OLIN-NEWS

!VOLUME 11, ISSUE 1!
OLINMUN 2014!
MARCH 7TH 2014
OLIN-NEWS
Solving Challenging Issues at OLINMUN
Paula Jiménez, Alejandro Porcel, Ma. Teresa Compeán de Carrera,
Ma. Teresa Carrera de Verduzco, Rodrigo Cárdenas & Alejandro de Hoyos
By Sofía Solares
OlinMUN had the largest number of participating schools
this year. Charles Kerbel welcomed the seventeen schools
taking part: Instituto Asunción de México, Colegio Hebreo
Tarbut, Instituto María P. de Alvarado, Peterson School,
Instituto La Paz, Centro Educativo Alexander Bain
Irapuato, Greengates School, Instituto Bilingüe Rudyard
Kipling, Colegio Carol Baur, Colegio Williams, Bachillerato
Alexander Bain, Lancaster School, Colegio Arjí (Tabasco),
Colegio Fontanar (Querétaro), Instituto Anglo Británico
(Monterrey), Olinca Cuernavaca and Olinca D.F.
María Teresa Compeán de Carrera gave a wonderful speech
about our school’s international perspective regarding
politics, ethics and education. After that, she explained the
topics of each committee. This year there were ten
committees: General Assembly-A, General Assembly-B,
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United
Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM),
International Court of Justice (ICJ), United Nations High
C o m m i s s i o n e r f o r Hu m a n R i g h t s ( U N H C H R ) ,
Organization of American States (OAS), Security Council
(SC), Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“You are the light of the world!!!”
Students from 5th MYP sang three songs in French: “Vois
Sur Ton Chemin” from the movie The Chorus, “Je ne
Regrette Rien” by Edith Piaf and “Tous les Visages de
L’ amour” by Il Volo .
The Secretary General of Olinmun 2014, Alejandro Porcel,
told us how he prepared to be the Secretary General and
everything he had to do to be in this position. He thanked
the Undersecretaries Paula Jimenez, Alejandro de Hoyos
and Rodrigo Cárdenas, as well as the rest of the staff, and
then declared OlinMUN 2014 officially open.
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Interview with Alejandro Porcel Arraut
Secretary General
Secretary General Alejandro Porcel Arraut
By Regina Pérez Santana
OlinMUN 2014 Secretary General Alejandro Porcel Arraut was interviewed this week.
What is your biggest challenge as Secretary General?
“To make a team that can work on its own, but that also listens and supports your decisions. The Secretary General is
the one who gives all the others a push, but it is really my Secretariat that deserves the biggest recognition.”
What do you expect to achieve in OlinMUN 2014?
“I would like to create a healthy platform where delegates can discuss and share ideas. I would like to arrive at better and
more thoughtful resolutions and to make delegates more active. For this year’s OlinMUN, we paid great attention to
coaching delegates.”
What previous experience in OlinMUN has helped you to plan your appointment?
“Well, I have been involved in OlinMUN for seven years. I was a page, a delegate and then, part of the staff. All of those
years, as well as my experience in GLIMUN, have helped me determine what it was that I wanted out of OlinMUN.
This was, without a doubt, a key part of my preparation and development as a person committed to the UN Model.”
What are your tips and suggestions for your successor?
“To be careful with time; time goes by fast. It is very important as Secretary General to work under a schedule that you
must follow. Be patient, and always have a clear idea of what you want and what you are working for. But most importantly, select a great team, make sure the people you choose to be part of your Secretariat, especially the Unders, are hard
workers on whom you can rely.”
If given the chance, would you go through all this experience again?
“I would happily do it again, because I have learned more from this experience than any other.”
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PAGE 3
IAEA: Nuclear Standstill in the Middle East
The Middle East countries along with the USA discussed if
Pakistan would be allowed to build its own nuclear reactor.
IAEA delegates discussing atomic energy
By Oscar Vargas Sigala
In 1962, the creation of a nuclear weapon-free-zone in the
Middle East was proposed by a group of intellectual
Israelis. It was agreed to make it a zone free of every kind
of weapon of mass destruction; many countries agreed on
this proposal and signed the "The Chemical and Biological
Weapons Convention".
In 1995, Pakistan established a committee of scientists
to research nuclear energy throughout the country.
The delegates came to an agreement. NO country is
adhering to the code that was established regarding the
production of atomic energy. Moreover, countries still have
issues with this matter. Most delegates concluded that as a
result, the mismanagement of such energy could result in
nuclear war. Therefore, delegates propose that nuclear
production stop until an agreement in the entire region is
reached.
With this information we can come to the conclusion that
even in the 21st century we still cannot come to a peaceful
solution in order to solve problems, even when it comes to
a point where nuclear war is imminent. This only
demonstrates how countries are still searching for “power”
in order to feel safe or to feel important. Is it worth the
risk of dealing with nuclear power, knowing the
consequences an accident could bring?
SC: The Unstable Situation in Ukraine
By Florencia Santamaría Harboe
This year, the Security Council (SC) secretariat decided not
to give the delegates any information regarding the topic to
be discussed by the committee until the day of the debate.
By doing so, they would test each delegate’s skills for
tackling crucial world problems only with general
knowledge of their assigned country, so that the delegates
could solve any problem the world might be facing at the
time.
of events began to arrive as soon as new incidents
occurred, making it difficult to come to a resolution.
The USA supported a UN intervention, but the delegate
of the Russian Federation was firm and willing to use the
veto power. On the other hand, there was a motion to
support Crimea’s independence altogether, making any
intervention in the matter impossible.
The original topic of discussion of the committee was the
utilization of coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
However, the crisis of the Russian Federation and Ukraine
in Crimea became more important to address at the
moment, changing the main topic of discussion within
minutes.
From then on, the delegates tried to solve a crisis that was
in progress and that was really unstable, changing the situation every hour. New information about the development
SC members keeping peace in Ukraine
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AI: Human Rights in Action!!
By Regina Pérez Santana
Marina Krauss, an active member of Amnesty International
since 1988, was interviewed at OlinMUN 2014.
What is the purpose of Amnesty International?
“Amnesty International has been peacefully fighting to
protect and defend human rights all over the world since
1961.”
How long has Amnesty International been working at
OlinMUN?
“This is the third year that we are officially involved raising
funds.”
Amnesty International team at OlinMUN
Which groups of people are you focused on at present?
“Women. Worldwide they are at risk just because they are
women. Some die because they don’t get adequate medical
services during pregnancy. Others that are refugees suffer
from terrible abuse, mostly sexual, but the number one
cause of death for women is domestic violence.
Human rights defenders and journalists are also in danger
because of their line of work.”
How do you raise funds?
“Amnesty International does not ask for and does not
receive money from religious groups, political parties or
governments because this way it remains independent.
They get money from fundraising activities such as the sale
of t-shirts, cups, magazines, etc. Amnesty International has
more than three million volunteers in more than 150 countries.
They have to decide where to invest the money depending
on the urgency of the situation or the number of people
benefitted because there is never enough money.”
How do you feel about your job as a volunteer?
“I like it very much because I am making the world better
and because when I see injustice in the world, I can do
something about it. I am not giving up.”
How can people join?
“First you have to meet someone involved in the
organization. Then they will provide training and if you
like it, then you are in. As easy as that.”
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OAS: USA’s Involvement in Latin American Affairs
by Florencia Santamaría Harboe
The Organization of American States (OAS) committee
discussed two topics regarding the United States’
involvement in Latin American affairs.
Topic A was about the implementation of Plan Colombia, a
strategy in which the United States and Colombia agreed to
allow the United States to intercept drug shipments and
help to put an end to Colombia’s armed conflict. The
discussion was about whether the United States’ military
intervention in Colombia was to get rid of the drug dealing
or if it was just an excuse to interfere in Colombia’s internal
affairs. The countries on the committee recommended that
Colombia regulate this interference from the USA.
Topic B was about the United States spying on other
countries. Delegates were discussing the recent problem
caused by the National Security Agency (NSA). Delegates
argued that this agency was getting secret information from
government websites, and came up with strategies they
should implement in order to stop the United States from
OAS delegates discussing spy games
getting private information from other countries. Many
Latin American countries agreed they would invest in
creating a special network to stop this spying tactic.
Delegates gave good arguments to defend their positions,
especially the delegates of the Russian Federation and
Colombia, who stood out with their sharp arguments and
logical preambles.
UNHCHR: Inhumane Treatment of Prisoners
By Natalia Ruano
It was a great pleasure to attend the first meeting of the
United Nations Human Rights Commission at the 2014
OlinMUN. These sessions were defined by controversy
regarding the review of specifications for the treatment of
prisoners globally. With the increasing economic crisis
around the world, human rights have been put aside in
prisons. There has been an increase in the use of torture and
bad hygienic conditions for prisoners.
view. In Afghanistan, torture and the death penalty are
widely used in order to control people’s behavior.
In the end, the delegates came to a solution. The
delegations of France, United Kingdom, United States of
America, and Iraq proposed sending ambassadors to
supervise conditions of prisoners in countries needing help
with their human rights problems.
Delegates were able to come up with practical and viable
solutions to these problems. The delegates from Iraq,
Afghanistan, and Thailand urged the creation of an international organization that would provide funds to improve
healthcare and infrastructure in prisons. Egypt suggested
that countries with low crime rates give money to those who
cannot afford the improvement of their prision systems.
Some countries argued about how penitentiary institutions
are run. For example, Palestine is concerned about
Afghanistan’s policies because of their religious point of
Defending a nation’s point of view
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UNIFEM: Should Abortion be
Legalized Worldwide?
agreed that if the baby is a product of rape, the mother
can abort. Some of the other countries said that if the
mother gives her consent, she doesn’t have to abort the
pregnancy.
Freedom of Choice versus the Right to Life
By Stephania Marín
The United Nations Development Fund For Women started
with the topic “Freedom of Choice: Legalizing Abortion.”
Most of the countries were defending their religious beliefs,
such as the Muslim countries: Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia, Iran
and Iraq. Their religion won’t permit the legalization of
abortion because it is against their views and because their
beliefs state that the fetus has a soul. Most of the delegates
After a long day of discussion, the committee started
thinking of an adequate resolution to solve the crisis,
which was that a group of doctors was conducting illegal
abortion procedures in places that were unfit for surgery.
Pakistan was hiding this information but some agents
from the United States discovered this and made it public.
In the resolution, the committee stated that all countries
were going to support adoption centers, and that all men
in Pakistan who committed rape would be severely dealt
with.
The United States will provide economic support to
countries that need help in improving their surgical
infrastr ucture, and promote the proper usa ge of
contraceptives, while Mexico and Brazil will give asylum to
any unwanted children.
UNODA: Weapons in Conflictive Environments
By Florencia Santamaría Harboe
The World Disarmament Commission discussed two major
issues facing the world today: the buying and selling of
weapons to countries in conflict, and the availability of
conventional weapons.
Topic A was about the buying and selling of weapons. Many
countries have been selling conventional weapons and
weapons of mass destruction to countries that are in a
conflictive environment, especially those in the Middle
East. The delegates on the committee discussed the
quantity of arms that they have been buying or selling and
the effects on society. They finally decided that measures to
enforce and regulate security in the conflictive countries
should be taken.
Topic B was about the access of conventional weapons to
civilians. The delegates mentioned that people are obtaining
weapons in order to form paramilitary groups. These groups
have the sole purpose of protecting their communities from
the government’s armies. In the end, this promotes more
violence. All agreed that they should control the
production and the sale of weapons to civilians.
Active debate and discussion usually involved the delegates
of China, the Russian Federation and the United States,
because of their leading role in the sale of weapons to
smaller countries.
Working to make the world a safer place
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ICJ: United States vs. Iran,
an Arising Political Conflict
By Natalia Ruano
This year’s topic consisted of the United States of America
being against Iran in the case concerning United States
diplomatic and consular staff in Tehran. The conflict
initiated when the United States gave asylum to the Shah of
Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, during the Iranian
Revolution. Therefore, Iranian protesters attacked the
United States Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979.
that would be fair to both countries, trying to reestablish
their relations.
In the end, some of the judges’ solutions were to punish
the protesters, who as reported by the second witness were
not related to the government, judge the Shah according
to international laws, and return the hostages back to their
homes, in order to keep peace among all parties.
During the first session, the first witness was one of the
hostages, an American ambassador whose point of view was
somewhat limited by her current state of shock. Iran asks
for the Shah to be prosecuted in their country because of
the crimes committed against their people, whereas the
United States was keeping him safe, and asking for all
ambassadors to be freed, according to the United Nations’
laws.
In the second session, the judges were able to give some
opinions regarding the case and institute some solutions
Judges reaching a veredict
UNICEF: Keeping Children Out of Harm’s Way
By: Stephania Marín
The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund started
discussing Topic “B”: Child Trafficking and Slavery in Asia.
Every country was defending their point of view and their
needs. The committee had a crisis in which some
undocumented children were kidnapped and transported
from China to Russia. The United States wanted to send in
troops to intercept the cargo in order to save the children.
During the crisis, The United States invaded Iran. The Arab
League tried to convince the Americans to withdraw in
order to avoid military conflict.
As the day went on, some of the delegates came up with a
few resolutions, but then the Secretary General came in and
told the committee that the President of the United States
refused to remove the troops. This made some of the
Delegates working to save children
delegates change their minds and their resolutions.
Iran then proposed that the issue be sent to the Security
Council if the United States’ troops did not withdraw from
Iranian territory.
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GA-B: Surveillance or Espionage?
Because of this, cyber warfare has been recently
considered as severe as conventional warfare. The
consequences could be very serious for the attacked
government and its civilian population. Cyber warfare can
be used as a tactical advantage in war or to hack other
states’ military bases during peace time.
Deciding if technology helps or hurts us
By Nadia Santibañez
The purpose of cyber warfare is to penetrate another
nation’s computers or networks to cause damage. Cyber
warfare is mainly used to gain access to vital information of
any country, like their military defenses.
The countries were divided into two blocs, one led by the
United States and the other one led by China. Each one
had a different proposal. The first bloc proposed a cyber
system, with the purpose of preventing terrorism by
surveilling the opposing country’s activities. The bloc led
by China and Russia suggested a treaty in which a sanction
should be paid if caught spying. Countries could choose
whether they wanted to sign this treaty or not. The vote
was very close but the decision to apply the United States’
proposal was passed.
The topic of the situation in Egypt was also addressed, as
delegates discussed how to satisfy the rebels’ needs as a
possible solution that would benefit the people of Egypt.
GA-A: Revoking Veto Power
By Nadia Santibañez
The five permanent members of the Security Council,
which are Russia, USA, UK, China and France, have the
power to void any draft resolution presented by the other
countries with just their negative vote. This is called the
veto power.
Its original purpose was to prevent the UN from taking
direct action against any of its founding members but it
seems now that these countries are using that power
according to their own national interests, like the United
States, that has used its veto power several times to protect
Israel.
Each country stated its point of view and the countries were
divided between the ones who wanted the veto to stay the
same, like Russia and the United States, and the ones that
thought it should be reformed, such as France.
The delegate of Russia and the delegate of the UK had a
private conversation. India proposed that every country
Monopolies must end
should get five votes to choose five new Security Council
members with veto power. The US opposed the initiative
but the majority of the delegates supported it. After a long
discussion the delegates voted and reached the decision to
keep the five veto powers and add two different countries
every three or four years so there would be a rotation. It
was not a unanimous decision but the majority won.
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PAGE 9
Dr. José Antonio Meade Kuribreña Shares a
Recipe for Success and Satisfaction in Life
By Regina Pérez Santana
Dr. José Antonio Meade Kuribreña, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and also an Olinca alumnus, was invited to the Closing
Ceremony of OlinMUN 2014 as the guest of honor, joined by his colleague Ambassador Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo,
Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights.
Dr. Meade started his speech by congratulating Alejandro Porcel, the Secretary General, for his amazing participation in
this year’s OlinMUN. He also mentioned how excited he was to be back in “his school” as he referred to Olinca after 27
years since graduating. He acknowledged it as the place that taught him very important tools such as responsibility, critical
capacity and English, which helped him get his current position as Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
He took the time to give the audience some advice about success including learning how to take advice and the
importance of having a long-term perspective about projects. What Dr. Meade emphasized most was the importance of
having friends, because they will accompany you throughout life.
Dr. Meade also told the audience to take advantage of opportunities that come your way.
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CLOSING CEREMONY
By Ana Sofía Solares Ortiz
María Teresa Compeán de Carrera congratulated all the delegates and everyone who took part in the event, especially
Charles Kerbel, Alyssia Zama and María Teresa Carrera for making OlinMUN possible since 2003. Then she introduced
Dr. José Antonio Meade, the guest speaker.
José Antonio Meade spoke to the audience about how happy he was to be back in his “alma mater”. He said OlinMUN
prepares students to face real-life problems. He quoted Nelson Mandela by saying “If you want to make peace with your
enemy, you have to work with your enemy; then you become partners.” Finally, he told the audience to cherish our opportunities in life and our friends.
Mr. Charles Kerbel handed out diplomas and plaques to all seventeen schools in attendance.
As part of the entertainment program, María Delgado, Luisa Delgado, Alejandro De Hoyos and Fernando Peña
performed “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas.
During his farewell speech, Secretary General Alejandro Porcel, said, “The United Nations is the best thing mankind has
ever created, although the problems solved in the committees are not in our hands alone to solve.” He then thanked the
Secretariat, his Undersecretaries Paula Jiménez, Alejandro De Hoyos and Rodrigo Cárdenas, and especially his mother,
who has always inspired him to do his very best!
Finally, the Undersecretaries thanked Alejandro Porcel for his hard work and dedication and then the new Secretary
General for OlinMUN 2015, Luciano Gómez Leautaud, was appointed. The gavel came down and Luciano officially
closed OlinMUN 2014.
SEE YOU AT OLINMUN 2015!!!
Secretary General, Undersecretaries, Secretariat
and OLINMUN School Board