Award.

UEFA Champions League had the participants fighting for a chance to represent their favourite clubs and most of them seemed to be chasing the much coveted Manchester United. A committee just for football fans, it attracted a visit from each member of the Executive Board and the Secretariat. As allegations of match fixing were flung across the council by Manchester City, there was a consensus on the increase in punishment for those found guilty in such scandals. Appropriately, the Best Delegate Award came with an Adidas UEFA Football rather than a gavel and was won by Sir Alex Ferguson, Manager of Manchester United. The cheers for this award were deafening to say the least.

The UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Committee, simulated for the first time at DUMUN 2013, attracted immense participation from the delegates. In a monumental disaster for the environment of Berkeley Sound, a Korean trawler caught fire and sank leaking gas oil and heavy, sticky fuel oil into it. The committee delved into the disaster management mode and tried to ascertain methods to minimise the damage. The delegates ensured that they took all aspects of the crisis into consideration and took steps to ensure minimization of losses in the future. With his well thought out arguments, the Best Delegate Award was won by the Delegate of USA.

Delegates of UNDAC-OCHA

(un)lobbying during the unmoderated caucus in UNDAC-OCHA

The Indian Model UN circuit had been widely divided on the success of a conference including only Crisis Committees. At a time when the circuit was said to be diluting with so many conferences happening every weekend, a lot of people were apprehensive about the fate of the conference. However, over the course of its three days, DUMUN quashed all criticism and proved to be a resounding success. In-fact the feedback from the delegates post the conference on the Facebook page was nothing short of overwhelming for the organizers. Everyone is seen to be craving for more and eagerly awaiting DUMUN’14.