Flame MUN 2020 Newsletter

rusHour FLAME MUN 2020 RESOLUTION THROUGH DIPLOMACY An initiative of the International Press

29TH FEBRUARY – 1ST MARCH 2020 FROM THE CHIEF: A SNEAK- PEAK It was indeed a pleasure to work with Flame University Model United Nations 2020. This conference stands tall in proving that quality always wins over quantity. This edition had a 4 member team of International Press which worked extensively on all days in order to cover the most proceedings of the conference both in the form of text and photographs. The whole idea of any such intervention is to learn and progress in life. The members of International Press were more so first timers in terms of International Press work and have not left any stone unturned in terms of work and targets given. If learning is at focus, the results will surely surprise us. Most conferences do not understand the importance of International Press, in-fact, the body of International Press is responsible for dissemination of information to the masses around the globe. We live in a society where we only talk about problems and do nothing on the lines of proposing and implementing a solution. Model UN conferences paved a way by offering a platform to students and aspirants of different profession to discuss and deliberate about various global issues. The International Press aims to give a wholesome approach towards Journalism and life. There is a deep connect between Journalism and life. Journalism in a Model UN is a professional platform for people to learn the ways of Journalism with a very local yet a global perspective. Local in terms of the work structure, and global in terms of the work produced/churned out during the conference. May the force be with you! Kalyan Srinivas Raygalla, Chief of International Press

29TH FEBRUARY – 1ST MARCH 2020 Amid Reports of continued threats of proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, DISEC debates how best to effectively tackle the constitution of a Weapons of Mass Destruction- Free Zone Sarthak Bhattamishra, reporting from the First Committee, United Nations General Assembly (Disarmament and International Security) Spotlighting continued violations of ban on chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, delegates discussed how best to effectively address the threats in the Middle East and ensure non-proliferation of weapon stockpiles, as the First Committee continued its debate on other weapons of mass destruction. Raising concerns about continued violations, many representatives called upon the international community to preserve global norms and to outlaw such materials, whereas other representatives emphasized on emphasized on establishing regional monitoring groups to keep a tab on the political and military developments in the Middle East. However, there was a contention on whether such a body should be made under the aegis of the IAEA or should it be made under the auspices of the good offices of the Secretary-General. There was a general consensus in the Committee with respect to the resolution of political disagreements in the region to be first agenda that needed to be resolved before any action on the establishment of a weapons free zone can be attempted. However, the Committee still stayed silent on how the same could be achieved which is further exemplified by the words of the Delegate of the USA that nations are willing to negotiate, but the sincerity still seems absent in their efforts. The same sentiment could also be inferred from the Delegate of Syria’s speeches, who went on to add that although there has been international concern over the Iranian Nuclear program, however, there also has been an international failure to reach an agreement on the same. The Delegate of Pakistan made an offbeat recommendation, suggesting that any WMD-Free Zone arrangement should be accompanied by a reward scheme which would aid in mitigating the fear that many nations would have to come clean about their WMD programs, if any. Although the Delegates of Australia and China proposed solutions to the existing regime by specifiying the loopholes in the current legal instruments, like the non-applicability of the weapons conventions to non-state actors, something which was agreed to by many members, it remains to be seen how solutions to such loopholes are suggested on the second leg of this two day meeting.

29TH FEBRUARY – 1ST MARCH 2020 Deliberation on UNW Strategic Plan 2018-2021 Initiated EXECUTIVE BOARD DECIDES UPON THE PLAN OF ACTION FOR DAY 2 AFTER EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION. Manas Prabhutendolkar, reporting from the UN Entity for Gender Euality and Empowerment of Women 29th of February, 2020, saw the commencement of A point that was revisited upon was the need for the meeting of the Executive Board of United Nations greater involvement of women in policy-making Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of because of the positive impact it showed in various Women (UN WOMEN). The committee had assembled case studies such as that of India and with the intention to review the implementation of Bangladesh. The Delegate of Israel in their the Strategic Plan of 2018-21. The first day of the statements expressed the need for a reassessment of meeting saw various deliberations upon the agenda. the indicators upon which the plan was to be Most speeches revolved around the achievements of reviewed. This lead to the committee discussing the the member states in their implementation of the way implementation could be measured. Certain plan. The committee chose to not address the areas suggestions included the formation of a UN regulated in which the Strategic Plan needed improvement body that would conduct periodic reviews with during the meeting. globally consistent and quantifiable factors. However, the committee expressed its contentions regarding the same as each factor affects each country differently based on the peculiarities of the region.The Delegate of Norway further provided insights into the issue. They pointed that the current review mechanism lacked proper data collection, substantial empirical evidence to back up the data and also, in many regions, it lacked appropriate access to the data. The committee also noted, that while most governments had started taking initiatives towards the improvement of the status of women, there was a substantial gap that existed between policy and practice. The committee ended with the delegates planning the course of action for the second day. They highlighted the fact that the first day could have had more policy-based discussions that revolved around an in-depth analysis of the text in hand.

29TH FEBRUARY – 1ST MARCH 2020 Amidst varying concepts of Statehood and Nationality, Fourth Committee Representatives Seek Solutions to the Problems Plaguing the Palestinians Sarthak Bhattamishra, reporting from the Fourth Committee, United Nations General Assembly (Special Political and Decolonization Committee) The deliberations of the Fourth Committee of the General The Delegates of Iran and Mongolia called Assembly began on the question of the legality of the Israeli out USA on its proposed Peace Plan as Settlements in the Palestinian Territory, with the Delegate of well, contending that the USA unilaterally USA supporting the Delegate of Israel’s stand of seeking a gave a large chunk of authority to Israel peaceful solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Many over Palestine without taking into nations were quick to question USA’s stance, referring to the confidence or consideration of the UNSC Resolution 2334 and condemning Israel for having primary stakeholders in the process, killed many innocent civilians, also mentioning the gross thereby violating the international norms violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the process. and pushing back the confidence building measures immensely.In their defence, the Delegates of USA and Israel retorted that to maintain peace and stability in the otherwise unstable region, the steps taken by their Nations was primarily to counter the belligerent militant occupation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and was done as a means of self-defence and as a means of necessity. Thereafter, the Committee debated and discoursed on two primary topics, namely, the Legality of such Israeli Settlements in the Palestinian Territoy and on the Statehood of Palestine. Human Rights violations were widely discussed in the Committee, where some representatives alleged that Israel, backed by the USA, performed transgressions on innocent Palestinians and Israel contended transgressions against innocent Isreali civilians by extremist outfits which have settled in the Palestinian Territory. Ironically, however, none of the States contended or even touched upon the links of the outfit HAMAS with the UN-mandated UNRWA, although discussions on the efficacy of the UNRWA was sparsely touched upon. The first day of the two day conference also discussed many different understandings of the concept of Statehood and Nationality, with many representatives stating that the principles of Self-Determination holds the highest credence of Statehood. However, the Delegate of Israel overemphasized on Israel’s stand that no negotiation can happen with the Palestinian Authority, as long as they don’t come to the negotiation table without any preconceived notions and expectations.





29TH FEBRUARY – 1ST MARCH 2020 Money’s Worth. Addressing the Gender Pay Gap. Manas Prabhutendolkar, reporting from the UN Entity for Gender Euality and Empowerment of Women One of the key debates regarding women’s rights is the apparent problem of the gender pay gap. Women across regions find themselves receiving lesser pay as compared to males due to a variety of different reasons. This results in an economy disparity between the genders resulting in many females having to rely on the males in the family, which in turn leads to a lack of female economic independence. This further re-establishes patriarchal systems which cause greater gender discrimination. The disparity in the wages can be blamed mainly upon the lack of effective legislation regarding the same. Failure to account for integration of women due to barriers of education and social status mainly need addressal by policy makers. There also needs to be deliberation about effective measures to account for Occupational Segregation, wherein sectors that are male dominant tend to pay more than sectors that employ only woman or both, and also, Vertical segregation, which refers to the lack of women in senior positions in most sectors. The gender pay gap affects the economy as well. The difference in economic output makes women more economically dependent, resulting in a greater expenditure by governments on welfare programs and pension plans. Greater woman involvement in the workforce will ensure greater productivity. A 2009 report for the Australian Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs estimates that a decrease in the gender wage gap by a single percent can increase GDP per capita by approximately $260. This can happen only if women are encouraged to work by reducing wage discrimination. Various organizations around the world have started to recognize this issue. One of the key methods for reducing the gap is encouragement of women’s education. India’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save the girl child, Educate the girl child) campaign is a prime example of the same. Reservation for woman in important positions has also been practiced by certain governments. The Bangladesh government, for example, has a 50 seat reservation for women in their parliament and hence have one of the highest involvement of women in policy making in the region. The effect of which can be seen in the family structure and social conditions of Bangladesh. Communities have increasingly started to move away from viewing women as an economic liability. Greater female involvement has led to reduced gender gap.

29TH FEBRUARY – 1ST MARCH 2020 Amidst Agression, Conflict and Loss, Can Media Be The Bridge Between War And Peace? Sarthak Bhattamishra, Editorial The members of the Security Council have, over the years, expressed their serious concern at the significant escalation of violence in Yemen and its impact on civilians, thousands of whom had been displaced in recent months. Members have underlined their disappointment at this return to violence, which threatens to undermine progress made during the recent period of de-escalation in the region, while calling for an immediate cessation of these hostilities, which posed a threat to the political process, and for a return to de-escalation efforts. All parties have advocated the fulfilment of the obligations of States under international humanitarian law, including in relation to ensuring the protection of civilians, in particular women and children, and their obligations under international human rights law, as applicable, with the Security Council specifically underlining the need to ensure accountability for violations in Yemen. Nations have, on several occassions, reiterated their full support for the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, and expressed hope that a renewed de-escalation would create space for the Yemeni parties to move towards comprehensive and inclusive United Nations-led negotiations urgently, on the security and political arrangements necessary to end the conflict and move towards a peaceful transition. Emphasising the importance of continued political commitment to uphold the Stockholm Agreement, many Nations have reiterated their call the maintainance of the ceasefire in Hodeidah and the continuance of a broader implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, in parallel with efforts towards an inclusive political solution, as set out in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015) as well as by the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and its implementation mechanism and the outcome of the National Dialogue Conference. The members of the Security Council reaffirmed their strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen, as well. However, it seems paradoxical when the same States which pledge for a smooth settlement of the Conflict, aslo engage in belligerence and proxy wars. One of the reasons as to why the Yemeni Conflict blew out of proportion is because a military solution was perused to solve a political issue - as is also evidenced from the utter failure of military engagements of the factions against each other in the region. Hence, for any brokered agreement to be sustainable, proper dissemination of information to the general public is a sine qua non aspect. This would in turn aid in a constructive discourse amongst all relevant stakeholders, and the further ramification of this would be that steps can be taken with the consensus of the common public. A free media and press would take such a step a long way in getting properly implemented, thus benefitting the general populace in having its voice heard and also acting as a proper bridge between the international bodies, the Government and its people.

29TH FEBRUARY – 1ST MARCH 2020 Interview: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women Manas Prabhutendolkar, reporting from the UN Entity for Gender Euality and Empowerment of Women India recently introduced the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of 2019 wherein the maximum punishment for crimes against the transgender community, including sexual and physical abuse, is supposed to be two years along with an unspecified fine. In comparison to this, for crimes against women such as stalking and sexual harassment, the punishment is at least three years in jail; for rape, it is life imprisonment. Hence, the question arises that what are the parameters and judgements that have inspired this difference? Delegate of India: The nature of offenses are fundamentally different. The biology is different. The IPC believes in equitable laws and not equal laws. The difference exits due to that. The future may show certain different trends if the scientific and psychological studies show the need for change in the legislative mechanism. Bangladesh has a 50 seat reservation for women in their parliament. Due to this women’s empowerment has taken monumental leaps. Taking this case study into consideration , how does the delegate of Switzerland justify their stance that, “No reservations for women are needed?\" Delegate of Switzerland: The efforts of the Bangladesh government might seem like an effective solution. However in the long run, providing certain provisions to certain sects is not a good idea. It is morally unfair and it also disregards female capability. Traditional practices often affect sexual health of women. What changes can be made at policy and grass root levels to effectively improve the situation in poverty stricken regions around the world? Delegate of Israel: We need to design intervention in community based upon their individual social contexts. Only then can change be propagated. Israel is following a similar mechanism with the randomized control trials that we are conducting in conjunction with India. Delegate of India: The law needs to be held at a higher regard than culture and other social factors. India did the same in the recent Sabarimala Temple case. Hence, while culture significance is important, healthcare and sanitation of women is more important. Various countries around the world deny women to undergo abortion. What steps can the UN Women Executive Board undertake to create a change in this situation? Delegate of Norway: The problem is that some governments are pro-life while others are pro-choice and it's difficult to create policies that align to only one side as the international community won’t accept it. Hence, we need to find middle ground and suggest legislative changes that reflect the same.

29TH FEBRUARY – 1ST MARCH 2020 A Little Background The UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment The UN Special Political and Decolonisation of Women discussed the implementation of the strategic plan Committee convened for a conference to discuss the of 2018-21 at its recent meeting. The first day featured question of Israeli Settlements in the Palestinian discussions on the individual achievements of countries in Territory, with an immediate formation of two broad the implementation of the plan. The committee also debated lobby-groups on the basis of their international on the indicators that were being used to measure the success interests. In the deliberations that pursued, one of the of the plan. They recognized the various challenges faced by factions, comprising primarily of the Delegates of women. The committee noted that while efforts had China, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, the UK, Russia, improved, change had been very slow due to the apparent gap Mogolia, Kuwait and Lebanon, empasized upon the between policy and practice. The requirement for better data political sovereignty of the Palestinian people by collection and access to the same was also stressed upon. The placing reliance on the Montevideo Convention & the discussion set the scene for day 2, where the committee Declarative and the Constitutive theories of statehood. decided to engage in in-depth policy-based discussions and In futherance of the same, members decried Israel on proceed toward a comprehensive and well-structured outcome its non-compliance with relevant UNSC and UNGA document. resolutions and peace agreements between stakeholders in the Middle East. They also condemned The meeting of the UN Disarmament and International the cessation of Israeli plans to develop settlements in Security Committee on the establishment of a Weapons of the West Bank and discouraged private and public Mass Destruction(WMD)-Free Zone, after a riveting two day businesses involved in the same. Demanding a de jure discussion, came to a fruitful conclusion. The Committe applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the began with representatives recognizing the several challenges member states also urged the UNSC to initiate a fact in the territory, with a primary concern of non-state actors finding mission to determine the exact nature of the being voiced by many of them. It was also agreed upon that Israeli imposition of economic sanctions and the political disagreements in the Middle East is the primary resticitions on the basic civil and political rights of the predicament that should be resolved for any Confidence Palestinian People.On the other hand, the Delegates of Building Measures to be intiated amongst the stakeholders, to Israel and the USA recognized Palestine as a rightful which the Delegate of China had recommended the member territory of the Israeli state and excoriated the states to urge the good offices of the Secretary General to act international community for having unilaterally as a mediator, with international experts providing necessary targetted Israel over its acts of self-defence. Placing assistance. Delegates also proposed a verification mechanism, reliance in the 2004 Cairo agreement and the UNGA independent of the already existing international Resolution 181, the delegates urged the UNSC to ensure instruments, under the aegis of the IAEA, which would the demilitarization of the Gaza strip and sought for a ensure that rogue nations refrain from engaging in closer co-operation between the UNRWA and the proliferation of WMDs. The Committee also agreed upon governmental organization to streamline security have a sanctions-and-rewards regime of the zonal screening and subequent supply of aid and relief agreement, which would have a persuasive effect on nations materials. Although the two factions had a similar which would make an attempt at weapons-proliferation. The bearing on many scenarios, however the clash-point Committee, post the deliberations of the two day conference, on their respective stand on the political autonomy of and taking into account the concerns and the solutions Palestine was so peracute, that nations proposed by the member States, recommended the creation of fundamentally disagreed on each others paper-work. a draft Treaty to create a Weapons of Mass Destruction-Free The committee, finally, failed. Zone in the Middle East.

Title Sponsor Chief of International Press Raygalla Kalyan Srinivas Designers Annu Gandhi, Aariana Tarapore Reporters Sarthak Bhattamishra, Manas Prabhutendolkar Photographers Abhishek Thite, Aaryan Arora