Welcome to United Nation’s Children’s Fund
Dear Delegates,
I am ecstatic to welcome you to ILMUNC XXVIII and to the UNICEF Committee. My name is Brookes Degen, I am a senior in the College at Penn and I am proud to say I will be your chair this year. Together, we will work to find new, comprehensive solutions to the problems facing underprivileged children throughout the world.
For most of you, this will be your first model UN experience. I hope you are really looking forward to your first weekend of drafting resolutions and debating. This committee is focused on ensuring your introduction to MUN is a great one. Your fellow delegates will all be newcomers to MUN as well and my staff and I will help introduce you to the nuances of debate and parliamentary procedure.
As I said before, I am a senior. In the spring, I will be graduating with a degree in History and Mathematics. I have been involved with MUN at Penn since my freshman year and have been working with newcomers to MUN since my very first ILMUNC. When I am not studying or doing MUN, I spend my time playing goalie for Penn’s club ice hockey team, watching sports, following politics or watching movies with friends.
I hope you are as excited for ILMUNC as I am. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our USG – Alice Kissilenko. I cannot wait to meet you all!
Yours,
Brookes Degen
Chair, United Nation’s Children’s Fund
Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVIII
Honorable Delegates,
It is my pleasure to welcome all of you to ILMUNC XXVIII. My name is Michael Birnkrant and I am excited to be your Moderator for the United Nations Children’s Fund. I am extremely proud of the hard work and creativity that our wonderful staff has put into this committee for the past year, as it will surely be one of the best committees ILMUNC has ever seen.
Now for a little bit about me, I am in the College of Arts and Sciences and pursuing a degree in Political Science. I have been participating in Model U.N. since my high school years, and have served as an Assistant-Secretary-General for UPMUNC XLIV and an Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly Committees for UPMUNC XLV. In my ample free time, I love to play squash, listen to music, collect rare books, go hard in the paint, bhangra dance, win (no matter what) at March Madness, root for the Cavs, and participate in competitive skeleton.
I look forward to meeting you all in January. Please don’t hesitate to contact our Under-Secretary-General – Alice Kissilenko – if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Michael Birnkrant
Moderator, United Nations Security Council
Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVIII
Topic Summary
Topic: The Needs of Children in Haiti’s Post-Earthquake Recovery
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, ranking last in infant mortality as well as maternal mortality rates. Further exacerbating this situation, a devastating earthquake struck the country on the evening of January 12, 2010, destroying much of the impoverished nation’s fragile infrastructure. The International Federation of the Red Cross conservatively estimated that over three million Haitians—33% of the population—were directly affected. With more than half of the population under the age of 21, an enormous number of children and young adults were traumatized and left without many options for survival. UNICEF immediately issued a call for emergency assistance, but the international community has still been unable to supply enough assistance to meet the need. Most children continue to live in refugee camps without basic necessities: food and water are limited, proper sanitation standards are disregarded, medical attention is rare, and few educational opportunities exist. These problems plague much of Haitian society as a whole, but children are the most vulnerable group as they do not have the ability to provide for themselves and are much more susceptible to disease and malnutrition from the poor conditions. UNICEF must lead the international community in a renewed effort to help the children of Haiti.
As the Novice Committee, UNICEF will debate only one topic over the course of ILMUNC.