The Divided Committee 

The UN Women’s committee is focusing on the lack of women’s economic mobility for women, which means getting women involved in the workplace. But, a group of countries in UN Women is doing the opposite. A group called the “BARBIES,” which stands for “bringing ancient roles back in everyday society,” has had the most opposition throughout the entire committee– receiving backlash from almost every country outside of their working paper. The group contains representatives from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Maldives, Oman, Albania and Nigeria. And their goal? To put women “back in the home.” 

 “[The name] just means women should be in domestic work and not out in the world achieving economic mobility,” says Maggie Brennan, the delegate representing the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “The Democratic Republic of the Congo believes that women are inferior to men.” 

 “Basically [in the BARBIE working paper], we were focusing on keeping women in more domestic, traditional roles so that women that aren’t really able to leave the house to go work or not willing to risk being discriminated against or violence coming against them in some places,” said Joy Howard, the representative of Nigeria. “They can go out for more traditional roles if someone can’t provide for them such as cooking, or education, like being a teacher, and other traditional roles like that for women for slower developing countries so it’s not too fast paced. Just so they aren’t going outside of their countries’ ideals.” 

The delegation of the BARBIES aren’t bending their morals, even after the backlash and opposition shown during committee. “Yes we face a lot of opposition. So a lot of countries do not believe that, and are a lot more liberal, and want to ensure women and achieve economic mobility and my country is one of the few that doesn’t,” said the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Recently, the BARBIES working paper wasn’t passed. The delegation of Lebanon was one of the countries who voted against the passing of the paper. “I don’t know if I quite agree with the Barbies,” says Lebanon delegate, Alexandra McGettigan. “I think our topic was bringing women into the workforce and if you’re going back to ancient per say roles, you’re not really doing that.” 

The different ideals in the UN women committee lead to interesting debates as well as some vendettas. As the fight to pass their working papers in their second topic starts, the committee only becomes more divided. 

Reported on by IPC Olivia Watters

The Divided Committee 

The UN Women’s committee is focusing on the lack of women’s economic mobility for women, which means getting women involved in the workplace. But, a group of countries in UN Women is doing the opposite. A group called the “BARBIES,” which stands for “bringing ancient roles back in everyday society,” has had the most opposition throughout the entire committee– receiving backlash from almost every country outside of their working paper. The group contains representatives from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Maldives, Oman, Albania and Nigeria. And their goal? To put women “back in the home.” 

 “[The name] just means women should be in domestic work and not out in the world achieving economic mobility,” says Maggie Brennan, the delegate representing the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “The Democratic Republic of the Congo believes that women are inferior to men.” 

 “Basically [in the BARBIE working paper], we were focusing on keeping women in more domestic, traditional roles so that women that aren’t really able to leave the house to go work or not willing to risk being discriminated against or violence coming against them in some places,” said Joy Howard, the representative of Nigeria. “They can go out for more traditional roles if someone can’t provide for them such as cooking, or education, like being a teacher, and other traditional roles like that for women for slower developing countries so it’s not too fast paced. Just so they aren’t going outside of their countries’ ideals.” 

The delegation of the BARBIES aren’t bending their morals, even after the backlash and opposition shown during committee. “Yes we face a lot of opposition. So a lot of countries do not believe that, and are a lot more liberal, and want to ensure women and achieve economic mobility and my country is one of the few that doesn’t,” said the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Recently, the BARBIES working paper wasn’t passed. The delegation of Lebanon was one of the countries who voted against the passing of the paper. “I don’t know if I quite agree with the Barbies,” says Lebanon delegate, Alexandra McGettigan. “I think our topic was bringing women into the workforce and if you’re going back to ancient per say roles, you’re not really doing that.” 

The different ideals in the UN women committee lead to interesting debates as well as some vendettas. As the fight to pass their working papers in their second topic starts, the committee only becomes more divided. 

Reported on by IPC Olivia Watters

The Return                                                                                                

In the room in which alliances overturned nations and large amounts of spying, the greatest comeback in history occurred. Napoleon returned to the Congress of Vienna with the intent to claim his land back while the entire committee decided to punish him. An influential figure decided to stay. This influential person had created a pro-Napoleon Coalition. This Committee had written many battle plan papers as well as This influential figure was playing both sides and put a clause in their papers that made them useless, as well as garner large amounts of financial support. This monetary gain will be used to support a full invasion of a country the leader was not willing to expose. After gaining the previously described money this leader decided to return to the now considered Anti Napoleon Coalitia, raising support to help return to his former power ( He was taken over and is now taking control solely of the land of Poland). 

The goal of this committee was to deal with the land after Napoleon's Europe. Now the goal of the committee has become how to deal with an attempt at  Napoleon's return and the effects on other countries. The typical separation between the supporters of Napoleon and the haters of Napoleon is the size of these countries. The smaller committees are in support of Napoleon for many different reasons. The main appeal for the smaller countries was the promise of hope and power for these countries so they could finally go up against the larger countries such as Prussia, Austria, and Russia. These nations believe that Napoleon can bring them respect and the ability not just to be thrown to the side by the larger committees. The return of Napoleon has split the Committee in two just as it was before if there is no unification and papers signed this could be detrimental to Europe and the Vienna Committee.

This article was written by IPC Delegate - Owen Renwick

Saturday, January 13th

The Slippery Slope of Exiling a Banana Peel

Assassination, terrorist threats, and silent dictator motions are being made in ADHOC today. The UNF had almost been fully pushed out of Guatemala and the new president, Jose Manuel Fortuny, is trying to be pushed out of office after the allegations about the previous president’s assassination have been revealed. The new presidential candidate, Castillo Flores, is gaining much support from the previous assassination attempt on his life. 

Fortuny and Mariano Rossell Arellano have been proven and verified to have been working together in the assassination of the previous president. Arellano has been revealed to have gotten his son to poison the previous president with white phosphorus right under the noses of the other delegates. However, this all may have been for nought. The majority of the committee members are in agreement with the disapproval of the lack of motions being put forward by the new president, Fortuny. As it stands right now, Flores has been gaining approval left and right.

The assassination attempt on Flores’ life was confirmed to be made by Josué Abbot and Castillo Armas, Abbot being quoted to say it was because “[he] got a bad vibe from him, but nowadays [he] would never do something like that]. Flores has noted assassination as “extremely unproductive for [their] body functioning as a cohesive unit” and disagrees with the actions of both Armas and Abbot. 

The split of the room seems to be between those who want to restore Guatemala to the Communist country it had previously been and those who want to shine light to Catholic beliefs. An attempt at this was seen through the push of the UFC out of the country, delegate Abbot has claimed to be “trying to free the enslaved Guatemalan people from the grips of the octopus”, octopus referring to the UFC. “Their tentacles are wrapped around the Guatemalan nation and every second they remain, they squeeze more and more air out of the gasping country”. 

Abbot has also been quoted on his attempts to establish himself as a dictator in Guatemala through the army he’s been building with his funds. Though committee member Guillermo Toriello has claimed his coffee monopoly has been seized from him, Abbot is claiming it hasn’t and has in fact been raising an army with said funds. He claims, “I will burn my crops before I let those filthy communists take them from me”. 

Terrorists have also staked their claim in the country. A bomb had gone off near the capitol building while the committee was in session. A note was left at the scene stating: “This body no longer seems to recognize Guatemalan right to self-determination. You are power hungry and out of touch. We are Guatemalens for freedom. You have 15 minutes to comply with our demands, which are:

1. All Russians will be removed from Guatemala

2. Banana production continues, however, it has to not be under the UFC”.

At the time of writing this, the committee will not have come to the decision on how to deal with these terrorists. 

Reported on by IPC Delegate Chase Gheen

An Unlikely Partnership

By: Rhia Nagale

While discussing, Topic B: Supporting Women with Disabilities, the U.S. works with Afghanistan in a mutual agreement to benefit both developed and developing nations.

“The U.S. has been cosponsoring a resolution with some developed countries like France and South Africa, where each sponsor focuses on a specific solution that everyone’s countries have put in place, and we are combining them all into one big resolution which will target a multitude of countries, so everyone can have impact,” the U.S. said.

In contrast, Afghanistan initially worked with primarily underdeveloped nations and decided to focus on a specific topic at first: mental health. A hard hitting topic in Afghanistan, researchers estimate that 90 percent of women there are living with mental disability issues because of the limited freedoms granted to women as a result of the Taliban’s regime, Afghanistan said. 

To include other solutions from developing countries, the U.S. decided to aid Afghanistan in editing clauses, while in return receiving ideas from the underdeveloped, who typically need the most aid for disabled women.

“We recognize that the clauses that we wrote in the resolution affected only developed countries, so in order to affect underdeveloped countries we wanted to work with their block,” the U.S. said. “So now we are editing and adopting those programs that could also be implemented into those underdeveloped countries. We’re all combining that and then we’re creating an organization which will oversee all those mini topics.” 

In addition to editing, the U.S. is also providing funding for Afghanistan’s resolution. In the past, the U.S. has contributed over two billion dollars to Afghanistan for human rights, Afghanistan said. Mental health is a significant problem and an alarming amount of girls in developing countries know someone who has attempted or committed suicide

“Depression is a really big problem so our working paper mainly focuses on the mental health aspect of disabilities,” Afghanistan said. “It’s mainly focusing on mental health, so we have therapy centers that will provide therapy to everyone, accessible hospitals and mental care. Also, we have an informational campaign on informing people on mental health because a lot of people in underdeveloped countries don’t know a lot about mental health.”

In another block, Belgium also works to support developing nations.

“We’re focusing on helping out underdeveloped countries who haven’t seen any progress recently,” Belgium said. “Currently, we want to work on educating doctors and specialists. We’re hoping to get women with disabilities the accessibility and help they need.”

Naples Soldier Kills Foreign Secretary Castlereagh

By: Rhia Nagale

For reasons yet unknown, the United Kingdom Foreign Secretary, Viscount Castlereagh,  experienced one assassination attempt by an outside party, but later succumbed to a Naples soldier in a second attempt revealed during Committee Session IV of the 1814 Congress of Vienna.

“The assassination of Castlereagh was unexpected to say the least,” Field Marshal Prince Barclay de Tolly of the Russian Empire said. “Castlereagh often favored affairs that would generally keep the situation as nebulous as possible. He definitely had a strong impact.” 

Another member of the committee, King Louis XVIII of France, was also affected by Castlereagh’s death. Since the act was committed by a soldier from Naples, it destabilized the region of Italy and caused conflict to occur within, the king said. As a result, France, a bordering country of Italy, involved itself because the unrest posed a threat to the nation.

“Eventually, we came to a resolution after we stabilized the region of Piedmont,” King Louis said. “[Since] Italy ties to much of Northern Europe and it is culturally very similar, I think we need to continue discussing that topic in depth.” 

In the meantime, directives are continuing to be passed about another event: Poland agreeing to become a protectorate of Russia.

“I am neither in support of this or condemning it because I want to support the will of states,” Prince Tolly said. “I am also a civil servant of Russia, so I can’t really oppose anything, but I want to maintain a neutral stance on the topic rather than [Tsar Alexander I’s] concerningly imperialist stance. My role has been standing out as somewhat of an opposition voice to the Tsar of Russia. Mainly, he has been in favor of expanding Russia’s international presence and territorial gains, whereas I have been more in support of expanding Russia in terms of diplomatic relations with other nations.”

King Louis agrees that the action is controversial to some degree.

“There’s a mix of opinions: many people are fully in support of Poland because it is the Polish people’s wants to become part of Russia,” King Louis said. “However, there are many believing that this is simply a power grab or an attempt to change the balance of power in Europe.”

Speculations are also erupting about the motive behind Castlereagh’s death.

“He [tended] to support the free will of nations except he did not like the fact that Poland was offering themselves to be a protectorate,” Prince Tolly said. “People might not have liked that.”

Jimmy Carter and His Cabinet Face Public Scrutiny over Afghanistan's fall – No Surprise

On January 13th, the official announcement of Afghanistan's fall to the Soviets took place. The

press showed little surprise, considering the cabinet's weak attempts to create medical kits,

which, unfortunately, were not focused on the troops. When questioned about taking

responsibility, the Secretary of State unequivocally admitted fault, delving into the deep-seated

issue of the cabinet's inability to fully agree, leading to compromised decisions.

"Considering your consistent failures, is it fair to say that this cabinet does not anticipate a

positive response from Americans in the upcoming election?" questioned by sabella Doss (IPC

delegate). Secretary of Transportation Brock Adams responded boldly, asserting that President

Carter, having risen from poverty to become president, was performing admirably.

This encapsulates the key moments of the announcement – stay tuned for updates on the

cabinet's next steps.

Reported by Isabella M. Doss (IPC delegate MUNUM 2024)

Women’s Council Highlights: Session 4 Recap.

On January 13th, during the 4th session of the MUNUM 2024 conference, the Women's Council

engaged in heated discussions surrounding various resolution papers. The debate focused on

their similarities, the possibility of merging, and the potential cancellation of certain resolutions.

These deliberations, marked by clear tension, permeated the room.

A pivotal moment occurred when the delegation of France, a key participant in the conference,

claimed that the country's top priority was the passage of the WSW (Women Support Women)

paper. This collaborative effort involving France, Armenia, Gambia, and the United States

emphasized the significance of economic mobility for women. France added, asserting, "Single

mothers are very vulnerable and in need of higher education."

Another noteworthy paper, "The Beast," sponsored by Belgium, shared similarities with the

French resolution. France expressed a desire to merge the resolutions, but whether this occurred

remained uncertain as the room transitioned to voting on another resolution. "The Beast"

prioritized childcare, higher education, transportation availability, and workplace regulations to

protect women. France acknowledged the CCS paper, expressing uncertainty about a merger but

voicing support.

Before returning to debates, France emphasized the need for delegates to understand that

traditional values should not dictate gender roles. This statement possibly targeted another

resolution titled "Barbie," inspired by the recent Barbie movie, aiming to protect countries

resistant to modern gender progress, including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iraq, and

Nigeria. Opposition to the Barbie paper was evident, with strong resistance from sponsoring

countries.

Approximately 20 minutes before the committee adjourned, the SPPARKLE paper took the

spotlight but remained unvoted upon. Rumors circulated: it did not pass, despite the positive

outlook expressed by the Algerian delegation, a member of the SPPARKLE block, who claimed,

"We work well together... it should be good... it’s a good mix of developed countries."

The Women's Council, with seven more meetings ahead, faces the daunting task of finalizing the

remaining papers. Best wishes to the WC as they navigate the challenges of a divided committee.

Reported by Isabella M. Doss (IPC delegate MUNUM 2024)

From Crisis to Potential: The Gulf Cooperation Council's Journey to Unity

January 12th, Michigan League - The MUNUM 2024 conference witnessed a dramatic number

of events in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The committee spent an immense amount of time

fighting with working papers, engaging in intense Q&A sessions, and going through voting

procedures on resolutions that would shape the trajectory of the conference for these delegates.

Gulf Cooperation Council Confronts the Middle East Crisis at MUNUM

This committee was tasked with addressing two significant Middle Eastern issues, focusing on

the 2011 Arab Spring on this day (1/12/24). To connect, the suicide of a Tunisian citizen sparked

widespread international protests that challenged government corruption and the lack of

economic organization across the region. In Bahrain, disapproval of the Sunni ruling family

created a fight by the citizens for greater political freedom for Shia Muslims. Here, Middle

Eastern governments faced great backlash, and for the first time, change must be made.

Resolution Drama Unfolds

Amidst the tensioned environment of the committee, a resolution paper titled "Directive Good"

took center stage, with sponsors under the spotlight reading the paper. Advocating for Shia

separation from Sunni Muslims, the paper suggested this be done by building separate mosques

by sectors of Islam, emphasizing tolerance within the Arab Nation for any practiced religion.

However, during the vigorous Q&A session of this paper, the delegation of Egypt, with opinions

as large as the pyramids, voiced strong disapproval, arguing that only domestic Middle Eastern

countries should be involved in the discussion of the Sunni Muslim issue in Bahrain –

considering it has become a widespread issue throughout all Arab nations, despite Egypt’s close

ties with non-domestic China – that’s irony.

China, in turn, questioned “Directive Good” on the achievability of the troop deployment from

Malaysia into the Arabian Peninsula (a suggestion in the paper). The delegation of China was

interested in understanding how two countries pulled apart geographically could agree to such a

decision. The response given was not parallel to the question. The delegation of Sri Lanka

criticized the potential for a civil war if troops were sent into Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to calm

the protests and ensure equal rights to practice any religion. Malaysia, the paper's sponsor,

claimed it was simply a scare tactic, deviating from the paper's written amendments. Clearly, the

paper faced criticism during the Q&A, and its fate was closed as "Directive Good" failed to gain

support in the voting processes.

KPOP (Keeping Peace Over Protection): A Paper with Signature Trouble

As the chairs of this committee introduced the working paper "Keeping Peace Over Protests"

(KPOP), an unnamed delegate raised a placard, questioning the validity of the paper considering

its lack of reach to the ratio of sponsors to signatures. Consequently, KPOP was not introduced

to the room. However, the chairs voiced an opportunity for the block working on this paper,

giving KPOP the chance to revisit the ratio and reintroduce the paper. The results of whether

KPOP could make a comeback remain uncertain. Here's to hoping for the best of luck for

KPOP's writers.

A Crossroads of Turmoil and Potential

On Friday, the GCC council struggled with the aftermath of not only a failed paper but also

immense debate and disagreement. This committee finds itself at a critical juncture. The question

now lingers: Will they unite in the opportunity for change? The answer remains uncertain, a

suspense that echoes through the halls of the Michigan League.

Reported by Isabella M. Doss (ICC delegate MUNUM 2024)

Stop The Reds!

The broadening of communism fuels Angola to liberate themselves through the MPLA as a civil war rages in the disputing country.

Luanda, Angola – Conflict in war-torn Angola continues to build as Portugal, through UNITA, pursues their hold on the southern African country. The USSR, through a rigged election, had seized influence in the MPLA and war between the two parties has broken out. 

In an interview with Abelardo Ibarra, he stated that Cuba shows unrelenting support for the MPLA. “Cuba is obviously a big [supporter],” he stated. With the help of the USSR, the Angolan civil war has caught the attention of the United States of America, who have taken the side of UNITA. Through these foreign powers, both sides of the war have been able to gain an agenda against the other as well as aid. 

When interviewed, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko, gave insight into UNITA’s plans of taking control in Angola. “In the name of freedom and democracy, we must conquer the communist forces in Angola,” Seko stated. 

He further delved into said conquest by saying, “Using the guerrilla forces directly in Angola… as well as the use of international forces from South Africa.” On the opposing side, in the MPLA, Ibarra voiced that, “We are currently hoping to secure ports on [the western] side, as well as get more aid and troops.” While both sides intend to use national and international forces, it is evident that they plan to execute their plans in differing ways. Further speculation from the MPLA side included using deception as intimidation and taking hostages to the planned ports. 

As the tension between the two sides culminates, many citizens in both halves share a few questions in mind; when the war is over, and all is said and done, where will Angola’s government go from here? And how will the country recover from this hardship?

For many, the answer is not clear, even for some officials. And yet, despite the uncertainty, both sides continue to fight relentlessly to shape Angola into a successful country. Whether that be through freedom or colonization, capitalism or communism. 

Letting Innocents Fall for Reelection

In a Press Conference requested and held within Jimmy Carter’s Cabinet, the committee showcased their true political skill when grilled about Afghanistan

Meeting Room, Washington D.C- The Cabinet of President Jimmy Carter had just a brief moment of peace before the International Press Corp stormed into their room to grill them on not only their domestic policies, but their international handlings as well. Events that have happened within the committee include constant inflation of both egg and gas prices, the fall of Afghanistan, and the massive drop in approval rating. The rating was at a steady 60% or higher just a night prior, but the cabinet attempted to hide their 21.24% rating from the Press. 

The President opened the floor to any and all questions, in which one IPC delegate asked the question of, “America is a trading country, and with the entire world watching what has unfolded in Afghanistan and letting the Soviets destroy and takeover the country, why hasn’t America admitted it failed in it’s international and domestic affairs?”

A member of the cabinet responded by explaining a paper titled, “MOBAMBA,” which aimed to lower the prices of eggs and gas on the domestic front. But in a shocking twist, the same delegate revealed that after the fall of Afghanistan, the U.S had started to send funds and aid to other Middle Eastern countries such as Pakistan. 

This brought about another question from a different IPC delegate, who asked, “So to repeat a delegate themselves, ‘the Soviets and Russia are our biggest enemies,’ so what caused you to not send any aid or soldiers into Afghanistan despite your enemies killing thousands of innocents?”

Silence fell upon the committee, and Jimmy Carter gave a look of fear to his Cabinet, waiting for a justification for their actions. A delegate responded by stating they were attempting to avoid war and conflict with Russia in an attempt to keep the U.S civilians safe and out of the war, that they were focused more on the domestic front than helping Afghanistan until America was ready to fight back. 

The IPC delegates began to notice a pattern, a politicians response to the questions asked that could potentially ruin the reelection campaign of their beloved Jimmy Carter, blaming the lack of a Secretary of State (who they fired) on what has been happening, alongside trying to gain the trust and reputation of their citizens. 

Jimmy Carter’s fall from grace appears to be one for the history books, with a record low 21.24% approval rating despite the cabinet's apparent attempts to gain the trust of civilians.

Written by IPC Delegate Jack Maloney