The Commune

The CommuneResolving, Reaffirming, Reassuring Day 1: Issue 1

UNGA UNSC ECOSOC

Page 2 - Message from the Secretary General

Page 3 - Message from the Head of International

Press

Page 4 - What is BlissMUN '12?

Page 5 - The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic

Missile Proliferation

Page 6 - Situation in the Middle East with a special

emphasis on the question of Palestine

Page 7 - Can the might of the ECOSOC set things

right?

Page 8 - The International Press Team

Model UN conferences have come a long way in

India since I started passionately participating in

the activity more than 3 years ago. Today, I can prob-

ably go as far as to say that we have reached the

zenith of delivering Model UN experiences to stu-

dents of the capital of India, and one can only hope

that with each year we strive to make simulations as

realistic as possible making use of better logistics and

event management practices.

The United Nations has been in existence for almost

67 years now, and through this period it has, for bet-

ter or for worse, been the medium of communication

for the nation states of the world. Nations have come

together to solve various crises, deliberate and form

international policies on trade, commerce, health and

technology, and has offered a unique vantage point

for nations to keep an eye on one another. The impor-

tance of the UN can not be stressed enough, even

though its existence in its current form, and its ability

to reflect the current world geo-political dynamic

could be argued.

We, however, will leave that debate for another day

and try and give you an intellectually stimulating ex-

perience this September.

It is my humble pleasure and proud privilege to wel-

come you all to another edition of BlissMUN. Since its

inception in 2009, the Economics Department of Sri

Venkateswara College has successfully hosted three

editions of the MUN, setting a fine example of how

quality is of utmost importance. I do believe that Bliss-

MUN this year will prove to be a worthy contender

for being one of the better conferences hosted by a

college of Delhi University. We, at BlissMUN will en-

deavour to provide delegates with a qualitatively sat-

isfying experience and hope that we will have your

whole-hearted support in this regard.

BlissMUN will be simulating 3 councils this year. These

are the main organs of the United Nations, ie, the

General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council

and the Security Council. Each council has an ex-

tremely capable Executive Board, who, along with the

excellent secretariat will be responsible for delivering

a memorable experience to all of you.

With that, I wish all of you all the very best and I hope

BlissMUN lives up to all of our expectations and more.

Message from the Secretary General

UNGA UNSC ECOSOC

The CommuneResolving, Reaffirming, Reassuring

Secretary General

Ramit Malhotra

Page 2

Media, the fourth pillar of democracy has evolved

from a mere messenger to one of the most po-

tent factors in formulating a nation’s foreign policy.

The purpose of an international press is to establish

a check and balance mechanism for the international

community.

Here at Bliss Model United Nations 2012, we the In-

ternational Press would endeavour to shed light on

conference proceedings as well as to analyse the im-

plications of the policies framed and opinions ex-

pressed. The International Press at this simulation

would draw its Editorial Policy from recognised inter-

national news agency Reuters. Diligence, utmost pre-

cision and an unbiased outlook is asked for from all

reporters at all times.

The International Press is an indispensible player in

the politics of today. Be it from depicting the power

struggle in the Middle East to voicing the oppressed

in modern Russia, the international press has been in-

strumental in bringing the world to what was previ-

ously unknown, unheard or even unwanted. It is

imperative to realise that the development of a coun-

try is largely dependent on the freedom of expression

granted to the citizens.

It is of utmost importance for the world community

to cash on the rising mass communication mecha-

nisms to instil peace and harmony instead of letting

them fall prey to mischief mongers and anti-social el-

ements. The press is the key to garnering the masses

and eventually sustaining a democratic means of gov-

ernance in any state.

Message from the Head of International Press

UNGA UNSC ECOSOC


Head of International Press

Twesh Mishra

Page 3


UNGA UNSC ECOSOCPage 4

Economic Crisis in Europe, Civil War in Syria or the se-

ries of scams in India all make us think that are we

heading towards a world where darkness prevails.

Where man is his own enemy and where the meaning

of bliss is unknown. Today world leaders spend hours

on round table meetings and international confer-

ences to find suitable solu-

tions to the problems

affecting different parts of

the world and such dilem-

mas would chime till

human beings breathe on

this planet. To tackle these

dreadful practices new

leaders have to emerge on

the international and na-

tional front and BlissMUN

gives a platform to these

young, dynamic and impe-

rial minds to showcase

their talents and emerge

as more spirited, responsible and active leaders since

2009.

Started with a vision to spread awareness, increase

general knowledge and nurture skills of debating and

public speaking, the BlissMUN has grown in leaps and

bounds making it the most important constituent of

Blisspoint, the Annual Festival hosted by the Eco-

nomic Association of Sri Venkatewara College. After

the enormous success of 2011, the association has

given birth to BlissMUN 2012, a worthy contender for

being one of the better conferences hosted by a col-

lege of Delhi University.

Delegates from all across the country are here in the

capital to debate on substantial topics which have

been conspicuous to the world in recent times, rang-

ing from vulnerability of global markets to external

threats and proliferation of ballistic missiles to the sit-

uation in the Middle East. BlissMUN consists of three

committees: The UN

General Assembly, The

Security Council and The

Economic and Social

Council. Being a part of

these committees, dele-

gates would work for-

ward for two days

discussing in-hand prob-

lems, persuading partner

nations, ascertaining so-

lutions and most impor-

tantly maintaining

diplomatic courtesy re-

quired for becoming

competent diplomats of the world.

The Executive Board comprising of distinguished indi-

viduals having vast experience are the most prized

possession of an MUN conference. BlissMUN 2012 is

looking forward to well researched delegates and

fruitful sessions of debate.

Problems wouldn't be called 'hurdles' if there wasn't

a way to get over them!

So let us all put a step forward because individually

we are a drop but together we are an ocean.

Delegates we welcome you to BlissMUN '12.

Dhruv Sood, Reporter, ECOSOC

What is BlissMUN '12?


The possession of perilous technologies proficient

of rescinding the very existence of human kind

has posed a big threat to the international commu-

nity. The volume of advancement in variety of arma-

ments used in warfare since World War II is

conspicuous. The inception of ballistic missiles is one

of the noxious results of the same. Used by Nazi Ger-

many for the first time during 1930s and 40s the pro-

liferation of this weapon of mass destruction has

modelled several questions before international

peace. Its capacity of carrying multiple warheads in-

cluding nuclear weapons has made its possession so

desirable amongst the nations. One of the major

threats which its proliferation includes is the technol-

ogy being acquired by the terrorist organizations.

The only major step taken on global level to curb the

propagation of the technology involved in creation of

Ballistic Missile is the adoption of The Hague Code of

Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation(25 No-

vember 2002). It is the only normative instrument to

verify the spread of ballistic missiles. The HCOC does

not ban ballistic missiles, but it does call for restraint

in their production, testing, and export. At present

there are 134 countries which have agreed on the

texts of the code of conduct.

The code of conduct tries to pose restrictions on the

proliferation by focusing primarily on developing a

sense of mutual understanding between the coun-

tries which already possess the missiles. It abstain

member countries from sharing the Ballistic Missile

technology to any other country which wishes to de-

velop the same. It also tries to create a transparency

over the actual possession of the missile by different

countries by keeping vigilance on the numbers of bal-

listic missiles possessed by different countries and an-

nouncing it annually amongst the member nation.

However The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic

Missile Proliferation has not proved very efficient.

There are many scopes of amendments in the text of

code adopted. The code does not ban the creation of

Ballistic Missiles as it only talks of not sharing the

technology. The enforcement mechanism of the Code

of conduct is also not efficient as participation in this

code is voluntary.

An efficient mechanism to effectively stop the Prolif-

eration needs to be developed very soon because the

science of destroying a missile carrying a nuclear

weapon is identical to the science of destroying the

same missile carrying a mass of concrete as a payload

and the increased destructive capacity of warheads

delivered by ballistic mis-

siles made even older and

more inaccurate missiles

more, not less, useful tools

in warfare.

Prashant Jha, Reporter,

General Assembly

The Hague Code of Conduct against

Ballistic Missile Proliferation

UNGAPage 5


The region of Middle East has experienced horren-

dous acts of terrorism and bloodshed. In 2012 the

Syrian civil war developed into a nationwide uprising

with protestors demanding an end to nearly five

decades of Ba’ath Party rule, and resignation of Pres-

ident Bashar al-Assad. In April, 2011, the government

deployed the Syrian Army to crush the uprising order-

ing them to open fire on civilians. On the other side

the civilians and army de-

fectors began forming

fighting units which wors-

ened the conditions and

Thousands of people were

killed. Inspite of Security

Council’s repeated effort to

make peace the Syrian Cri-

sis remains unresolved.

On the other hand, the escalating vio-

lence in Palestine due to the increasing

Jewish immigration led the UN to rec-

ommend the partition of Palestine into

two states and the internationalization

of Jerusalem with the minority Jewish

people received the majority of the

land.

The Isreal-Palestine conflict has since

then been a controversial issue espe-

cially regarding the recognition of an in-

dependent Palestinian state.

While the World Bank and IMF reports

states Palestine to be well established

for statehood if its current economic

growth is sustained, its acknowledge-

ment as an dependent state are ob-

structed by the issues of borders,

security, water rights, and the status of

Jerusalem and freedom of access to re-

ligious sites, on-going Israeli settlement

expansion, and legalities concerning

Palestinian refugees including the right

of return.

Since then, The International Court of

Justice has ruled that Israel is in breach of interna-

tional law by establishing settlements in Occupied

Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The

Court maintains that Israel cannot rely on its right of

self-defence or necessity to impose a regime that vi-

olates international law. The Court also ruled that Is-

rael violates basic human rights by impeding liberty

of movement and the inhabitants' right to work,

health, education and an adequate standard of living.

Hence, since entering office, US President Barack

Obama has halted the sale of advanced weapons to

Israel while demanding that they withdraw from the

entire West Bank so that a Palestinian state could be

set up.

Geetika Nagpal & Aishwarya Chaurasia,

Reporter, UNSC

Situation in the Middle East with a special emphasis on

the question of Palestine

UNSC

In recent times, the Middle East has been fraught with war and conflicts

Page 6


The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) works

on the pressing economic, social and environ-

mental challenges of the world. It plays a vital role in

bringing nations with different interests together to

deal with these problems through discussions and

policy recommendations.

This session’s agenda is “Vulnerability of the global

markets to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and po-

litical unrest”. Each of these is showing new trends

and has numerous consequences for the common

man. The effects of globalization, international

treaties and global warming create the most con-

tention between governments. Different countries

face various kinds of risks due to their geographical

location, socio-economic structure, political history

and economic pressures. A country’s success also de-

pends on how far it shares interests with other coun-

tries and the amount of political clout it enjoys, mir-

roring the kind of backstage politics observed in

multi-party and coalition democracies.

Here’s an interesting fact: In the current ECOSOC

chamber, the pipes and ducts in the ceiling above the

public gallery have been left exposed.

The “unfinished” ceiling is

intended as a symbolic re-

minder of the fact that eco-

nomic and social work of

the UN is never finished. So

for this MUN, we’ll take it

one problem at a time.

Charumati Haran,

Reporter, ECOSOC

Can the might of the ECOSOC set things right?

ECOSOCPage 7


Page 8

EditorSonika Chandok is currently

studying B.com (H) from Jesus

and Mary College. She is a

friendly and cheerful person who

is very fond of playing sports and

watching movies. She enjoys

MUNs a lot and is looking forward

to a very successful conference at

BlissMUN 2012.

ReportersSecurity Council

Geetika Nagpal is a student of

Economics at Jesus and Mary Col-

lege, Geetika is a math geek who

loves watching movies through

the night and procrastinates

studying for tests till the last

minute. Loves reading, Ayn Rand

and John Grisham are her

favourite authors.

Aishwarya Chaurasia is pursuing

BCom Honours from Sri Ram Col-

lege of Commerce. She loves sit-

ting leisurely, reading a novel with

earphones plucked in her ears.

Hates morning lectures since she

is far too lazy to get up at 8! One

will always find her room messy,

the credit of which again goes to

her laziness.

General Assembly

Prashant Jha, is pursuing Journal-

ism from Mahraja Agrasen Col-

lege, Delhi University. He wishes

to excel in the field of journalism

and have interned with premiere

media organizations like Radio

Mirchi, Dainik Bhaskar and The

Hindu. Being a vivid writer and

reader, he maintains a Hindi Blog

named Nispaksh Nazariya.

Anushri Saxena, is a final year

student of journalism from Ma-

haraja Agrasen College. She is a

straightforward young woman

who prefers to speak her mind as

the need be. She likes to experi-

ment with reading different gen-

res each time. An enthusiast of

linguists, she is almost obsessed

with the French language.

ECOSOC

Dhruv Sood has lived by the

motto 'Work hard,Play hard' and

to achieve his dream of becoming

an Indian Police Service(IPS) offi-

cer. He is currently pursuing B.A.

Honours in Political Science from

Sri Venkateswara College. He has

a keen interest in football and the

genre of hip-hop music and being

a Taurian he is down to earth and

practical.

Charumati Haran is pursuing Eco-

nomics Honours (1st year), from

Jesus and Mary College. She is cu-

rious, adventurous and enthusias-

tic about life in general. She loves

reading, writing, singing, playing

outdoor sports, traveling, surfing

the net and going on long walks.

She believes in letting her work

speak for herself!

PhotographersParitosh Anand, "I am a budding

engineer from Jaypee, Noida, a

keen observer and an avid pho-

tographer. For me, Photography

started out as a medium to so-

cialise and network. But now, it

has grown into much more. In ad-

dition, I'm a travel enthusiast and

a big foodie. Being my second

MUN I'm looking for an en-

thralling experience."

Karan Chadha, “Hello! Myself

Karan, I am a student of Business

Economics from Shivaji College,

and like to "shoot" people. So

keep smiling. When somebody

asks me to introduce myself, I for-

get who I am, so please help.”

Tanmay Chakraborty, “I'm a 3rd

year Mass Communication and

Journalism student of JIMS, Ro-

hini with a passion for photogra-

phy and music. I'm mainly into

concert photography and Bliss-

MUN is only my 2nd MUN as a

photographer. I'm looking for-

ward to an enriching experience

here.”

The International Press

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The Commune