Thanks!

Thanks GA ||| 2010 for a fantastic year!
Congratulations to those of you who won awards, there were many more of you who deserved them!
Hope to see you again next year!

Good Morning Delegates

There seems to be some confusion on todays topic, i know more on our second topic but here are some links to hopefully help out

AUSTRALIA:
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/makediff/gec.cfm

TRADE FOR AID
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_E/devel_e/a4t_e/global_review09_e.htm
http://ictsd.org/i/news/bridgesweekly/50312/
I'll keep looking for more if needed keep an eye on the blog

Conference

Hey Delegates! Looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow!!. I hope your ready for a fun three days of some great debate! I just wanted to remind everyone that it is business dress for all three days, which means dress pants or appropriate length skirts (for girls), nice tops and and shoes. Try to stay away from jeans and sneakers please! Also the banquet on Friday night is formal dress, but i've been told to warn you girls to wear shoes that are comfortable apparently they are very picky about bare feet at the crowne plaza and if you take off your shoes you will not be dancing. We will be setting our topic tomorrow night so do bring your research with you cause there well be some debate after the opening ceremonies and introduction.

See you tomorrow night! registration is from 6-6:30

Position Papers

Hey guys, so the conference is just a few days away, I hope your all excited! With only a short time to go I really want to stress the importance of finishing up your position papers. I know the due date is come and gone but they are still a strongly recommended resource. In the middle of debate its hard to go rummaging through all your papers for points to come up with, position papers help you memorize important facts and acts as a quick reference guide. It's also easier for the dais to assist you if we can see what track your on.
Don't stress, have fun and see you soon!

Directory of UN Resources on Gender and Women's Issues

Excellent link courtesy of WomenWatch

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/directory/education_and_training_of_women_3002.htm

Women Watch News Feed

Hey guys! As the conference is now less than a week away it might be a good resource to keep an eye on the UN's Gender Equality News Feed

And remember as the conference gets close to keep an eye on the blogs!!

UN prioritizes women at food aid distribution in Haiti

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The UN World Food Program (WFP) has prioritized women in Haiti food aid distribution to ensure that the most vulnerable get access to aid, the WFP executive director told a news conference on Tuesday. (..) "It is our methodology to distribute only to women to ensure that food gets to women and children in Haiti," she said. "Every time we have not had adequate security escorts, we have had riots at food sites."

United Nations Website

I was just gazing about the United Nations website and it turns out that there are some great links to other sites which provide a lot of information on current events in the areas that we're concerned with.
Just peruse some of the links on this website. There's stuff about the advancement of women as well as international development.

NMUN background paper

NMUN is a highly respected model UN for university students and each year they put together a number of fabulous briefing packages for their delegates. This one looks at the problem of access to employment for women. If you scroll down to the bottom of the document you will find an annotated bibliography which may also be useful for your research.

Division for the Advancement of Women

Hey Delegates! i know some of you are one semester break around this time so i hope you take a little bit of your time to help prepare for the conference. Sometimes as a delegate it can be a little overwhelming just figuring out where to start gathering information so check out this July 2009 document from the 64th General assembly meeting on integrating gender perspective

http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N09/419/31/PDF/N0941931.pdf?OpenElement

See you soon!!

Background Papers!

Just a reminder that background papers are an excellent resource:

Access to Education, Training and Employment for Women

Sustaining Aid to the Developing World During Global Recessions

Good luck on your research Delegates!

Things to think about

So HSMUN is coming soon and most have you have probably started on your position papers. Each of you has to remember to write about how your particular country stands on the issue and have to ignore personal biases. For example, if you believe that aid should be continued during the recession but you are a country such as the United States, you might have to go against your gut instinct. It is also important to research information about your country and its foreign policy from different sources because wikipedia can only take you so far. Remember that some of your sources might be biased as well, so try looking at neutral sites. In my experience BBC and Al Jazeera give a good account of current events and also have interesting articles which are known to be unbiased.
Many of you might think that writing a position paper is a waste of time because it is not mandatory. However, in my three years of experience with HSMUN, I did the best when I wrote a paper. Not only does it force you to do your research, but it also allows you to remember it. During a committee session you might not have time to go rummaging through your notes and print outs from various sites. A position paper will allow you to have all your information in one place. Also, don't forget that there is a prize for the best position paper so why not try your odds?
Good Luck!
Here are some articles that might help you when you write your papers:

http://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/will-the-financial-crisis-reduce-foreign-aid

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/13/recession-aid-poverty-development

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8134943.stm

http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15172941&CFID=104258040&CFTOKEN=82713010

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14915144&CFID=104258040&CFTOKEN=82713010

Haiti

Hey delegates I'm sure you've all seen the news reports lately. The devistation in Haiti is a reminder of how small the world can be when disaster strikes. Small countries with few resources need global neighbours to help them in their hour of need. Nearly 2 million have been displaced with many of the roads and hospitals reduced to rubble. On top of needing to support third world countries on long term basis the UN and global community needs to be able to send large resources in times of sudden need. Take time to reflect on this issue in the next while. And while your at it if your a Rogers or fido customer text "HELP" to 1291 to donate $5 to Haiti relief fund created by the ONEXONE foundation. I did :)

Millennium Development Goals

Happy New Years Everyone! Hope you had a fantastic holidays and relaxing winter break. While you all are pondering your resolutions for the new year take some time to reflect on gender and the millennium development goals as we enter a new decade in this millennia!

UN and Other Agencies are Short Billions for Aid in 2009

In July, the United Nations announced that it was short $4.8 billion for aid projects in the developing world due to the global recession. This announcement was accompanied with the news that in many developing nations, poverty and the demand for aid is continuing to rise. While nations continue to pledge aid at G20 and UN summits, the money never actually reaches the UN.

Other aid groups are concerned that their problems are just beginning, because the early recovery from the recession will still be accompanied by lower disposable incomes, and thus less donations. To deal with the crisis, some groups are having to change their aid models and/or lay off employees, exacerbating the unemployment in the developed world. In addition, for groups whose work is mainly based around the US dollar, but who fundraise in another currency, fluctuating exchange rates have contributed to their struggles to maintain aid. Staff and press teams from these NGOs have begun to speak out about the issues they face.