Bigmonitor - Issue 4 - 2017

OFFICIAL BIGMUN NEWSPAPER

25/02/17

5 KR / 1 €

Big monitor Issue 4

Gender roles

Who run the worls? Girls!

Israel VS Israel A comparison between Israel’s UN ambassador and the Israeli ambassador at BIGMUN on key issues currently affecting the country.

VOXPOP

How would you describe Bigmun?

Mastering the art of persuaBIGMUN delegates can be the most persuasive of speakers

UNICEF

BIGMUN waits in anticipation as the UNICEF committee prepares to speak

CURRENT NEWS U.S. president divides America one bathroom at a time

TODAY’S COLUMN PIECE

BACKGROUND ARTICLE

Should you be punished harder for you fallacies?

Somalia is precarious, largely due to the influence of piracy

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LETTER from the Heads of Social Media ‘Sup! Our names are Christian Holm and Tobias Lawætz Hansen and we are this year’s Heads of Social Media.

Joining the social media team seemed like a very bad idea. Even though Tobias was a part of the team last year and Christian just chose to crash the press, neither one of us really expected to be heads this year. But then, a normal Thursday evening, Tobias received a message from a person you do not want to mess with. The Head of Press wanted him to be Head of Social Media. This seemed like an enormous pressure to deal with alone. Tobias immediately called Christian and asked: “Should we do this together?” and Christian answered instinctively: “Vamos!”. And suddenly, we were both Heads of Social Media, when in fact we did not know what we signed up for.

The expectations were high; it was like we were Trump swearing oath to the presidency.

Tobias is taking a gap year after graduation, and Christian is considering studying Art History

“Masser af Basser, og Everything is about will and speed!”

Tobias Lawætz Hansen & Christian Holm

Now, BIGMUN is up and running, and we still do not know what we are doing. Even though the Social Media team has been expanded from last year, it is truly an exhausting job to tell the rest of the team what to do all the time. “Snapchat this!

Show this on Instagram! We need a Facebook update soon… WHERE IS RASHIDI?!” You need to be a real leader to do something like this. Somehow we still manage to create emotional and political contend for all of you.

At last we would like to thank Pauline #myhotboss for pushing us around and making us cry at night. Thanks to our team for making us the only ones actually working hard trying to entertain the followers of Bigmonitor and BIGMUN. We out.

Tobias Lawætz Hansen & Christian Holm Heads of Social Media

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Bigmonitor

CONTENT O2 O4 O6

Letter

Letter from the Heads of Social Media for this years Bigmun Conference, Tobias Lawætz Hansen & Christian Holm

Gender roles Who run the worls? Girls!

Israel VS Israel A comparison between Israel’s UN ambassador and the Israeli ambassador at BIGMUN on key issues currently affecting the country.

O8 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18

VOXPOP How would you describe Bigmun?

Current news U.S. President divides America one bathroom at a time

Column Should you be punished harder for your fallacies?

Mastering the art of persuasion BIGMUN delegates can be the most persuasive of speakers

Bigmonitor

UNICEF

BIGMUN waits in anticipation as the UNICEF committee prepares to speak Head of Press

News from the committees

Russia gives ultimatum

Pauline Sophia Fich Mortensen Editor in Chief Emma Drostby

Bigmun Comic

Bigmun Bryan is at it again, now getting into the debates at the conference

Diversity

A walk through contrastinf realities: Bigmun vs Trump’s America

Head of Layout Maria Cecilie Wrang-Rasmussen Head of Photography Zoe Svendsen Borra Heads of Social Media Christian Holm & Tobias Lawætz Hansen

Background Article

My body, my choice: the fight to maintain reproductive and sexual health rights.

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Who Run the World? Girls!

Looking at the mass of people crowded into the assembly hall for the opening ceremony of BIGMUN 2017, the long locks and tailored skirts of the women of MUN are clearly visible, starkingly outnumbering the shorthaired and suited men. By: Sofié Ruderman

R

ty for the first time in BIG7”. Anna Mao, delegate of Turkey on the CSW committee, agrees. “There are some topics that are more appealing to men and some that are more appealing to women. For instance, in our committee there are a lot of girls and only one guy and I think like in the security council it’s more guys.” Bjørk Sørensen and

many children fell in love with the story’s main female protagonist, Hermione Granger, who quickly emerged as a role model to all young girls who valued intelligence and desired to own their femininity. Staff member Angelo Akhrarov expresses how women suppress their femininity to be viewed as powerful or smart. “Women that

This year, BIGMUN has a majority of female participants, from the press Photo credit: Herkules and Head of Layout team where ⅔ are women including the Head of Press Katrine Stiro, delegate of India and Pauline Mortensen, to the female Ambassador of Mali respectively, dominated CSW committee and agreed that having more women the BIG7. But what is important to was good, because it indicated thediscuss in any MUN conference is re was no gender inequality present the existence of a gender divide. As at the conference. Katrine continuIben Sørensen, staff member and ed, ”we actually have a much bigger the lovely woman who answers all gender and culture diversity here at your questions at the informati- BIGMUN than at the real UN. So I on desk, says: “just looking at the think actually we’re doing very well BIG7, there are 6 girls and one guy on that.” so maybe there’s a gender divide 19 years ago, when the first there because guys are the minori- Harry Potter book was released,

work in politicians positions and in the UN are viewed [as] masculine [so] therefore being masculine equals having a higher ranking position.There is definitely that discrimination against women or men who want to be feminine”. Like her character, actress Emma Watson swiftly became a similar icon for women. She promotes women’s rights, humanity, and empowerment as a UNICEF ambassador, member of UN Women, and the founder of the

Recently, more women are becoming involved in politics. 2016 almost saw the election of the first female president of the United States, powerhouse Hillary Rodham Clinton, and actress and activist Emma Watson has quickly emerged as an iconic role model for young women and an ambassador of human rights.

However, perhaps it is not these women whom have inspired hordes of female students to attend the conference.

Perhaps, the girls are simply here for the ever charming and attraction enhancing power of a man in a good suit.

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“

We actually have a much bigger gender and culture diversity here at BIGMUN than at the real UN. So I think actually we’re doing very well on that.

”

Photo credit: Christian Erforth

HeForShe movement that seeks to engage men as agents of change by encouraging them to take action against negative inequalities faced by women. Perhaps it is the inspiration of a favourite childhood character speaking out for human rights that has inspired so many women to join politics. Or perhaps, it is the realisation that we must stand up for ourselves in politics if we want to be heard. Several BIGMUN participants noted that female assertiveness in MUN conferences has been greatly improving but Carl Johan Steninge Otto, BIG7, points out “assertive female delegates get more criticism [than] assertive male delegates. That’s sexist. We’re working against that.” Fellow BIG7 Hanna Selim notes: “there are some feisty delegates [and] it is more li-

Photo credit: Christian Erforth

kely that you see male assertives.

But I think that is changing with every BIGMUN conference. And it is certainly starting to show improvements in female assertiveness.

Because you know what? Who run the world? Girls!“

Since Trump’s election in the US and Hillary Clinton’s failure to shatter the metaphorical glass ceiling, more and more women have become involved in politics.

She Should Run, a nonprofit that encourages more women to get into politics, has seen more than 5,100 women sign up since the election. Selim continues “I don’t think there’s a gender divide. We’re really accepting towards everyone having equal rights”. Carl Johan Steninge Otto, the only man in the BIG7, is not one to feel intimidated

and neither should any of the men participating in the conference.

He believes “you’d be hard pressed not to find any sort of gender divide anywhere [but], compared to the real world people are on pretty equal footing here”. He continues that “because I’m in the BIG7 as the only guy [sometimes] you’re pointed out [and] during the meetings they like to pick fun at me a little bit more, maybe that’s just my personality as well.” In Christian Erforth’s opinion as a photographer on the press team, “the BIG7 are assertive people [and] you would not want to mess with any of those women”, jokingly adding “you would rather mess with Carl right?

I mean look at him. Look how nice he looks.” But Christian also points out that no matter gender, every single person attending, wants to be here. “You have to care to be here. So when you have more females, you’re gonna see [them] being more assertive because they have to be. If you’re not assertive in MUN, you’re just gonna be sitting in the corner”. Carl Johan very accurately summarises how I hope every man feels about their experience in BIGMUN. “I don’t mind [being the only man]. We’re having a lot of fun. We understand each other well. “ In the words of Hanna Selim, “I think we have more girl power. I think we’re great. I think girls should run the world and yeah we’re pretty good!“.5 -

Israel versus Israel

By Rebecca Pham

A comparison between Israel’s UN ambassador and the Israeli ambassador at BIGMUN on key issues currently affecting the country.

Danny Danon, Israel’s UN Ambassador:

Photo by: World Likud

Danny Danon is Israel’s UN ambassador to the United Nations. In 2016, Danon was elected chair of the UN’s Legal Committee, the first Israeli to ever hold the position. He has built his reputation from the cauldron of Israeli politics, by sidelining the international community, criticising the Obama presidency, saying “[Obama] has not been a friend of Israel”, adding the the president’s policies have been “catastrophic,” and kicking aside the cornerstone of Israel’s agreement with the outside world: the acceptance of a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians. He has frequently caught attention by his controversial viewpoints, and some news outlets have conned him as a rebel public persona.

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Annelou Snippe, Israel’s BIGMUN ambassador:

Photo by: Stine Tinsfelt

Photo by: Stine Tinsfelt

Interviewer: “Danny Danon is currently serving as the UN ambassador for Israel, and during his whole political life, he has drawn a lot of attention on his unwavering nationalistic views. Some people have coined it as detrimental, while others have justified it. What is your opinion on nationalism as a political tool?”

Annelou: “I understand nationalism and why it is on the rise, but personally, I think it is way more important to look from a global view because most problems in the world are not just limited to one country. I’m not really nationalistic like my country, but I do believe that we have to work together, because it does not work if we do not look out for each other.”

Interviewer: “Danon has also caught a lot of attention on his comments on the Obama presi-

dency, and over the course of the last couple of years, the US-Israel relationship has in fact been damaged severely. How can we repair the damages and strengthen their tie?”

Annelou: “Right now Trump has strengthened the US-Israel relationship a lot, and I do not necessarily see that as a good thing. Of course it is good that they are able to communicate on more peaceful terms, but the issues they discuss are not necessarily very good on a global perspective. For example taking away nuclear weapons from Iran was not the best idea. Being so vocal about the issues they discuss are not necessarily a good idea either, as has been seen with Trump’s wall.”

Interviewer: “The Israel-Palestine conflict is arguably one of the most frequently discussed topics

in Israeli politics. One solution is conned as the “two state-solution” that calls for two states for two groups of people. What is your stance on that?”

Annelou: “I personally agree with the original border set solution, and I do think that Israel is overstepping, because I do think that Palestinians have a right to live in the country they arrived to. However, I believe that Israelis have a right to live in that country as well, so I think that they should live alongside each other. Both countries could definitely handle the situation a bit better, because right now they clashing, without taking the viewpoints of one another. *the quotations have been rewritten due to length and clarification

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VOXPOP - Bigmun experiences by Aurora Squillace Woersaa

All photos by: Audrey Fryman

Now that the experience of BIGMUN is almost reaching an end, it is time to collect impressions and thoughts from the ones whom have experienced it in in first person, namely delegates, ambassadors and staff members. Therefore, we asked them how they would describe BIGMUN in just a few words. Here is what they told us.

Cynthia, Germany

The international atmosphere is really interesting and gives you a great opportunity to create connections and make new friends from all over the world

Victoria, Denmark International, the convergence of many different cultures and the opportunity to see many new people

Ossam Different from many other MUN conferences I have attended, it has a more realistic point of view in regards to the amendments, which could actually be used in the actual UN conferences, -8

How would you describe bigmun?

Rhys, Denmark

Hanna, Denmark

Maria, Denmark

Carmen, Spain

BIGMUN is big fun.

Challenging, absolutely mind opening, but also a lot of fun

Engaged, educational, professional.

It’s a great opportunity to see how the world works. -

Anna Exciting, kinda exhausting but it still has been a lots and lots of fun

Carlotta, Spain

Hanna, Scotland

Rasmus, Denmark

Great opportunity to improve your confidence, everyone is really friendly and nice

It’s the event of the year!

Abhishek, Denmark Such a big and important part of my school life. I’ll get post-BIGMUN depression when this is all over.

Victor, Denmark

Interesting, definitely, it is a process that really helps you grow as a person

Interesting, useful for future life and work experiences if you want to work in politics, and it is well organised too

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Current news U.S. President divides America one bathroom at a time After a longer period of uncertainty, Trump has rescinded the rule on students being able to chose the bathroom of their chosen sex rather than the sex on their

By Laura Hvid Beginning in last March, North Carolina passed a bill banning transgender people from using bathrooms of the sex that is not on their birth certificate, causing massive uproars from the LGBTQ community. It was part of a larger bill that eliminated parts of anti-discrimination protections set up for gay and transgender people. Due to the debatable nature of the bill, the Obama administration set up a domestic policy of free choice in all schools.

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The fate of the policy was decided between Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Attorney General Jefferson Sessions.

DeVos, believing that rescinding the rule would harm transgender students, wanted to keep the rule. DeVos dropped the opposition after Sessions moved the debate to the White House, in which President Trump sided with him. Trump has general-

Photo: dailyscene.com ly been more permissive in his stance on gay rights and marriage compared to other republicans. Yet due to heavy pressure of religious authorities in the White House, Trump is now contradicting previous personal views in which he stated that “transgender people should use the toilets they feel appropriate.”

Announced in a statement by DeVos, her unease was evident, saying she felt is was a “moral obligation for every school in America to protect all students from discrimination, bullying and harassment” yet also stating that bathroom rules were not a federal matter. DeVos has been a quiet supporter of LGBTQ+ rights for years, and stated early on in her nomination that she was scared of the high suicide rates amongst gay teenagers.

DeVos has though stated in her latest press conference that the rule was another “huge example

of the Obama Administration’s overreach.”

The rescinding was met with heavy opposition from LGBTQ supporters. The demonstrators believe it to be a reckless decision, cruel to the most vulnerable students, as well as being a rescinding on a basic civil right. To this Sessions responded that individual schools are free to choose rules and the clause furthermore states “All schools must ensure that students, including L.G.B.T.Q. students, are able to learn and thrive in a safe environment”.

Being an outspoken opposer of immigration, voting and gay rights, Sessions is now quickly moving to have the rescinding implemented, as well as moving forwards with other issues on immigration and voting rights.

Column of the day:

Should you be punished harder for your fallacies?

By Juan Carlos Haquet Briones Newton’s third law is something we can apply to everything. The law states that every action has an equal opposite reaction. This can very well be applied in real life. In fact, we have done so for centuries, as concepts like karma (Action-Reaction) have been running around since the 7th Century BCE.

Concepts such as karma rely on the individual being punished and rewarded for his misdeeds by the cosmos, or some other spiritual force that has control over things as simple as tripping.

Punishment is a little different; it is the active decision of an individual in a higher position - or an individual that places himself in a moral high horse, whichever one works - to impose an undesirable outcome on someone who did an otherwise bad thing. But is it good?

I personally think that it is, however with measure. This is a pretty opinionated topic and so you might disagree with me, but it is important for me to get this across. At BIGMUN, one gets punished for dress code violations, coming late or even interrupting fellow delegates. Punishments are rather funny for all parties involved. I have yet to see a delegate being affected by punishment; it is

Photo by: Stine Tinsfeldt a joke, and a very good one at that.

Delegates debate for long hours with no break, and some stimulus in the form of fun is a welcomed guest.

However, what happened to real punishment? The one granted to those who committed truly disrespectful actions. As I went by the many committees featured in this conference, I noticed something rather sad; some of my fellow classmates could be seating in here. Why? I saw delegates flagrantly staring at their Facebook profile whilst being addressed by their chair, I saw delegates not participating in unmoderated caucuses to clean their nails, and I find that sad. Are you saying, that some of my friends were denied their spots as delegates for you to sit around and write text messages all day? That’s an even bigger joke than the punishments given, and I think it should be looked at. Know that someone with a real interest could have taken your place.

One way to fix these issues, is to improve the collaboration between staff and chairs, and give the chairs more power. It is not only a waste of time for the delegate who would rather watch Tasty videos on Facebook, it is a waste of time for the entire committee, because one more brain’s input

could greatly reduce the time taken to solve the issue at hand.

It is also disrespectful towards the chairs. Chairs do not only sit there and give orders, they have to process a lot of information and arguments, piece them together and determine how much sense they make. They work hard so that the committee's final verdict is a rational solution that could be applied in real life. Do not disrespect them by blatantly showing your disinterest to their face, they work hard too!

You see, those maths problems you could not solve in your test on the first page? Well, your brain is still working on it by the time you are on the fifth, and if you are lucky, you might actually be able to solve it by the end of the test. And so with so much information running around, it is easy to get distracted. And punishments or sanctions towards those who do not complete their work help people keep the important in mind. Regardless of my complaint; I hope you do not find my point of view a little radical in regards to BIGMUN, however I felt like I needed to get it off my chest. I also hope that as the conference progresses as it is meant to and you have a wonderful time.

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Mastering the Art of Persuasion By: Momina Hussain

Photo by: Tut MacCormac

BIGMUN delegates can be the most persuasive of speakers.

This was Martin’s first speech as a BIGMUN delegate. It exemplified the epitome of sophistication. Metaphorically, it could be described as the cherry on his experiences as a delegate. However, the expressions on the audience’s faces conflicted with his self-conceited idea about his speech he had just delivered. He stood bewildered, wondering if he had really said something, if he had really made the impact he believed he had made. This is typical of many delegates since a large proportion of the Model UN speeches are improvised.

With this in mind, I shall present you with a criterion which can help you, as a BIGMUN delegate, win the hearts and minds of the audience in your respective committees. This is the ability to persuade your audience that what you are saying is the grea- 12

test of truths and your statements be- Understanding how people form opistow rationality to the greatest realm. nions, arguments, and present and integrate facts into their mental moAristotle’s rhetoric provides us with dels is mission-critical in one’s abian outline of the components that lity to convince anyone to buy into constitute persuasive speeches, which an idea and then act on it. That is are: logos, ethos and pathos. Logos the essence of persuasion; to create a exemplify the simulation of a ratio- common ground with the audience, nal appeal; a statement might be valid to appeal to their senses, reason and but not necessarily true. Ethos, on the logical cognizance. One way to do other hand is an appeal to the autho- this is by referring to other delegates’ rity and credibility of the speaker and prior speeches and pointing out that finally pathos is the ability of the spe- your operative clause addresses their aker to evoke an emotional response concerns. in the audience; created by a passionate delivery. Additionally, repetiti- Talking to a BIGMUN delegate; Anna on of specific key terms, clauses and Yao, I asked her about the approach grammatical style; also, known as pa- she takes when she tries to persuade rallelism can help emphasise an idea people on a certain idea, she replied and create a rhythm in the speech. by saying the following, ‘‘I try to plaThis can help embed an idea in the ce statistics and emotions simultamind of the audience. Moreover, in- neously. I always try to depict multiclusive language e.g, us, we, I and our ple perspectives of a story but at the can help in the process of persuasion same time stressing upon how I feel by creating a sense of solidarity and about the event or topic under quesunity amongst the audience and the tion.’’ Anna’s approach to persuasive speaker. speeches shows a correlation to Ari-

stotle’s rhetoric. It shows the audience that she has reflected upon the research she has conducted, an application of the persuasive device; ethos.

Most delegates spend too much speaking time reciting facts instead of arguing a point. Particularly in opening speeches where the speaker is inclined to present statistics and hard facts related to the committee’s topic, in hopes that they are making an impact on their audience’s point of view. But are they really? These might serve as good introductions, but other delegates and the staff in the respective committee already have this information in their research. They now want to hear your ideas on what to do about the problem and why. The committee does not remember your speeches for the statistics and facts you tell, but rather the one idea your speech was about and the emotional response which you were able to provoke in the audience whilst presenting that idea, you want other delegates to think to themselves, ‘‘That’s a good point.’’ And when you get really good, they’ll think, ‘‘Wow – I wish I said that.’’

Belief certainty is a crucial lever in the persuasion process. To become a more effective persuader, challenge yourself to move beyond the simple act of shaping opinions and strive to inspire conviction. Doing so can reveal opportunities to make your audience more certain and, thus, to promote action and advocacy.

Photo by: Tut MacCormac

“ I always try to depict

multiple perspectives of a story but at the same time stressing upon how I feel about the event or topic under question.

”

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Introducing: UNICEF

By Mads Hjerrild Hansen

BIGMUN waits in anticipation as the UNICEF committee prepares to speak BIGMUN took off with yet another incredible ceremony, and as popularity of the annual event rises, comes the inclusion of special guests and committees. This year, we are pleased to introduce the UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) committee!

UNICEF seeks to “break the world of poverty and inequity around the world.” With Raquel Jurado as chair and Sofia de Martin as co-chair, UNICEF must be in safe hands.

The implementation of the UNICEF committee is an honour, not only because it is another special council, but chiefly because of its accessible features. UNICEF allows simple admission with ‘Take Action’ - a quick and efficient method to aid the fund, available over a wide array of platforms. UNICEF is easily associated with smilves and saving children’s lives. The prestigious organisation has earned its reputation through this, which is why everyone at BIGMUN will be excited to see the new committee debate.

The special council covers a variety of topics, including the assurance of primary education for all children. It is a - 14

Photo by: Stine Tinsfeldt largely regarded issue, perhaps also due to setting. It covers both LEDCs and MEDCs, because education is a necessity for all countries. Another aim is to abandon all violence among children, both against the children, and children to inflict harm upon others, in the form of child soldiers. The total immunisation of children is also amongst UNICEF’s goals. All of these goals may seem far-fetched, but UNICEF has the backing of the UN, which means that their capacity for initiating programmes and missions are endless.

UNICEF operates in 190 countries, “striking a balance between thorough research and practical solutions for children.” What is not to like about it?

With high morale emanating from the delegates, the whole conference is prepared and thrilled for the introduction of the UNICEF committee. Is it

because of the easy involvement of donors and volunteers, or just the benevolent name that we have all come to know? Either way, standards are high for the UNICEF committee to deliver articulate and stirring discussions.

Photo by: Stine Tinsfeldt

BREAKING!

Russia gives ultimatum

By Juan Carlos Haquet Briones In the world of BIGMUN, the Crisis Committee is facing serious trouble. The virus K8, - abbreviated K8V for short - has struck Kansk, Russia killing 90 people and raising. The Crisis Committee was tasked to find a solution to the problem in the form of a quarantine on Kansk.

The virus was found when a group of hikers came in contact with a frozen mammoth in the Siberian region of Russia and since then it has been spreading at an alarming rate.

Even remote inaccessible areas are being affected, putting the international community at risk, because the disease can be spread by international travel placing the whole world in a precarious situation.

The Crisis Committee at BIGMUN has not been able to find a solution to the problem as of yet, and the delegation of Russia had this to say:“This committee has been much too slow in developing a solution for this crisis, conditions are worsening in the infected area by the second, if things do not improve Russia will have to take matters into their own hands” The delegation of Russia has also shown discontent for the committee’s lack of respect towards the sovereignty of the nation. However the committee kept pressing during a full session, that the international community—and not the Russian military— should have control over the matter.

On his opening speech today,

he expressed it in the following manner: “No action can take place without Russia’s approval. And as all of you might be aware, the delegate voted against this directive. Since this directive, as it stands are just bottomless words, they have no meaning. They have no meaning since there is no mention of who is to carry out these operations… The delegate of Russia attempted to amend this by adding a directive to the second degree saying All above operations be organized by Russian military. However this amendment failed 13 to 13. ” To end his opening speech, he proposed an ultimatum to the committee, turning a dire situation into an international conflict. In his ultimatum he demands a written apology from the delegations that voted against his directive, as well as the reconsideration of his amendment to the second degree unless the committee wanted “consequences” We have no further details on what these consequences could be, some nations speculate on the private research of the disease for its weaponization however no details are solid as of now.

Further information will be reported as it comes in, however for now things are looking dire for the inhabitants of Kansk.

Photo by: Audrey Fryman 15 -

Social Media up da te d

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From hands to heads to hearts A walk through contrasting realities: BIGMUN VS TRUMP’S AMERICA

By Momina Hussain the attitudes of the delegates regarding each other.

My immediate reaction to the racial prejudice and Concealed by a formal attire and a galvinisation of vilification against minorities in the ‘‘United’’ Staprofessionalism there’s a will to coexist, to interact and tes of America can be summarised by one word: to be sociable individuals. BIGMUN is a rainforest, a why? representation of diversification. It exemplifies a con The Trump administration is based on falfluence of languages and accents, and a brilliant mix lacies and misrepresentations. Manipulations and of aromas. BIGMUN for me, has become an alternageneralisations. Lies and subjugations. Dissections tive reality, independent of the hostility and unnecesand fabrications. Forgery, and the list goes on. On sary conflicts around the world. Here, a woman is not the contrary, BIGMUN is an exemplification of soobjectified but dignified and a Latino is not described lidarity, an arena with prevalent cooperation and as being the thief stealing someone else’s position as unity where co-existence amongst people of diffea potential delegate. White Supremacy has been erarent colour, religion and socio-political perspectised from our minds. We are all ves lies in the very core of its equal, we are all human and establishment; which is why that is all that matters. it has quickly become the

What the Trump adarchetype of acceptance and ministration must learn is that mutual understanding. heterogeneity brings about The delegates are the ones opportunities to share, learn fuelling the conferences. and grow from the journeys of Belonging form a multituothers. Without it, limitations dinous amount of ethnic arise and knowledge is gained groups and socio-cultural in the absence of understanbackgrounds, they bring ding. Diversity is not toleranin various tales, traditionsPhoto by: Christian Erforth ce for differences but inclusion ,languages, exceptionalities, of those who are not the majority. It should not be perspectives and perceptions based upon their emmeasured as a count or a fraction - that is somehow piricism. Despite these underlying differences, they demeaning. Success at maintaining diversity would are able to interact with each other with relative be when we no longer ask if we are diverse enough, ease, as if meant to be. Therefore, one can suggest because it has become the norm, not remarkable. It that Trump is parading towards exactly what the is the celebration of minority. It is the norm in BIGdelegates at BIGMUN are trying to avoid: conflicts MUN. of interest.

Sorry President Trump, I am just not ready to ‘‘move

A captivating walk through the halls of on’’.

BIGMUN resulted in an essential realisation about

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My Body, My Choice In the early 1920s in America Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, fought to radicalise the women of the US by educating them on the use of contraceptives. It became her mission and belief that women could not be free or equal until they had reproductive rights. Her fight for the legitimisation of a woman’s right to contraceptives and bodily autonomy led to the

Photo by: Stine Tinsfeldt

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turnover of federal laws prohibiting sexual and contraceptive education, the installment of Roe V. Wade that made it legal to perform abortions under certain conditions, and the approval of the birth control pill.

The revolution Sanger began, continues today as women worldwide struggle to maintain their reproductive and sexual health rights.

W

ith a Trump administration, there are fears that the reproductive rights women have fought so hard to win will be threatened. Since Trump’s election on November 9th, 2016, the demand for IUDs skyrocketed by a record 900% and donations to Planned Parenthood have increased so dramatically the donation website crashed. On January 21st, 2017, as a direct response to the inauguration of President Trump, an estimated 5 million people worldwide rallied and took to the streets, wearing pink “pussy hats” and chanting phrases like “we don’t want your tiny hands, anywhere near our underpants” and “The people!

United! Will never be defeated!”

The rally was a call to action against Trump’s sexist and racist policies that lit up all seven continents in the largest single-day demonstration in US history.

In the discussion of reproductive and sexual health rights, it is important to remember that it extends far past motherhood and pregnancy, breaching issues affecting all genders and ages. UN Women promotes reproductive and sexual health in a manner that empowers women and allows education and improvement in issues like sexual abuse and violence, contraceptive use, unsafe or “coat hanger” abortions, adolescent health, and sexual education. As chair of the committee on Women’s Rights, Vanessa Noriega believes that in the discussion of reproductive and sexual health rights, we must acknowledge it as a web of interconnecting issues. “In order to improve the whole, everything that falls under its umbrella must also be acknowledged and encouraged towards betterment.”

Without reproductive and sexual

Photo by: Josefine Bjerre Lyndgaard

health education, where would we be in cases of rape or sexual assault? We would be unable to provide counseling or justice to victims of these abuses.

When we empower the women of our generation by educating them on their sexuality and how they may use contraceptives, we are giving them the tools to shape their own lives.

Every individual has the right to decide over their sexual and reproductive health. The ability to make the choice whether or not to have children is a freedom all women should be entitled to, but sadly this is not the case. In many countries contraceptives are widely available but their use is looked down on as socially and culturally inappropriate and immoral.

The World Conference on Women in 1995 is focused on meeting the reproductive health needs and preferences of individual women and men, and articulates the rights to personal choice and freedom in decisions concerning their reproductive options. The core of reproductive and sexual health rights is the fundamental belief that women, influenced by their individual social, economic, and cultural environment, possess the capabilities to make their own reproductive decisions. We must also remember that the concepts of autonomy

and choice, both of which are pivotal to the discourse on human rights, vary widely across the globe as they are influenced by social and cultural factors.

Moreover, every human being should have the access to and information they need on reproductive and sexual health, however that may be interpreted.

Sex is a natural pursuit and there should not even be a discussion on the universal availability of sexual and reproductive health as one would hope it be to be viewed worldwide as a human right. We all deserve an education in our sexuality and perhaps this can help assuage the harsh culture of slut shaming present in modern society. We all deserve and should have access to STD and STI testing, contraceptives, sexual abuse or violence counseling, or any other service we may require regarding our individual sexual and reproductive health. The most important aspect of this discussion is the concept that sexual and reproductive health is entirely individual and should not be dictated by any person. It should come as no surprise to President Trump and fellow world leaders who believe they can legislate the bodily autonomy of the ‘weaker sex’ that the women of the world will stand together and rally together in the fight for their rights.

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Political finger puppets Hillary Clinton, 2017 Barack Obama & Donald Trump on the beach.

Stab a pen/pencil through the white circles and use your fingers as legs.

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(You can also cut out the figures)