• Question of peacekeeping efforts in Palestine

• Question of transnational organised crime

Honorable directors, fellow chairs, distinguished delegates, and most esteemed guests,

My name is Nguyen Phuc Linh, a junior student at Singapore International School at Gamuda Gardens, and it is my pleasure to be the Head Chair for the Reform Security Council of the November 2024 UNISMUN conference. This upcoming conference will be my 5th MUN conference and my second experience as a chair. 

The conference theme, "How can we use regional cooperation to promote equitable development?" focuses on emphasizing local and regional bodies to better understand the current consequences of inadequate development for minority communities. Highlighting regional cooperation may be a crucial step for regions to embrace their cultural differences and achieve socioeconomic balance. In this conference, delegates and chairs alike must consider the local and national perspectives to maintain international peace and security. 

The Reformed Security Council is UNISMUN’s variation on the Security Council, which addresses these key issues: the membership categories, the veto power of the five permanent members, regional representation, and the size and working methods of an enlarged Council. There are five permanent members, or the P5 nations: the United Kingdom, the United States, France, China, and Russia, with the expansion of four other countries; the accession of Germany, Brazil, India, and Japan to P4 member nations; as well as more African countries on the council as non-permanent countries. The P5 and P4 member nations have veto power within the council. 

The first topic in the Reformed Security Council is the “Question of peacekeeping efforts in Palestine." The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been an ongoing military and political war between the two countries, with the most recent being the war between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant organizations in the Gaza Strip and Israel since October 7, 2023. Fundamental concerns in the conflict, such as physical borders, access to resources, and the Palestinian right to return, serve as key concepts that urgently need discussion to assess the United Nations’s efforts in peacekeeping. 

The second topic, “Question of transnational organized crimes," emphasizes the criminal groups collaborating in multiple countries to carry out illegal business endeavors. The complex use of systematic violence and corruption creates challenges to the current United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), and delegates must identify the major existing crimes (such as human trafficking) and address their importance.

Having said that, I’m looking forward to meeting all the delegates and having a memorable MUN experience! See you in November.

Most esteemed delegates, fellow chairs, directors, and guests, 

My name is Vihaan Seth, I am currently in 9th grade at UNIS Hanoi. I am honored to serve as deputy chair for the Reform Security Council during the November 2024 UNISMUN conference. The conference will be my 4th, and my second as a chair. 

The reform security council was reformed from the security council of the UN. They are conceptually very similar, however, the reform security council proposed to include more members of the UN and to limit VETO powers. Essentially, the reform security council is newer, more fair and inclusive and is more inclined to the idea of general development throughout all nations that is fair and constant.

The theme of the upcoming conference is “How can we use regional cooperation to promote equitable development”. This revolves around the idea of all nations collaborating to promote the general development of countries that is constant and fair to each nation. The nations will see an accretion in economic status, access to resources, governmental integrity and of course progress towards meeting the SDGs. 

During the conference, the RSC will focus on two main topics and the first will be the “Question of keeping peacekeeping efforts in Palestine”. This topic, I believe, is extremely relevant to current world affairs. In the course of the debate, we will be discussing the necessity of international cooperation in order to make immediate and significant efforts in reducing conflict between Palestine and Israel. Issues over land ownership, and governmental status are key contributors to the war. Additionally, The Arab League has recently made decisions that aim to mitigate conflict between Palestine and Israel and I think the delegates should also consider researching this.  

The second topic will be the “Question of transnational organised crime”. This problem refers to criminal activity that occurs between nations. Examples of these activities are arms smuggling, human trafficking, drug trafficking and cyber crime. The UN has recognized this issue as significant due to its indirect implications; the fact that criminal organizations exploit weaker and unstable governments. My advice for the delegates is to understand that regardless of the country they are representing, most of the TOCs will end up having a connection and impact on eachother. 

Remember to have fun during your preparations for your conference and see you in November!

I am Junsuk Kim, currently a junior at UNIS Hanoi. I am honored to serve as the Procedural Chair of the Reform Security Council committee in the 2024 UNISMUN November Conference. This conference will be my second time serving as chair and fourth experience in UNISMUN. 

The theme of the UNISMUN November Conference is “How can we use regional cooperation to promote equitable development?” This theme focuses on how different nations within specific regions can cooperate together to ensure and enhance the fair and balanced growth of each nation. To add, regional cooperation can address common challenges that many LEDCs', facing such as poverty, inequality and lack of education by promoting the stability and sustainable development. 

The Reform Security Council is the committee that reformed the council called “Security Council”, which is one of the six main organs of the United Nations. The primary responsibility is “maintaining international peace and security. The Security Council has 5 permanent members, which are called P5 nations: United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia. To have a more intense and fervid debate, the Reform Security Council granted Veto powers to 4 countries, which are G4 nations: Germany, India, Japan, and Brazil.

The first topic in the Reform Security Council is the “Question of peacekeeping efforts in Palestine”. Since the mid-20th century, Palestine and Israel have experienced tensions and hostilities related to issues, for example: land rights, political sovereignty and the status of Jerusalem. Hence, the delegates should be aware of the deep rooted history behind the two nations during the research. Considering the peacekeeping efforts, the UN Security council passed multiple resolutions about the recognition of Palestinian rights. The resolutions will be crucially useful during the research and also drafting your resolution. Thus, the chair highly recommends reading carefully the resolutions that passed from UN SC about peacekeeping efforts in Palestine. 

The second topic is “Question of transnational organised crime”. This topic refers to global challenges that are posed across the world, multiple nations, which significantly have a negative impact on security, economics and etc. Some examples for transnational organised crime are arms trafficking, cybercrime and terrorism. During the research, delegates should acknowledge that their country is related or involved in transnational organised crime, if so, please research in detail as possible to have a meaningful and fruitful debate. 

Good luck on your preparations and see you in November.