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A nerd's guide to the model UN

Made for anyone more interested in fantasy than politics

If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you’re not that interested in politics but would like to know a bit more about it and also about the model UN that is currently happening at Falufri. By using the global phenomenon, Game of Thrones, I intend to give you an easy explanation. (Keep in mind that this is based on the book series not the HBO tv-series) Warning: spoilers ahead.

The whole plot of Game of Thrones is power struggle, which essentially is what politics are, just with a little bit less violence, murder and sex (emphasis on “little”). Let’s say that The US is the Lannisters, they are one of the most powerful players just as the Lannisters are in Game of Thrones. The Lannisters are the ones with the most money and also the ones who practically rules the whole kingdom. The same goes for the US, they are the ones with the most political power and they are essentially the ones who have the final say in any major decisions (because of their veto right).

The rest of the participation countries are the smaller, less significant houses. One might even liken The UK to the Targaryen house (as they were in the beginning of the series). They were once the most powerful, the ones who ruled, but now they are more in the shadows with significantly less power. So when put like this one can explain how the UN works, since it works very similarly to the powerstrugle of Westeros. Just as the different houses in Westeros, the political parties all have their own agendas and team up with, or betray each other, whichever leads them closest to their end goal. Even houses, or political parties, who don’t agree with each other, might team up because in the moment that’s what’s profitable to them.

One of the major questions in the model UN is climate change, so by using the same scenario as before, the US are the Lannisters. Climate changes could be compared to the white walkers and everyone who believes in climate change are the nights watch. Lannisters disregard the threat of  the white walkers, just as the US disregards the dangers of climate change. Only through everyone working together will the imminent threat of climate change be stopped, same as the white walker problem, unless everyone works together they will never defeat the white walkers.

This might be a bit of a stretch but in a way you could compare the relationship between the American president, Donald Trump and the North Korean president,  Kim Jong-Un, to the one between the Lannisters and the Martells, primarily Oberyn Martell/ the red viper of Dorne. It seems as though they are rather friendly with each other, but in the books that relationship quickly turns sour after they don’t get what they want from each other. This seems like a possible outcome of the situation between the two leaders, though this is just a speculation on my part.

So there you have it, a quick explanation of the UN. Hopefully you know a little more now then you did before.

Saga Katrinardottir Klein

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Why is it so hard to believe in and work against global warming?

Yesterday the resolutions concerning climate refugees were debated at Dalarnas museum. The two countries whose resolutions were discussed were Costa Rica and USA. While Costa Rica presented a resolution giving several valid, although perhaps a bit vague according to some countries, operative clauses, the USA presented quite controversial opinions on the matter. The second and third clauses read as such:

“Reminding that the words climate change and global warming are made up by nations that want to harm the United States of America,”

Quite a bold statement, to say the least. And it’s a completely false statement. National Geographic, among others, offers an article presenting proof upon proof that the Earth is getting warmer as a result of human activity. A common argument against global warming, something that even the American president Donald Trump has said, is that, “if global warming was real, surely we wouldn’t be seeing snow or cold weather?” This stems from a great misconception of what the word “global warming” actually means. Despite the word “warming” climate change not only means that the climate will become warmer, but that winters will become colder. As the oceans become warmer, the difference in temperature between the Gulf current and the water around it will become less and less. Eventually the Gulf current will lessen in strength until it entirely fades away. Since the Gulf current is what provides western Europe with warmth, its disappearance will send us into a freezing winter and may cause other natural disasters. But let’s not dwell on the American resolution - ignorance is a global issue. SO the question is: why do people have such a hard time believing in and doing something about climate change? The answer is, to me, quite simple: it’s too much of an effort. Developed countries have worked for a long time to build the technology, the comfort we have today. It stings to hear that we can’t keep it. That you can’t buy this and that, that you have to think about what you eat, how you drive. The countries that are being affected the most by climate change aren’t the rich ones, and therefore the rich ones that affect the climate the most won’t do anything about it. And even when countries are flooded by the rising ocean, burned down and swept away by wildfires and hurricanes, scorched by heat waves, frozen by snow storms - even then, the people in power won’t do enough. Because they’re too comfortable, too rich. It hasn’t affected them yet, right? And besides that, where should we even start if we wanted to fix things? The problem is so big and it’s very hard to find somewhere to begin. The ordinary person could eat more environmentally friendly food, drive less, use less plastic, all that stuff, but it will be a drop in the ocean. It doesn’t mean that what you’re doing is pointless, not at all. But the people in charge, the ones that actually can change things on a big scale, they are the ones that have to do something. And a start could be that the most influential nations in the world start believing in global warming.

- Johanna Ljung

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Dada poem MUN

Personal priveledge you are blessed by america.

Speak Hello costarica where mistreated very hostile.

Given a warning english resolution?

However roll call looks like please yield the floor Model UN.

South Africa are enjoying bröstet och på öronen much love of speaking english.

We would short and consistent stay hydrated and enjoy louder.

Can the chair repeatedly like to say delegates delegates delegation of NK.

Points of order roll call Model UN speech thank you.

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Info & Recap:Sustainable Tourism

On Wednesday I witnessed a debate between delegates from the Environment and Economics committee. This time the subject matter was sustainable tourism. Before I will provide you with recap of what took place there, I will first give a little background info about this topic.

In the last couple of years the tourism industry has become enormous and it is still growing today According to sustainabletourism.net ,international tourist arrivals have increased from 527 million in 1995 to 1.32 billion in 2017. For a large amount of nations, tourism is also a main source of income. Sadly, despite positive impact it can have, tourism also comes with a large amount of issues. Two of the biggest problems include: the negative impact on the environment and loss of cultural heritage.

Nowadays we notice more and more how climate change affects us and the environment. Therefore it does not come as a big surprise, that the idea of sustainable tourism has become more popular. Sustainable tourism (often called responsible tourism) is described as ‘’tourism that respects local people, travellers, cultural heritage and the environment.’’

I will conclude this ‘info’ piece of the article here with the following quote I found:’’Tourism will never be completely sustainable as every industry has impacts, but it can work towards becoming more sustainable.’’

Let us now move on to the recap part. It started with the presentation of a resolution created by the Russian Federation. The resolution had support from a few delegations. Other nations appeared to find the Russian resolution quite vague, considering the amount of questions that were asked about the clauses.

Later, in the open debate, a Russian delegate defended their resolution by stating that they were open to the idea of changing the clauses. In the open debate a delegate from India made it clear that, they found Russia’s resolution difficult to carry out. Right after that debate, came the voting procedure. The Russian Federation’s resolution ended up failing, although it was very close to passing. Then we were given a 15 minute break and afterwards another resolution was presented by India.

Something I noticed during the discussion regarding India’s resolution is that a significant amount of nations (including Norway, Sudan,Maldives and more) spoke highly of the resolution. Nations that did not seem to approve of the resolution were Spain and Mexico. A delegate from Spain criticized India because in their opinion India did not address certain things in their resolution. Not that much later a delegate from Mexico called India: ‘’ A bit of a hypocrite with contrary values’’.

Afterwards all nations voted again. A couple countries such as China abstained from voting. Other countries voted against, but plenty of nations voted in favour of India’s resolution. At the end, India’s resolution concerning sustainable tourism passed.

-Meike Jongen

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Interview with a Chairperson

It is known that the chairmen in the model UN, the strong and sophisticated people keeping strict order during the roleplay, are very busy. With much difficulty I managed to get an interview with chairperson Sara.

The honourable chairperson is, of course, looking very professional wearing a red shirt and black blazer. Sara is very calm, keeping her role as a person who sets everyone into order, but she greets me with a warm smile. She kindly answers all my questions as detailed as the little time allows.

What is your favourite thing about being a chairperson?

“I think it is that you get to follow all the debates and you get to see everyone else perform their speeches and you get to be a part of every country in a way, because you are not limited to your own delegation.”

Is there something you dislike about being a chairperson?

“Probably that you have to make decisions very quickly and you don’t have a lot of time to think about them, so sometimes you make mistakes.” “(...) it’s a bit stressful, but it’s fun too.”

What has been the most interesting thing happening during the week so far?

“Probably when Costa Rica brought a paper shredder to the podium and shredded America’s resolution, their flag and a picture of Donald Trump, but we, of course, escorted them out because that is not in order.”  

Why did you choose to be a chairperson and has your expectations been met?

“I chose to be a chairperson partly because I wanted to see what it was like and also because I felt it would be fun to do something new, I guess. And It has been really fun and very educating, because you get to see really how everything works.”

Any further comment?

“I hope all the delegates have fun on the last remaining days.”

I am very thankful for getting this interview with the very busy honourable chairperson. Thank you Sara for for sparing some of your time for Falufri Times 2k19.

- Ida Saarimaa

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Sweden’s Sámi history with Capital punishment

Today the Human Rights committee are going to be discussing resolutions concerning capital punishment. The practice of death sentencing and executing people, sanctioned by the state/regime as punishment for crimes, is something that has been carried out for thousands of years, and still is actively used in many parts of the world to this day. Actually, only 106 of 195-200 countries (depending of which states are to be seen as independent) have completely abolished capital punishment. China is the world’s leading nation whereas executions are concerned, with over a 1000 deaths warranted by the state in 2016, followed by Iran with 550+ and Saudi Arabia with 150+. Something that is interesting and suiting to discuss is the host nations, Swedens, own history with capital punishment, specifically regarding their indigenous people, the Sámi.

The Sámi people are the indigenous people of Sápmi, an unwell-defined area that stretches over the northern parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kola peninsula of Russia. They have their own distinct culture from the majority people in respective country with their own languages, traditions, crafts, clothes, religion and way of living. Unfortunately, their history is clouded with oppression, prejudice and colonial violations.

Today, Sweden is a secular country and most people are non-religious, but in the past, the church was one of the ruling powers. When the state expanded their territories more and more north on Sámi land, christianity was used as a tool to assimilate the people that lived there. Hence, the Sámis traditional ancestral nature religion was banned and the people who refused to abandon it could face punishments such as heavy fines, prison, torture and even death.

During the 1600s, many Saḿi were burned at the stake. A group of people that were particularly vulnerable and exposed to this within the sámi community were the shamanic religious leaders, called “Nåjd”. This was the case with Aike Aikesson, who was widely known for being a great nåjd. He was sentenced to burn at the stake during a witch trial that took place in Pite “lappmark” (lapp or laplander was a word historically used for the Sámi, but today considered racist and outdated) in today's northern Sweden. Also in Pite, the nåjd Lars Nilsson was sentenced for witchcraft and executed by burning.

There are countless other historical cases like this, not just related to the Sámi but also other non-indigenous minorities, for example the Roma and the Jews. Unfortunately, most Swedes today are unaware of the violence used by the Swedish state to gain power, territories and riched that was used and how intolerant the regime used to be against their minorities. In the majority of schools, none of this is thought or discussed in class

-Maja Nordström

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Summary: Protection of journalists and free media

Today and tomorrow a couple of resolutions will be discussed in the different committees. This Tuesday I attended a discussion between delegates from the Human Rights committee. At this meeting the topic was the protection of journalists and free media.

It started with the presentation of the UK’s resolution. After that, some delegations spoke against, while others spoke in favour of the resolution. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Until.. some very interesting opinions or perhaps statements were expressed by delegates who were opposed to the UK’s resolution.

One of those was by a Belarus delegate: ’’ You do not need to have free media in a democracy.’’ As expected other delegations were quite upset about that statement. Another thought-provoking opinion was made by a delegate from Hungary. The delegate compared the UK’s resolution to ‘‘Swiss cheese’’ as he found the resolution ‘‘lacking’’ and the last statement that stood was one made by a Russian delegate. The Russian delegate claimed that ‘’ The UK only wants serenity for themselves.’’

Suddenly, the debate and discussion concerning this resolution was over and the time came to vote against/in favour or abstain from voting. Unfortunately for the UK their resolution failed, as the majority of the delegations voted against. After the votes had been counted, it was time for a short break. The break lasted approximately 20 minutes and then we moved on to the second (and last ) resolution about this subject presented by the Russian Federation.

Nothing worthy of noting down there, except for a quote by a delegate from France: ‘’Limiting free media delays the development of democracy’’ Maybe that could be something, that someone would like to reflect on..

After everything regarding this matter was discussed. All delegations voted again and the day ended with the Russian resolution passing.

Meike Jongen

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The model UN: Harmless fun or harmful behaviour?

The model UN is an event that the school hosts every year. It’s meant to be a fun activity that gives you an insight on how the real UN works. During the week the students from all the different schools are supposed to pretend to be UN delegates, so to say, they have to pretend to be someone else.

In theory this seems like an awesome concept, but could pretending to be someone you’re not, lead to harmful behaviour? When you’re pretending to be someone you’re not, you might not feel the same responsibility for your actions as you do when you are yourself.

Since it’s not technically you who are speaking, you might act in a certain way or say stuff that you wouldn’t normally say and if someone calls you out on it you can just blame it on your country and the delegate you’re roleplaying as.

In a way this becomes comparable to the anonymity of the internet, you are allowed to hide behind a facade, which lets you express your thoughts in a different way than if you’re speaking to someone as yourself

So while this is supposed to be harmless fun, it might have some serious consequences if people don’t take responsibility for their actions.

Saga Katrinardottir Klein, Klara Eriksson

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Approved resolutions

Resolutions have now been approved - here they are!

The committee for Peace, Security and Disarmament has approved the following resolutions: in the question of West Sahara/Morocco, the Algerian and Moroccan resolutions. In the question of UN intervention, Russia and Ukraine, and in the question of military budgets, USA and Hungary.

The committee for Human Rights have approved the following resolutions: in the question of free media, Russia and UK have had their resolutions approved; in the question of death penalty, France and China. In the question of climate refugees, USA and Costa Rica were approved.

The committee for Environment and Economics, the following resolutions have been approved: in the question of production and consumption of meat, Sudan and Argentina were approved. In the question of debt cancellation for LEDC:s, the resolutions of France, UK and Rwanda were approved. In the question of sustainable tourism, India and Russia were approved.

Stay tuned for more, folks!

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Exclusive interview with North Korean delegate

We conducted an interview with one of the North Korean delegates during and after the very eventful general assembly. We started by doing an interview before the delegate went up to give his opening speech.

Why are you doing your speech in Korean?

The North Korean delegate expresses that he thinks that the Korean language is the most beautiful language in the world. He says and I quote, “I don’t want to speak pig language, English”  He also says that he wants to express his thoughts in his own beautiful language. He very clearly states the he believes that the Korean race is superior.

The delegate states that he thinks that any imperialistic country might react badly to his speech since those countries have an imperialistic idea of English as the ruling language. The delegate goes on to say “I think it’s important for all nations to show their national pride, especially our beautiful Korean language”

What message do you think North Korea expresses when  you speak North Korean before English. Are there any political reasons behind it?

They, North Korea, say that they are imposing imperialism with this choice. They mean that the English language shouldn’t be the main language spoken in the world and in the UN. They once again emphasize that they are very proud of their Korean nation and language.

During the follow up interview that we had once the General Assembly was over, we inquired about some of the controversial things that happened during the assembly, including but not limited to, North Korea's (radical) statements.

How do you feel after the speech?

The North Korean delegate says that he thinks that it’s important for them to express their standpoint, disregarding the reactions of others. He states that it’s important to show sympathy and solidarity with the third world countries that are being oppressed.

Regarding the comments made by the US delegates, North Korea expresses some very precise opinions. “I think that the USA are thieves and corrupt devils that are ruling the world without accepting the sovereignty of certain nations.” Certain nations being said with the implied hint at North Korea being the sovereign nation mentioned. The delegate mentions that they (North Korea) view the United States of America as a threat to their independence, as “instead of working for peace they are working in the name of the american imperialists”  

The North Korean delegate also states that their democracy is better than the USA, since the people in North Korea can influence the politics and that they have multiple parties in their government. The truth regarding this statement is somewhat debatable.

A very opinionated and rather controversial interview that the delegate ends with this final statement: “Israel should be removed from the grounds and their existence threatens the peace and  security of the whole world.”

- Saga Katrinardottir Klein, Alba Pascual Nilsson

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The argument between Israel and South Africa remains

For those of you who followed our live tweets from the opening ceremony, this is no surprise: after Israel’s opening speech, South Africa criticized the presence of Israel and accused them of being an “apartheid state”. They then demanded the delegates be escorted out as they had no claim to be there. After this comment, Saudi Arabia and North Korea both agreed.

After this commotion, South Africa apologized to Israel for their insult - but a resent tweet from a South African delegate shows that the matter is not resolved after all. We reached out to said delegate for further comments: the apology was apparently a misunderstanding within the delegation of South Africa. “We have now spoken to each other, and we have reached the conclusion that we would like to retract our apology.” The delegate explained that South Africa is deeply offended by what they call a “prime example of the definition of apartheid” because of their history with apartheid.

The Israeli delegates also commented the arguments: “The comments were very unprofessional. Israel is very saddened, offended and will not comment the matter any further.”

- Johanna Ljung

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SECRETS NOTES FOUND

The editorial staff has come across secrets notes from different delegations to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. In the notes, the delegation of  China, Iran, Turkey, Germany, and Saudi Arabia congratulate North Korea on their speech. China expresses that they would love to cooperate with North Korea. Israel on the other hand demands an apology for North Korea’s comment about Israel not being a real country. The editorial staff here at FaluFri Times look forward to seeing how these invites to cooperation evolve.

- Agnes Vestlund

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The Opening of Model UN 2019

The model UN has now officially begun and Falufri Times 2k19 are excited to get back to writing about the happenings and highlights of the model UN.

The room was silent when the Chair persons arrived and everyone could feel the suspension in the atmosphere. The Chair persons and delegates were greeted by a fanfare. A speech was presented by a former Falufri student who attended the very first model UN at the Falu Frigymnasium. His name is Frederick Hoyles and he gave a speech about his experiences and journey.

The first scandal was brought to us by Costa Rica, who was among the first nations to give their opening speeches. It started as a formal and honourable speech, but it quickly took a turn. They got off topic and started to advertise their country by naming different sights their country have to offer. The honourable delegate of Costa Rica was praised by the audience with applause, which the Chairman did not approve of.

After Israel’s opening speech they were criticized by South Africa, North Korea and Saudi Arabia. “Please escort them from the floor!” says South Africa.

The United States of America commented on Mexico’s speech: “The United States of America wants to thank Mexico for the well written opening speech and is looking forward to further cooperation on opposite sides of the border and opposite sides of the future wall.”

The North Korean delegate refused to hold his speech in English at first. He referred to English as “pig-language”. The Chair did, yet again, not approve.

“I have a feeling I will get everything I want.” was Russia’s last words of their opening speech, which caused some controversy.

Another speech ending that was controversial was Spain���s. “And lastly I would like to ask one thing, I’ll ask you all to subscribe to Pewdiepie.”

During the opening assembly there was quite a bit of disturbance from the floor and audience. We will see if this behavior continues...

- Ida Saarimaa