Guest Speaker
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Payne
Embassy of Canada in Vietnam
Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Payne was born on 26 November 1968 in Scarborough, Ontario. He began his military career as a member of the 2525 Pickering High School Army Cadet Corps from before joining the regular force in 1989. In 1990, he was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and began service with the 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery at CFB Petawawa.
He served in a variety of Regimental positions during his initial tour including a deployment in 1993 to Cyprus on Operation SNOWGOOSE 59. From 1993 to 1996, Captain Payne was posted to the 7th Toronto Regiment, RCA after which, he returned to the 2nd Regiment during which time he deployed on OP ASSISTANCE in support of relief efforts during the 1996 Winnipeg floods. Posted to the Field Artillery School in 1997, Captain Payne completed the Instructor-in-Gunnery Course (Field) and served as an Instructor-in-Gunnery until December 1999. From January 2000 to July 2003, he assumed Instructor-in-Gunnery duties at the United States Army Field Artillery School located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma also serving as the Chief of the Advanced Fire Support Division and later assumed the responsibilities as the Battery Commander, Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion, 30th Field Artillery Regiment. Promoted to Major in 2005, he was then selected to assume the duties of the Chief Instructor-in-Gunnery at the Artillery School in CFB Gagetown. In 2006, he assumed the duties of the Battery Command, 45 (Fire Support) Battery.
Returning once more to the 2nd Regiment in 2008, he assumed the responsibility as the Regimental 2nd In Command, culminating in a deployment to Haiti as part of OP HESTIA as the Officer Commanding (OC) the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) Company. In 2010, he proceeded to Kuwait to attend Staff College. Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 2011, LCol Payne returned to Canada as the G5 of Land Forces Atlantic Area. In February 2012, he deployed to Afghanistan as the Chief of Staff - Kabul Military Training Centre Advisory Group. After a nine-month tour, LCol Payne returned to Halifax to the 5th Canadian Division as the G3.
In 2014, he was assigned as the Canadian Army Liaison Officer to the Australian Army in Canberra, Australia. On the completion of that assignment, LCol Payne was then posted to United Nations Command Headquarters in Pyeongtaek, South Korea and served as the Chief, Current Operations from 2018 to 2022.
LCol Payne is a graduate of the Canadian Land Force Command and Staff College and the Mubarak Al Abdullah Joint Command and Staff College Kuwait. He holds a Bachelors degree from the Royal Military College of Canada, and a Master of Military Arts and Science.
LCol Payne has been awarded the US Defence Meritorious Service Medal and the Korean Service Medal for his work in South Korea and the US Army Meritorious Service Medal for his work in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
He is married to Carmen, and they have 2 daughters, Josephine (23) and Genevieve (20).
Chair Mentor
Ms. Chazara
Although I was engaged in MUN for over 4 years since 7th grade, this was my first ever experience in getting to work with different committee mentors and receiving support from them in issues addressed within our council. I met Ms.Chazara, who is one of the IBDP Economics teachers in UNIS Hanoi. During the interview, I had the opportunity to ask her several questions related to all the topics that will be addressed in the Reform Security Council. We also kept in mind the UNISMUN March 2024 Conference theme, “How can we use multilateral diplomacy to surmount the challenges of rapid societal change?” in our conversation.
I first asked her what her general perspective on our first conference theme above, and how chairs and delegates might move forward in terms of research. She recognized the rapid societal change especially in terms of empowerment of movement, division and polarization, specifically having mentioned the democratic change, rising inequalities, income distribution conflicts based on religions and beliefs, division of countries around the world. She also recognized the impact of the AI and technology, leading to manipulation of information, biased political objectives, accessed information being filtered,
Continuing the conversation, I asked her some questions related to the next two topics with the issues in Sudan and relationship between Palestine and Israel, which are one of the most well-known security conflicts around the world. Ms.Chazara has told me that both of the conflicts, and the fight for deliberate powers have been on for several years, gaining in violence to solve the issues. And since our council was Security Council reformed, she recognized mainly the armed conflicts in these multilateral diplomacy, and how nations fight for deliberate powers. These problems were mainly due to weak legal institutions, and thus gave rise to such separations.
Lastly as an IB Economics teacher, Ms.Chazara also found these issues quite connected to Economics, since wars and conflicts have a significant impact on economic productivity globally. From the issues not limited just to Sudan, Palestine, and Israel, but also - Ukraine Russia war, we could see that the conflict was due to dominance of power, significantly impacting the income, generated tax, governments’ budgets, as well as government authority in the economics side.
Thank you again to Ms.Chazara for her support and the meeting time!
Chair Mentor
Ms. Magowen
Ms. Magowan, who has been a teacher for tha past 12 years, is one of the Grade 1 homebase teachers in UNIS Hanoi. During the interview with her, I was able to ask her opinion on the three issues of the Reformed Security Council: the issue of regulating non-traditional security threats, the issue of the responsibility to protect for Sudan, and the issue of the relationship of Israel and Palestine.
Regarding the first issue, the issue of regulating non security threats, she had told us how as the world becomes more connected, and as wars nowadays show different faces compared to traditional wars, this issue becomes more and more important. For example with the recent drone technology we could see how highly advanced technologies can be applied into the creation of highly effective weapons capable of mass killing or bombing.
In the second issue of responsibility to protect for Sudan, she had told us the historical context of sudan and the issues we face now. “Sudan is an area in which other countries are trying to find ways to support and figure out different minority groups and understand different minority groups, understanding how to support and navigating their different interest.” said Ms. Magowen. She also told us that “leaving it to Sudan makes it really tricky beacuse of all the history that has happened, and there is so much that is involved and that has happened that we cant just leave it all to the country.
The last question that we asked was about the Israel and Palestine conflict. Having the personal connection of being in Palestine 6 years ago, and understanding the gravity between the two nations, Ms. Magowan stated that she “fully supports that there should be a two-state solution and that Paletine should be given back some of the land. It is also difficult to ignore israel’s perspective, and that is why deciding who is going to be given the permission make the decisions is at such high statke”. She also linked the issue with the first issue, as the Isreal - Palestine war is equipt with non-traditional security threats, we would have to pay attention on what happens of the event.
Head Chair
MinSeo Kang
Greetings, honorable chairs, fellow delegates, and esteemed guests,
My name is MinSeo Kang, a junior attending United Nations International School of Hanoi. I have been a part of the MUN community since 2019 when I was a middle schooler, and MUN will continue being my ongoing passion until I graduate. It is a great honor for me to be serving as a head chair for the Reform Security Council for the UNISMUN 2024 March Conference.
The theme for this conference is “How can we use multilateral diplomacy to surmount the challenges of rapid societal changes? We live in a rapidly changing society, the age of globalization, the revolution of information and communication. Thus, cooperation between countries have been extremely relevant in surmounting the problems, to narrow the national differences and reduce the cross-border barriers.
Reform security council is a reform of the security council, one of the six main organs established under the United Nation Charter. The main responsibility of the council is to maintain international peace and security, significantly with the question of the veto held by the five permanent (P5) nations, including China, United Kingdom, United States, Russia, and France. I look forward to seeing passionate P5 nations using the veto power with effectiveness during debates
The topics that our council will address in this conference are the following:
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The issue of regulating non-traditional security threats
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The issue of the responsibility to protect for sudan
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The issue of the relationship of Israel and Palestine.
The related nations and the global community are confronted with many security challenges, having vacillated between periods of hostility and outreach. It is important that delegates provide a wide analysis, as well as a close link between all the topics and the conference theme, to surmount the challenges to the level of national, international, and community.
If you have any questions or concerns related to the conference, please do not hesitate to contact myself or any of the co-chairs.
Thank you, see you in the conference:)
Deputy Chair
Seo Ho Chang
Greetings fellow chairs, distinguished delegates, and honorable guests,
I am Seo Ho Chang, a junior at the United Nations International School of Hanoi, and I will be serving you as the Deputy Chair for the Reformed Security Council.
The theme of this March conference is “How can we use multilateral diplomacy to surmount the challenges of rapid societal changes?” As the world becomes more and more developed, that being with the development of AI, attack drones, and self-driving cars, our society has experienced massive changes, and is still changing today. In order to balance this rapid situation, multilateral diplomacy is not an option, but rather a requirement, and we must stick our heads together to come up with a solution for everybody.
Reform security council is a UNISMUN variation of the real-life Security Council, one of six main organs of the United Nations. Unlike the traditional Security Council, the Reform Security Council ensures equitable participation by equipping 4 more nations -Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan- with veto privileges.
The three topics of the Reformed Security Council include “The issue of regulating non-traditional security threats”, “The issue of the responsibility to protect Sudan”, and “The issue of the relationship of Israel and Palestine”. As these issues affect many civilian lives, they must be resolved immediately.
All issues being equally important in the global community, RSC must come together and generate thoughtful solutions that resolve conflicts for multiple stakeholders. In order to do so, multi-perspective analysis and creativity are a must. With that being said, I strongly believe that this conference will be a great opportunity for all participants to grow their MUNing skills, critical thinking skills, and presentation skills. Upon that, I wish any and all delegates and chairs to have a fruitful debate and meaningful memories!
Procedural Chair
Hyunchan Cho
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Honorable directors, distinguished delegates, fellow chairs, and most esteemed guests,
My name is Hyunchan Cho, a sophomore at St. Paul American School Hanoi (SPASH), and it is my utmost honor to participate in the 2024 March UNISMUN Conference as the Procedural Chair of Reform Security Council. I am currently serving as the leader of SPASH MUN, and this conference marks my 4th conference, 2nd experience as a chair.
The theme of this conference is “How can we use multilateral diplomacy to surmount the challenges of rapid societal changes?” Our society is experiencing various changes: technological innovation, environmental degradation, cultural globalization, and so on. As the solution to those issues, the necessity of multilateral cooperation has become essential between not only multiple nations but also regional and non-governmental organizations.
The Reform Security Council (RSC) is a reformed format of the Security Council, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations that tackles threats to international peace and security. However, while maintaining the permanent memberships of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia and their power, RSC adds 4 countries – Germany, India, Japan, and Brazil – to those memberships to represent current, equitable political dynamics.
One of the three issues that this council will explore deals with non-traditional security threats: threats to the well-being of people or states through non-military aspects. COVID-19 would be one of the most familiar examples of such threats, which brought fundamental changes in people's lifestyle all around the globe. RSC is also going to discuss the issue of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) for Sudan. This topic has drawn global attention as the Sudanese crisis lasts for two decades, displacing millions of people within Sudan. Lastly, the council will examine the ongoing Israel-Palestinian Conflict. As demonstrated in the recent Hamas attack on October 7 2023, the related states, communities, and people are in need of immediate and effective restoration of security.
I strongly believe that this conference will be a meaningful experience for all delegates as well as me as a chair.
Thank you, and see you in March!