Our Committee Mentors
Mr. Borowik
Meeting Mr. Borowik and discussing some of the General Assembly 2 topics truly opened our minds. The committee mentor for GA2 is Mr. Robert Borowik and he teaches DP economics and MYP I&S but he is also the Extended Essay and Senior Project coordinator for UNIS Hanoi. During our meeting, we got to discuss a little bit about him and some advice/insight related to the topics and connecting with the delegates.
GA2 is the economic and financial committee and his connection to this committee was apparent since he is the DP economics teacher. When we asked why he was interested in teaching economics he said that it was because of his great teachers in high school who inspired him to do what they did. When asked about issues he was passionate about, Mr. Borowik mentioned, “I’m always interested in economic issues given that I’m the economics teacher. I’m particularly interested in how countries interact with each other through international trade. I'm interested in economic development and different programs that countries develop in order to grow their economies.”
We informed him about MUN, the conference theme and the committee topics so that he could be more familiar with the entire procedure. As a student, Mr. Borowik has done MUN before as part of a course. To inspire his students, he mostly discusses the topics that he is interested in but he believes that it is more important for him to inspire students to find out the issues that they are passionate about themselves. Our conference theme for the November conference is, “How do we ensure sustainability through multilateral cooperation.” Mr. Borowik’s response to the theme was, “International cooperation is very difficult because you have to meet the needs of different groups of people in different countries. So it’s sometimes hard to find common ground. Particularly connecting to the economic side of things, when countries want to engage in creating certain types of agreements, there have to be clear benefits to both parties involved.” This advice could be very useful for delegates when drafting their resolutions and during the lobbying/merging process.
Mr. Borowik gave us specific feedback for how to approach the two topics of “The question of carbon tax” and “The issue of financial assistance for fragile states.” For carbon tax, he outlined the environmental benefit but also emphasized the disadvantages of businesses that would push back on the policy. For the financial assistance topic, he said that it is helpful for the fragile states that are receiving the financial aid but the drawback could come from how the issues within the country still remain. He told us about how financial assistance can be very beneficial to fragile countries, as long as the aid actually reaches the people it is meant to support rather than just enriching the leaders of a country. This was an interesting thought that never came into our minds. One final piece of advice from Mr. Borowik to the chairs and delegates in the GA2 committee was, “In any economic situation, you need to consider what are the advantages and disadvantages of a policy. If you’re looking at how delegates can engage with the issues, you need to paint a clear picture of what are going to be the benefits of a country implementing a policy. What’s in it for the country to do so? Why is it something they should do?”
After the meeting with Mr. Borowik, we had a clearer idea of the topics and how to help delegates in those topics. Even though our committee mentor was very busy, he had found time to meet with the chairs of GA2 which meant a lot to us. Thank you, Mr. Borowik.
Head Chair
Beomjoon Park
Greetings, honorable delegates, fellow chairs and distinguished guests,
My name is Beomjoon Park and I am a grade 10 student at UNIS. I am honored to be the head chair for General Assembly 2 at the UNISMUN November 2023 conference. I would like to exercise this passion in order to support the delegates in GA2.
The theme of the conference is, “How do we ensure sustainability through multilateral cooperation?” I believe that this theme is interesting because the multilateral cooperation that the nations pursue could have multiple sides to it and therefore would be debatable as to whether it truly ensures sustainability or not.
General Assembly 2 is one of the 6 main committees within the United Nations. It deals with economic and financial matters on a global scale. Ensuring sustainability is important when it comes to economical issues. The multilateral cooperation that the theme references would be explored deeply in GA2 and the delegates could dive into what form of cooperation could benefit sustainability in a financial standpoint.
The two topics GA2 would be discussing in this conference is “The question of carbon tax” and “The issue of financial assistance for fragile states.” The first topic is deeply rooted in the concept of carbon tax which is quite a controversial topic. It is significant because on the one hand, carbon tax would improve the carbon dioxide emissions but on the other hand, it would promote more severe wealth inequalities. The second topic is also significant because it directly relates to the theme of the conference. The multilateral cooperation in this topic could be the financial assistance nations provide for fragile states.
I am looking forward to interacting with all the delegates and chairs in General Assembly 2.
Deputy Chair
Jenny Le
Greetings, esteemed delegates, fellow chairs, and distinguished guests,
My name is Jenny Le, a junior at the United Nations International School in Hanoi, and I am honored to serve as the Deputy Chair of the General Assembly 2 at the UNISMUN November 2023 Conference. This marks my fifth conference in MUN, and I am truly delighted to participate as a chair for the first time as part of the UNISMUN community.
The theme of this November conference is “How do we ensure sustainability through multilateral cooperation?”. The theme calls attention to the significance of cooperation and interconnection between member states, and encourages delegates to think about ways to achieve the said sustainability in a variety of topics such as global security, climate change, and human rights.
This conference, the two issues discussed in the GA2 Committee are:
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The question of carbon tax
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The issue of financial assistance for fragile states
The General Assembly 2 Committee aims to preserve financial stability in developing and developed states. This objective addresses economic policies related to international trade, debt sustainability, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Maintaining sustainability on a global scale is crucial, and the GA2 Committee would dive into economical topics that highlight our conference’s theme of multilateral cooperation.
With all said, I firmly believe that this conference will provide immense opportunities for all delegates and chairs to foster growth through diving into these topics and fruitful debates. I am looking forward to getting to know you all and making many memorable and meaningful experiences!
Procedural Chair
Duy Duc Nguyen
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Greetings fellow chairs, distinguished delegates, honorable directors and esteemed guests,
My name is Duy Duc Nguyen (Theo). I am a junior at Concordia International School Hanoi, and I am honored to be serving as the Procedural Chair for General Assembly 2 at the UNISMUN November 2023 conference. This marks my second year of participating in MUN and my first time chairing.
“How do we ensure sustainability through multilateral cooperation?”, the theme of this upcoming November conference, is one that is important to resolve. Despite tensions, multinational cooperation in a diplomatic way is necessary to promote and improve on sustainability. The varying approaches to each topic and how the approaches intertwine will certainly be engrossing and something to look forward to.
With General Assembly 2 being the committee in the United Nations handling economic and financial issues, the two topics for GA2 take a deeper look into economic and financial sustainability. In a world with possible economic and financial instability, ensuring sustainability is crucial. GA2 will delve into issues in an economically oriented manner and through cooperation despite opposing standpoints, a difficult but meaningful challenge.
The two topics; “the question of carbon tax” and “the issue of financial assistance for fragile states”, are topics that are contentious world wide. The former handles carbon tax, tax imposed on the carbon emissions created via the production of goods and services. The latter handles financial assistance, specifically for countries that have characteristics that have hindered their economic and social development. Many member nations have contrasting views in regards to the two topics mentioned above, hopefully building up to an active and fruitful debate amongst committee members.
That said, I hope to see a fruitful discussion between the different members in GA2 and I look forward to creating lighthearted memories with everyone at the conference!