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INSIDE THIS ISSUE: PAGE 2: Gender Roles in MUN PAGE 4: Je Suis THIMUN VOL I ISSUE I AUGUST 2015 ONLINE EDITION Model United Nations Conference Calendar Welcome to THIMUN Matters! 10-12 September 2015 THIMUN Latin America Montevideo, Uruguay Model United Nations Conference Calendar 10 October 2015 MINIMUN Voorburg, Netherlands Model United Nations Conference Calendar 15-17 October 2015 Qatar Leadership Conference Doha, Qatar By Fran Laughlin, Co-Chair of the Board of I would like to extend a warm conference such a special thing. Directors for THIMUN Foundation welcome to readers of the first There is also an article about page of THIMUN MAT- a subject which touches any TERS, the forerunner of a new writer or journalist very closely, online magazine devoted to written by Alain Meidinger, a By PeterTHIMUN Loy, Treasurer of the Board makingMatters THIMUN, not only a things MUN, and particular- member of the Board teaching of Directors for the THIMUN successful conference, but also a ly to what is happening in the in the Lycee Vincent van Gogh Foundation vehicle for positive change. In THIMUN world. If you are in the Hague. a world where the daily news Yes, it does. and future forecasts are often already a subscriber to the Ol- The Hague THIMUN Con- filled with dismay, THIMUN ive Branch, our sister magazine ference is about to get under True, the title of this new on- serves to offer the youth of to- focussing on the Middle East (is way, and we would welcome line periodical is intentionally a day a voice, the experience and this the term they use in Olive any articles (with photos) about double entendre – the articles the skills to make a better to- Branch?) region, you will know the conference, issues on the are matters related to THI- morrow. MUN. But perhaps more im- what we are talking about. The agenda, coming to the Hague – portantly, it is a declaration of As such, THIMUN becomes first articles on this page are anything in fact that you think what we believe: THIMUN more than a mere simulation largely written by members should appear in the next full Matters. – it becomes the internship for of the THIMUN Foundation, issue of THIMUN MATTERS future careers. It is our hope and reflect to some extent how – and we’re talking to you, stu- Each of you involved in THI- that you have a wonderful MUN makes a contribution THIMUN experience in The we feel about THIMUN and dents, teachers, visitors, musi- and a difference. Student dele- Hague – and that you leave about you, delegates, MUN cians, organisers! gates, student officers, admin- with optimism and outlook for Directors, administrators and istrative staff, MUN Advisors a brighter future. all those who make a THI- Contact us: [email protected] – you all have a part to play in MUN or THIMUN-affiliated Soundoff!This is a somewhat controversial topic, but one that needs to be addressed. We’ve spoken to numerous delegates, both male and female on high school and college circuits all over the world, to get their opinion. Gender Roles & Model UN - Do you believe there is a gender divide in Model UN? “There is certainly a gender divide in MUN, yet I don’t feel that it is one in which we see ac tive, mean-spirited discrimination from MUNers based off of gender. Rather, I believe that we have created a MUN in which male and female delegates fall into roles that are felt to “suit” certain sexes. So, while delegates are not engaging in discrimination due to malice or personal prejudice, it is my opinion that we have allowed a system to flourish under which delegates fall too easily into the trap of ‘that’s a job for a girl’, or ‘I think that a guy would be more suited for that role’.” “Yes, I do believe that, and unfortunately the more feminine the delegate dresses, the more this divide seems to appear.” Has your MUN experience been impacted by gender bias or stereotyping? “As far as I know, my MUN experience has never been shaped positively or nega tively by gender bias or stereotyping. Whether or not this is due to my gender, my personality, or any number of factors, I suppose that I might count myself as being- “Sponsors (teacherone of advisors) the lucky many ones.” times are trying to control the way in which we (girls) dress. For example, my sponsor didn’t allowed us to use skirts. Actually, she still doesn’t allow girls to use skirts at conferences.” Do assertive female delegates face more criticism than assertive male delegates? “In my experience, there is the occasional criticism of both assertive male and female delegates. As someone more often on the receiving end of this criticism than delivering it, it would be difficult to say whether or not the criticism these delegates receive is harsher solely based on their gender.” “I definitely think that assertive female delegates face more criticism than assertive male delegates. Having said this, however, I would also point out that this criticism does not come solely from male delegates. It is not infrequently that I hear a female delegate refer to another member of her sex as being ‘bossy’, meaning that these gender stereo- types are regrettably universal.” “Yes. Definitely yes. Female assertive delegates are more negatively viewed than male delegates with the same dispositions. It’s sort of a cause for… ridicule or silent stigma on a female. Never on a male.” Do you believe gender stereotypes are prevalent in specific committees? “Yes. Unfortunately, HRC in the models I joined was sometimes seen, and I quote, as a ‘fluffy’ council. However, with the correct strategy set by following generations’ executive teams, this view changed. GA3 replaced HRC, and you soon discover it is the chairs that make up the reputation of a committee. That’s just my opinion.” “I don’t think so. I’ve staffed a lot of conferences as well, and in crisis is actually where I’ve seen almost the best 50/50 split gender-wise at MUN. If anything, I would say that the GAs actually have a tougher time recruiting female delegates, because it’s already such a male-dominated room, and it gets very competitive and passive-aggressive amongst delegates, and for people who don’t already compete in MUN and see their talents as lining up with the GA, they wouldn’t want to participate there.” PAGE 2 VOL I ISSUE I AUGUST 2015 THIMUN MATTERS “What’s a book or movie that has inspired you?” “Mine is actually a play called a Streetcar Named Desire, and I like the main character Blanche because she is a raw embodiment of human desire and how it leads to figurative death. It just captures everything natural and raw about humans.” -Ahana “In English, I think it’s the Dead’s Poet Society. It’s an old film with Robin Williams and it inspires me because it’s a great reflection about life and the fact that you should think for yourself.” -Romane “Princess of Arabia, it’s a true story about a princess in Saudi Arabia which talks about how oppressed her life is and tells her story.” -Salma “Superfudge”-Aziz “One of my favourite movies is Good Will Hunting, I really like it because of how it shows how some- one can really build up these walls around themselves and how they are scared, prejudiced against and afraid to embrace who they are but in the end they break down and tell everyone about their troubled past and they follows their dreams and you can really see their growth as a person and it is inspiring.” -Gabriella Global Growth in Inequality: A THIMUN Perspective By: Mark Rock erty and what they thought could be done to Illustration by Rhea Goenka help those suffering. We are living in a world fraught with in- Daniel Cremer, delegate of Algeria in the equality and poverty. There is no denying Human Rights Commission, emphasized the this fact; despite our best efforts to help those importance of “utilizing non-governmental less fortunate. According to GlobalIssues. organizations and the military to help coun- org, “almost half the world — over three bil- tries that won’t listen or accept outside aid,” lion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.” implying that many governments would be Concentration of wealth lies in the hands of opposed to foreign aid. He added that the use only a select few, while billions of people toil of the military “has helped in the past and daily in a struggle for life. can continue to help now.” As politically engaged individuals, many Ceylan Ersoy, President of the Human delegates at THIMUN are fully committed Rights Commission from Turkey, and Ilinca to tackling the most pressing Human Rights Briciu, delegate of the HRC from Romania and Economic issues plaguing modern day both noted the mass poverty and government society. In Thomas Piketty’s controversial corruption rampant in their respective coun- commentary on economic inequality, Cap- tries and supported foreign aid. Ceylon advo- leged children from China, summed up the ital in the 21st Century, the author tracks cated the “taxation of the upper class... to use issue thoroughly. He quoted Gandhi in that the trend of inequality since the industri- money to help the poor and hungry” while “The Earth provides enough to satisfy every al revolution and asserts that, according to Ilinca asserted that the current situation was man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” He TheEconomist.com, “Only a burst of rapid “difficult to solve” due to the “neglect of the continued to stress the importance of THI- growth… can be counted on to keep econo- lower class,” but remained optimistic in the MUN, and the necessity of “education and mies from returning to the ‘patrimonial cap- guidance of NGOs to resolve these issues.

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