“There’s no question that the post-Soviet world order is undergoing a seismic shift.” – as a forecast of the Global Security Review says. The establishment of a multipolar world order where power is once again evenly distributed may seem like a far-fetched idea for some, however, the tendency of small steps towards states gradually questioning the legitimacy of a system based on the supremacy of the United States of America is indisputable. The question we seek to answer is: which fields furnish an opportunity for rising powers to step into the spotlight? Therefore, we have chosen bodies of the United Nations and International Organisations with relevant topics that may provide a heated debate to participants from all over the world to get to know these areas and answer our question.
You can find the countries represented in each Chamber in our Country Matrix.
Topic: Response and counter to hybrid warfare / Hybrid warfare as a complex challenge
The main topic of the United Nations Security Council revolves around a serious challenge of the 21st century. Irregular methods of warfare, such as propaganda aimed at deception or cyber and terrorist attacks, are becoming less the exception but the norm, as sabotage and deployment of irregular armed groups have long been used to destabilise adversaries. What is revolutionary about these attacks are their speed, scale and the nature of the actors. The effects of hybrid warfare against Ukraine challenge the collective European and regional security landscape. Hybrid and asymmetric methods are based on the combination of armed forces (that is still viewed as a symbol of power) and the skilful use of technology and information. Such methods not only challenge the international architecture but also the basic principles of international law. Concerns at the UN are at an alarming level, seeing how asymmetric measures and irregular warfare escalated the civil war into a full-fledged war and humanitarian crisis in Syria. Will the United Nations Security Council overcome the challenges of concepts and become ready to tackle any non-state or allegedly state-sponsored attacks?
In the 21st century, one can argue that despite the reoccurring economic instabilities and military conflicts, the true challenge of our generation is to establish a clean environment for the future. The United Nations Environment Programme’s report identifies the 25 most effective measures to reduce air pollution in Asia and the Pacific region, ranging from industry to the prevention of forest fires. Apart from that, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provided a special report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC, urging for preventive action. The melting ice caps will not only impact our coastlines but may radically alter international trade, as the Northern trading route emerges. Are the current developments such as the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement or the Federative Republic of Brazil’s newly elected president’s, Jair Bolsonaro’s proposal of running a highway through the Amazon forest the right steps taken? How will the UNEP alter the course of events and deal with the new route of commercial shipping?
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) has a luxury not many of its kind possess: the ability to look to the future and shape it in the present. Surprisingly, the last treaty of outstanding importance was written in 1979, when Voyager 2 was roughly 600 million kilometres from earth and has travelled since an additional 20,5 billion kilometres. Members of this Chamber may be countries of significance, but there are dozens of private companies actively involved in spaceflight. For example in 2012, SpaceX has become the first private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft, a feat only 12 of the world’s countries have managed to pull off. Other controversial issues convoluted with morality and legal grey areas are space tourism and earth observation that put national sovereignty and personal privacy in the centre of attention. With President Donald Trump announcing the US Space Force program, a seemingly settled situation resurfaces: Is space a “common heritage of man”? Should we prepare for an arms race or will the legal framework of the peaceful usage of outer space stay ensured?
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation has a wide variety of topics assigned to it ranging from the management of border control, migration, combating human and arms trafficking, dealing with the possible consequences of climate change to the safe preservation of the northern trading route. The management of border control raises a question of cooperation between EU member states and those member states of the OSCE that are not part of the EU. When there is a serious threat to public policy or internal security, a Schengen country may temporarily reintroduce border control at its internal border. The underlying reasons can both be security-related or aimed at countering illegal trafficking. Cooperation might be inevitable, as several countries across the globe face migration and arms trafficking of a magnitude requiring joint international action. The challenges of the 21st century require a holistic approach, combining different fields of policies, cooperation and joint action based on common goals and values. Academic studies suggest that the Northern Sea Route will gradually absorb about 5% of global shipping, furthermore, up to 13% of all Chinese trade may go through the route. How will the estimated shift of commercial trade affect countries dependent on the hegemony of the Suez canal? Will these issues tighten the bonds or cause permanent rifts between the parties involved?
The NATO/SCO is our only joint chamber, shared between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The main topic at hand starts with President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw about half of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan. This could have major and severe implications in times when the preservation of security and stability, both in the internal and the regional scenario, is a major challenge for Central Asia. The SCO, as it is now, cannot be directly compared to the NATO. But it’s recent actions may suggest a desire to build the SCO into a new form of security organisation. The burning question of Afghanistan and its future security, including the risk of spillovers such as terrorism, regional hegemonic aspirations, illegal drug and weapons trafficking might be the final straw. Can this joint chamber reach cooperation on issues of mutual interest? Is it fated to become a competition to resolve issues “unilaterally” by excluding the opposing party of influence-gaining positions?
Let’s take a look at the main topic of the Council of Europe in finding a way to promote democracy and the rule of law without interfering in a nation-state’s autonomy. The economic crisis of 2008 had a severe impact on the whole global economy and underlined the misbelief of liberal democracy is the perfect form of government every country should seek to establish. It showed that other political systems might be more capable to tackle the repercussions of the effects of the recession. Because of the seeming success of illiberal democracies, such as the financial stability and growth of the People’s Republic of China, they can be viewed as a potential alternative when it comes to a political system to be followed. The rise of populism has become a new trend in international politics in the recent decade. Nearly 25 years ago, liberal democracy had triumphed, being the only legitimate form of government both in theory and practice. Today, liberal democracies are facing external challenges: the occurrence of regimes claiming to be based on God’s word rather than the will of the people; from the success of strong-handed meritocracy in places such as Singapore, and, not least, from the astonishing economic accomplishments of China’s market-Leninist system. One of the most critical internal challenges is populism that is waging a war against liberal principles, claiming that such policies weaken the democracy and harm the people. With the rise of alternatives to liberal views like the rise of populism, religious influence and strong-handed meritocracy, the Council is tasked with the protection of democratic institutions, such as judicial independence. The UN sustainable development goals promote peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all and for building effective, accountable institutions at all levels. But with the COE members stretching from the major Western democracies from Poland and Hungary to Turkey and Russia, a compromise is seemingly difficult to reach. Will these nations come to an understanding regarding good governance or is a new division inevitable?
The G20, as the Economic Chamber, is the economic backbone of the conference. Let’s take a look at the main topic of this Chamber, which is to break the cycle of economic depression. With the stock market crash and the Great Depression, policymakers pushed for governments to play a more proactive role in the economy. More recently, countries had scaled back the size and function of government—with markets taking on an enhanced role in the allocation of goods and services—but when the global financial crisis threatened worldwide recession, many countries returned to a more active fiscal policy. The economic downturn also led to the reinvigoration of the protectionism vs free trade debate drawing a wedge between developed and developing countries. Economic depressions mean terrible harm to humanity. Not only traders, business companies and employees of the financial sector suffer from them but, basically, everyone in the world is affected. Recent events, such as the USA imposing higher tariffs on the People’s Republic of China since the beginning of 2018, leads to damage regarding the economies of both parties. Agreements questioned by the United States (such as NAFTA) rebranded as United States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA) affects various countries within and outside the G20. Beyond the lingering threat of a trade war, growing debt in the developed world induce fear of a new crisis. Can the G20 defy all odds, avoid a trade war and establish a framework for future policies to reach economic and financial stability?
Brief topic: As the CD is an irregular chamber with the purpose to connect the work of each member of the represented state’s Delegation and fill in on spots where representation might be lacking, delegates of the CD have to have a general understanding of all topics within the conference. They should help the Head Delegate in developing a general approach to the conference.
On Day 0, the Sightseeing Tour takes place, where the participants can not only get to know the gems of Budapest and their future familiar routes for the week, but also meet their chamber members before the sessions. With the help of the Event Coordination Team, all can get to the heart of Budapest in daylight and try out different Hungarian specialties, such as handcrafted lavender ice cream on their way to the next sight.
Professional opportunities are also provided in forms of workshops of various levels and topics for all chambers. Last but not least, the awaited meeting of the Organising Team and the participants can finally also take place in person.
One of the most gracefully elegant social of the week is the fancy, business Committee Dinner, where tasty Hungarian dishes, networking opportunities and professional connections are served in a historic and fancy ballroom. Each year, participants can enjoy this evening with their new acquaintances and their own home delegations, while taking amazing professional photos and planning where to go next. The Dinner is followed by a loose and fun social party with well-fed diplomats enjoying the nightlife of Budapest.
The Diplomats’ Soirée is held up on Gellért Hill, where the participants can get the perfect view of the city at sunset, including the Parliament, the Chain Bridge and the hill itself. This black tie event is a formal reception, requiring such dress code.
Participants have the opportunity for a higher level of networking, including ambassadors, directors of related institutions, delegates and their fellow chamber members as well, with a glass of champagne. After listening to speeches and openings, or having taken hundreds of sunset photos, the participants may move to the next station of their night, which is usually a fancier social party.
Considering the fact that people from many different countries will meet at the conference, we, the Organisers, would like to make sure that all of the participants have the possibility to introduce their culture to the others on the Multicultural Night. Let it be your secret talent of singing, dancing, a traditional folkdance, we are all open-heartedly waiting for you to show us that piece of your home, if you are eager to do so!
State interests do not always require the consensus of an entire Chamber but only the agreement of two or more States. Delegates will be able to achieve their aims, gain resources as well as support possible allies by signing bilateral or multilateral Treaties.
However, only a limited amount of resources will be at the disposal of Delegations – money will often be in short supply.. Furthermore, resources will not only be required for signing treaties but also for dealing with unexpected Crisis events, so Delegates must be mindful of their spending!
States represented in multiple Chambers will be considered Delegations, that have common aims and resources. Each Chamber will have a designated level of representation, so Participants could be Foreign Ministers or Ambassadors to the UN, just to name a few possibilities.
Being at the top of a delegation’s Hierarchy will come with many rights but also responsibilities. A Delegation’s top Representative (a Head Delegate) will be the only one authorised to approve Bilateral and multilateral Treaties in the name of their State.
A Diplomatic Corps (or CD delegate) is considered as the right hand of the Head Delegate and will often be invited to other Chambers to speak on behalf of their Delegation.
The Financial Committee Delegate, responsible for the budget of a Delegation, and the CD delegate, who supposed to represent the needs and expertise of all lower level members of the delegation are together the advisors of the Head Delegates. They will support them in making hard decisions regarding what the Delegation should focus on and where to allocate the Delegation’s limited resources.
Lower level delegates are supposed to feed the CD member with information that might come handy in other Chambers or during the decision-making procedure of the Head Delegate and its advisors.
As the financial backbone of the conference, Financial Committee members will have the task of preserving the limited resources of their individual States’ to the most crucial projects their Delegations might want to achieve. With also having a main topic to discuss and treaties to support or talk others out from, these delegates will have a major impact on the course of the conference. Before a Head Delegate may make any decision regarding resources, it would be highly encouraged to ask the opinion of the respective Financial Committee Member supposed to support his or her decision-making.
Being the eyes and ears of the conference, Press Members are tasked with not letting any relevant happening go undetected. Press Members are, during the simulation, employees of a News Agency which have been carefully selected according to the certain topic and relevant states at hand. There, they will have to work to cover the events of the Conference from their Agency’s point of view, providing a certain degree of bias. Depending on the Agency, Press Members may also have to support some States’ interests through their reporting.
For the rest of the Conference, the Press Corps will be the primary source of up-to-date information from all the other Chambers. It will be essential to follow news published as in each article, as one might expect, the devil is in the details.
By introducing the Press Conference, Press Corps Members will have a chance to be in the spotlight and steal the show by provoking and testing representatives of their preparedness, ideas and standpoints.
For us to be able to introduce a main narrative connecting each chamber and to engage the highest number of states, changes and developments to real-life situations are sometimes inevitable. Without the concept of diverging reality, many chambers might not be able to contribute to the most exciting topics or some states might feel neglected to a level of boredom. Fear not! Our team of young experts in the field of international law are eager to connect the dots for these occasions and artificially create situations which in real life might not occur but are valid and believable scenarios. This way, real-life events, that would require attention from the international community but are ignored due to their low intensity, can be lifted into the spotlight for real examination. This leads to our participants getting to know about minor events in the world that have the potential to cause real harm to international peace and security. Chambers will have to discuss their own individual topics at hand but a crisis might just cause a twist for some that will dictate them to change their thinking, their sides and adapt to the new setting laid ahead of them.
With the topics and chambers being interconnected, it is up to a small proportion of participants to keep the delegates of their represented states focused on their own agendas while also serving the bigger picture and the main interests of their represented states. The Diplomatic Corps (or as the French acronym composes: CD (Corps Diplomatique) is an independent body that is supposed to coordinate the efforts of all members of their state’s delegation. This allows them to achieve a higher level of communication between states and also leads to a higher degree of interconnectedness. These delegates will serve as “grey eminences” throughout the conference gathering information from lower hierarchy delegates, helping the head delegate making decisions, and disseminating information, coordinating the efforts of the delegation as a whole.
International relations and challenges of the 21st Century cannot be understood if we do not take into consideration the magnitude of the interdependence of certain issues, topics or regions. That is why, during Munapest, we attempt to scrutinize our general topic and main narrative with the help of each and every chamber having a small slice that they contribute to this comprehensive approach. This is called interconnectivity. Each participant is committed to resolving one major issue by doing its part and keeping in mind that their actions may have unforeseeable consequences for others if they act irresponsibly. Further deepening the interconnectivity, we created various channels: the Press whose goal is to gather and distribute information throughout the whole conference, the economic system to implement a crucial segment of diplomacy and the Diplomatic Corps is introduced to Munapest in 2019 as well.