unesco - Cerritos High School Model United Nations

CERRITOS
UNESCO
DIRECTOR: ASHIA SHERDSURIYA
CERRITOS
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome Statement ………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………... 2
A Note from Your Director ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Committee Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
Protection of Journalists ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
Background ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
United Nations Involvement ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Bloc Positions ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
Basic Solutions …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 6
Questions to Consider ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 7
Sources ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 8
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C ERRITOS H IGH S CHOOL M ODEL U NITED N ATIONS
Annual Novice Conference • October 10, 2015
W ELCOME S TATEMENT
Justin Cooley
Secretary-General
daojustincooley@gmail.com
Joyce Kye
Secretary-General
daojoycekye@gmail.com
Joseph Shin
Under Secretary-General
of Conferences
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to Cerritos Novice 2015!
It is our highest honor and pleasure to welcome you to our annual novice
conference here at Cerritos High School. On behalf of the Cerritos High School Model
United Nations program we are proud to host another year of this long-standing
conference. Here at CHS, we take absolute pride in this extensive program and its ability
to create new and lasting friendships while also encouraging stimulating and intellectual
discussion for high school students all across the globe.
The CHSMUN program boasts continually being nationally ranked, while our
delegates have the opportunity to compete at conferences all around the nation. Our head
chairs are selected from only the best seniors our program has to offer and they undergo
a rigorous training process to ensure they are qualified to moderate and grade the quality
Sophia Anigbo
Under Secretary-General of debate in each of our committees. Our chairs are the same delegates that represent our
of Delegate Affairs
delegation at universities and conferences to the best of their ability. Our topic synopses
daosophiaanigbo@gmail.com
have been reviewed and revised countless times to ensure that as a delegate you have the
tools and understanding to be successful in committee. Our advisors and staff have put in
Betty Zhang
countless hours to ensure you have an amazing experience at our conference and that you
Under Secretary-General
are encouraged to continue on in Model United Nations at your prospective schools.
of Finance
bettyzhang198@gmail.com
With 25 novice committees and 2 middle school committees, CHSMUN 2015 will
provide a quality experience for beginners to learn and develop your skills as delegates.
daojosephshin@gmail.com
Rohan Patel
If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please contact us. We look
Under Secretary-General forward to seeing you at CHSMUN Novice 2015!
of Technology
daorohanpatel@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Justin Cooley and Joyce Kye
Secretary-Generals 2015-2016
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C ERRITOS H IGH S CHOOL M ODEL U NITED N ATIONS
Annual Novice Conference • October 10, 2015
A N OTE FROM YOUR D IRECTOR
Justin Cooley
Secretary-General
daojustincooley@gmail.com
Joyce Kye
Secretary-General
daojoycekye@gmail.com
Joseph Shin
Welcome fellow delegates,
My name is Ashia Sherdsuriya. I'm not joking, that's my name, pronounced Asia.
It’s hard introducing that name in MUN, "Hi I represent China and my real name is
Ashia." I've been in MUN for four years and honestly, it is the best program in the world.
I hope that this conference will inspire a spark of passion for MUN like it did for me. I'm
currently a senior and other than slaving away on positions papers, I also enjoy writing
music and playing guitar. I'm in love with the band 1975 and 80's music, I'm so addicted.
Don't be afraid to ask for help during committee, during lunch, and even after
Under Secretary-General
session is over! I'm all about heated debate so get ready to protect those journalists! But
of Conferences
daojosephshin@gmail.com
Sophia Anigbo
remember, this conference is a learning experience and it’s okay to be lost because its
hard to know what to look for. Other than Starbucks, fast food, and my guitar, MUN
pretty much tops it all.
Under Secretary-General
of Delegate Affairs
daosophiaanigbo@gmail.com
Betty Zhang
Under Secretary-General
of Finance
bettyzhang198@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Ashia Sherdsuriya
Director, UNESCO
C OMMITTEE I NTRODUCTION
Our committee, UNESCO, stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization. This committee focuses on educational aspects as well as cultural
Rohan Patel
Under Secretary-General and scientific problems in the world. UNESCO's main goal is to foster protection for
cultural freedom, scientific advancements, and the education of the world. Over the years,
of Technology
daorohanpatel@gmail.com
UNESCO has been leading groups in empowering the youth in order to educate and
inspire technological advances through the internet.
———
Ashia Sherdsuriya
UNESCO
Director
ashiailyapplebottom
@yahoo.com
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CERRITOS
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
PROTECTION OF JOURNALISTS
B ACKGROUND
According to the CPJ, Committee to Protect Journalists, more than seventy journalists were killed,
kidnapped, jailed, or disappeared internationally in 2013. Two thirds of the journalists were reporting within the
Middle East and there are at least twenty-three other cases pending for investigation. Over the years, journalists
have understood the danger that has come to be expected while reporting in countries such as Pakistan, Somalia,
Ukraine, and China. Through each journalist, Committee to Protect Journalists has recorded all instances of
their reports and mishaps within different countries.
Alarmingly, reporters have a sixty percent of being murdered and a thirty percent chance of being caught
in crossfire while covering these dangerous topics within countries such as Ukraine. In 2013, Ukraine ordered
officers to disrupt protesters within Kiev and other cities. Fifty-one reporters, local as well as international were
assaulted by police officers after reporting the protests over President Viktor.
The United Nations declared that November 2nd as “International Day to End Impunity for Crimes
against Journalists” since it is the same day that French journalists Ghislaine and Claude were murdered in Mali
(CFOM). With thousands of journalists unable to do their job, the strain on information and the public has
continued to soar. Different aspects play into the problem of rise in danger for journalists, for instance, Freedom
House reported Japan’s issues was China’s political pressure and economic influence
Dilemmas between different countries have caused conflict due to imprisonment of foreign journalists.
For example, when South Korea indicted multiple Vietnamese journalists claiming slander, both countries
refused to bend policies until months later. Certain countries like Ukraine only allow reporters within war zones
in groups that are accompanied by military officers at all times. This policy has been met by protesters, but the
Ukrainian government ignored all pleas and reporters signed petitions in order to persuade authorities to create
reforms. A problem that rose due to mass media is the question of whether bloggers and self proclaimed
journalists were promised the rights of those who have credentials.
With so many reporters and journalists unable to remain safe, multiple organizations have tried to
promote safety precautions for conflict areas. The Free Press Association has provided press conferences for
multiple nations in order to create open dialogue between reporters and governments. The Free Press
Association worked to promote media freedom to the international community. Countries have banded
together to create a more positive environment for journalists through exchange programs that normally last for
several months. Through these exchange programs, journalists are exposed to different policies in a safe
environment in order to learn about precautions that have to be taken.
U NITED N ATIONS I NVOLVEMENT
United Nations released their Plan of Action for the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity in 2012 to
create an environment free to journalists and media associates. The United Nations released their Plan of Action
for the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity in 2012 to create an environment free to journalists and
media associates. This Plan of Action focuses on increasing a foundation for peace, communication, and
democracy internationally. The plan relies on the cooperation of other countries in order to develop
legislation to promote freedom of expression and support pre-existing international guidelines.
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UNESCO
CERRITOS
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
In 2013, South Sudan was the first to adapt the UN Action Plan in order to create a safe state for reporters and
media associates. The outlines focus on aiding governments to create and adapt laws to secure journalists’ safety.
South Sudan will be able to establish emergency responses to journalists in need as well as creating safe zones for
them when reporting in conflict areas.
The Action Plan also aims to protect women from rape, sexual harassment, and promotes freelance
employees. South Sudan has established these laws with the help of UNESCO, UNMISS, and OHCHR to
maintain a safe state for journalists. Later on in the year, the European Court of Human Rights hosted a seminar
and inter-regional dialogue on the topic of protecting journalists in their line of work. The council developed
more principles that should be followed to protect journalists and reporters under duress while working; the
seminar called to the attention of the lack of legal precautions for journalists. The international community also
remains aware of the low ratio between investigations to journalists’ jailing and disappearances. Another UN
meeting was held in November 2014 where delegates under the 3rd UN Inter-Agency meeting discussed issues
over Impunity and strengthening the development of political action within states to protect journalists.
In addition, there has also been a shift in focus on female journalists and the type of protection needed
for them. Women are often harassed, raped, or even victims of violence while imprisoned. Reports over these
incidents are slim due to women journalists’ fear of being ridiculed as too weak for their work and the
consequences for the report. According to UNESCO, there have been thirteen hundred incidents of reported
and unreported violence inflicted upon female reported within the span of ten years. UNESCO has continued to
spread awareness through a website campaign, “Beyond the statistics”. The campaign has translated articles from
Ilta-Sanomat’s journalist safety series, which collaborates with World Press Freedom Day. Due to this campaign
and the Action plan, multiple bodies of the UN have established “focal points” that exchange information over
journalism safety and gather reports for the General Assembly.
Essentially there are a lot of aspects that the United Nations has focused on and the biggest issues were
physical protection and legal protection. Although United Nations has taken the proper steps to alleviating the
issues, but the process is slow and there are still issues of targeted kidnappings for women and LGBT groups.
B LOC P OSITIONS
Western Bloc
Overall the Western Bloc has been known to be an advocate for freedom of press which stimulates protection
and proper communication between governments and reporters. Countries such as United States rank fairly high
on the freedom of press list according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The United States values their
role through creating as many relationships with countries such as Japan in order to create a safe environment for
journalists. Recently, the United States have created exchange programs in order to educate journalist of foreign
policies to further protect them.
Latin Bloc
Latin America has been known to limit freedom of press, which in turn causes multiple mishaps with reporters
stationed there. Colombian journalists are frequently threatened by guerrillas, gangs, and politicians that are
corrupted. These trends of attacks are seen throughout the entire block tracing back to Venezuela and even
Mexico. With this in mind, countries in this region should strive to compromise with other countries as well
as finding ways to fix the problem on a local level.
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UNESCO
CERRITOS
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
African Bloc
Countries in this region have continued to struggle with press freedom, creating hostility between government
and journalists. Countries such as Burkina Faso and Burundi are known to block broadcastings and radio
stations as well as suspend them for months. Governments are severely strict with criticism and with that in mind
it is of utmost importance that delegates representing this region adhere to country policies while continuing to
find alternative ways to fix the problems of disappearing journalists.
Asian Bloc
Within this region, multiple problems are struck when it comes to journalism. Loose guidelines for reports as
well as blurry policies for censorship leaves reporters unable to define grey areas. There is also the problem of
countries such as China and North Korea, where journalists, bloggers, and reporters are viewed with hostility and
the strict censorship can lead to faulty imprisonments. However, countries such as Japan and Indonesia has
recently began making headway in order to protect the rights of journalists by lifting bans on media and
collaborating with Western countries to promote World Press Freedom Day.
B ASIC S OLUTIONS
Some basic solutions over this topic include a breakdown of multiple aspects, physical protection,
legislative protection, and awareness. Ultimately solutions must come down to country policy and delegates
should focus on not only the government aspects, but the social and political aspect as well. In multiple countries
such as Ukraine, strict policy over journalists led to the creation of ATO Zones that governments deem as safe
for reporters. These zones are usually under heavy monitoring from the government and military personnel in
order for journalists to be protected. During debate, delegates should try to work together with different
countries in order to create feasible ways to provide protection to journalists through multifaceted solutions that
can be applied to different countries with different policies. Solutions focusing on educating foreign policies as
well as cultural differences will allow expansive opportunities for compromise within debate.
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UNESCO
CERRITOS
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Q UESTIONS TO C ONSIDER
1. With new age advancement in social media, does your country consider bloggers and people on social media
recipients of protection under journalist’ rights?
2. How will your country create physical protection without violating the sovereignty of others?
3. What is your country’s history with journalism and the protection of journalists?
4. Does your country offer awareness and programs to help journalists?
5. Where does your country fall in accordance to press freedom and the amount of censorship?
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UNESCO
CERRITOS
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
S OURCES
1. "Differences over Japanese Journalist's Indictment Bring Tokyo-Seoul Meeting to Halt - AJW by The Asahi
Shimbun." AJW by The Asahi Shimbun RSS. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
2. "Following Disaster, Free Press Association of Japan Launches." - Committee to Protect Journalists. Web. 04
Jan. 2015.
3. "ICFJ - International Center for Journalists | Advancing Quality Journalism Worldwide." ICFJ - International
Center for Journalists | Advancing Quality Journalism Worldwide. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
4. "Japan." Free Speech and Free Press Around the World. 07 Apr. 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
5. "Japan Protests South Korea's Indictment of Japanese Reporter." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 09 Oct. 2014.
Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
6. "Japan Releases Chinese Journalists--China's up next." - Committee to Protect Journalists. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
7. "Japan's State Secret Law Unmolested." The Diplomat. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
8. "Japan-US Journalists Exchange | East-West Center | Www.eastwestcenter.org." Japan-US Journalists Exchange | East-West Center | Www.eastwestcenter.org. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
9. "JPRI Working Paper No. 40." JPRI Working Paper No. 40. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
10. "Perilous times for Journalists | The Japan Times." Japan Times RSS. 11 Jan. 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
11. "Seminar and Inter-regional Dialogue on the Protection of Journalists 3 November 2014, Strasbourg." Seminar and Inter-regional Dialogue on the Protection of Journalists. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
12. "Shinzo Abe under Fire over Plan for Tougher Japanese Secrets Law - FT.com." Financial Times. Web. 04
Jan. 2015.
13. "South Sudan to Be 'pilot Country' for New UN Initiative Protecting Journalists." UN News Center. UN, 11
Feb. 2013. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
14. "10 Journalists Killed in Ukraine since 1992/Motive Confirmed." Journalists Killed in Ukraine. . Web. 04
Jan. 2015.
15. “How Media Can Help. “How Media Can Help Themselves” . Web.
16. "Ukraine." - Committee to Protect Journalists. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
17. "UN Meeting on Safety of Journalists - Reporters Without Borders." UN Meeting on Safety of Journalists Reporters Without Borders. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
18. "UN Plan of Action | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization." UN Plan of Action
| United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
19. "UNESCO "Safety of Women Journalists"" UNESCO "Safety of Women Journalists" . Web.
04 Jan. 2015.
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