Seif, with his weird dance moves and heartfelt gestures, was the one who absorbed all of the team’s anger, and sometimes let it out on the very same team members! Although, he was always one to feel guilty after having had done so, and immediately apologised, not knowing that we could never be upset with him, what with all that he did for us as a team, to build strong friendships that we are sure, will last a lifetime.

Hania, the calm deputy secretary general that was all smiles during the plenary sessions as well as the actual conference. She was everyone’s rock, and was the only one you knew you could vent to, concerning your work and whatnot, and have her comfort you efficiently.

Rabie… So much to say, but no words to say it with. Rabie was the one you could also vent to, and have him join in on your frustration, like you were the fire and he was the fuel. Despite that, he was an absolute pleasure to work with, and no one could’ve put it better than Habiba el Molla, member of the Approval Pannel, when she said “MUN is like Rabie’s only daughter, and he had just given her away to marriage, the husband being the new Secretariat.”

Speaking of, Nada Gabr, Youssef Ragai and Malak Emad, a wonderful combination of people who complete each other; Nada being the organised and polished one, Youssef being the brains and the operationist, and Malak being a literal ball of sunshine and positivity.

We had the chance to talk to them about their feelings concerning their new positions, what to expect from them and whatnot, and we are happy to convey the message to you;

Malak: “I’m writing this while still trying to process the fact that I’m the deputy Secretary General of OISMUN 9′, let alone a part of a team with Nada Gabr and Youssef Ragai. Ever since I can remember, being part of the Secretariat had always been my dream and now that I am, I don’t think there’s any other combination better than this one. I want to therefore thank Seif, Rabie and Hania for believing in us and choosing the team that will reflect them and be as complete as theirs: Nada being Seif, Youssef being Rabie and I being Hania. Delegates, get ready for a team of Perfectionism, Knowledge and Optimism.”

Youssef: “Many people asked me who I would like to work with if I had the chance to be part of the Secretariat, and I only had one answer: Malak and Nada. When in the process, we were asked to choose a team in which we would work for a bit, and Nada, Malak and I chose each other. It was a little touch of destiny, and had us all thinking that we make a good team. So brace yourselves for an amazing secretariat that will create 3 amazing conferences. To the OISMUN 8 Secretariat, we learned a lot from you, from passion to motivation, and all the way to perfection as well as many other rare qualities that can hardly be combined in just a group of 3 people. It was an honour to be part of your team Seif, Hania and Rabie; thank you for everything.”

Nada: “The question is: how do I feel? Well, right now, I don’t have an answer. I really don’t know how I feel. Just allow me to share a small part of my story with you. I first got introduced to the world of OISMUN, when I was just a short, 11 year old, journalist. 5 years later, I’m delivering an oath for being Secretary General of OIMSUN 9. Now let me answer a few questions that might satisfy your curiosity… Did I expect that, back then? No. Did I plan on applying for this position back then? No. Does that mean I am not ambitious and determined? Of course, not.

I’ll skip the rest of the story, since that is not what matters now. What matters now is what I want to offer being in such position. Honestly, I took every and any opportunity that crossed by, why? Because you might learn anything from nothing! I assure you that every chance I took to become a journalist, a delegate, an advocate or a student officer had benefited me in a way or another; every opportunity I took to serve, to help, to listen or to advise anyone, had shaped me into being the person I am today. Looking back 5 years ago and comparing it to where I am today? Wow! Failure, stress, hard work, effort, breakdowns to a long road, many memories, new skills and success —partially, let me tell you that in order to pursue your dream, you must take risks. To achieve your goals you must cherish every moment. To be satisfied you must give all you have in order to get all you need. To learn you must depict what you’ve done wrong as to never repeat them again. To be happy you must hold on to all the good memories, grab each chance and turn it into an opportunity. It doesn’t matter how perfect you are, what a genius you might be, or how short sized you may be, —because I am none of the above, except for short, knowing your potential is what shapes you in the end. Make use of every situation, learn something new, understand yourself, build your capacities, help anyone that needs you, be there for people, stay motivated and prove yourself. Always remember this: Time flies, everything happens in a blink of an eye, you never know what the future holds, trust me, never!

On behalf of the new team, my deputies and I would like to tell you how honored we are to be next year’s secretariat. We promise to put all our efforts, alongside with yours, to make a remarkable conference. As we are now in office, we announce the start of our hard work towards an unforgettable conference!”

We wish you the best of luck guys, and are absolutely heartbroken to let go of OISMUN 8’.

Alia Shaban -Journal Administrator

Jayda Karam -Media Assistant

The group supporting China, divided themselves into three groups to assure organisation; one group was discussing the economical aspects for the resolution, the second one was responsible for environmental issues, and the third group made a point of discussing the social aspects to take into consideration when writing a resolution.

The group representing the United States of America came up with a few solutions to form the necessary clauses; one of them being increasing trades between the MENA -Middle East Northern Africa- countries to take part in the economical development, seeing as some countries have products to export that can definitely help other countries.

Following the before-stated lobbying and merging session, the actual Big GA took place the following day, with the main submitters having had submitted their resolutions earlier.

The first resolution submitted was that of the United States of America, which hinted on financial aid from more developed countries to those who are less developed. They also mentioned social equality, which had in thought gender equity to provide a stable and friendly society to live in.

Countries like Ukraine spoke in favour for the resolution submitted by USA, while other countries like Iraq and China spoke against it, which later on resulted in the passing of the resolution with a clear majority of votes.

Following the coffee break, the presidency asked the Chinese ambassador to step up and read their submitted resolution, which had as clauses solutions like using fossil fuel energy and starting educational programs to the youth and to the poor. They also had a solution that was basically starting a donation box, in which countries would donate money that would fund sustainable projects.

What we’re wondering is whether or not the Chinese resolution passed and if so, which of them got the most votes…

Alia Shaban

Carla Dimitri

Mohamed Metwally

Jannah Gamal

Ingy Heshmat

Karma Sowar

Ahmed Omar

The United States representative submitted a resolution, urging all countries to collaborate and reach an agreement to help achieve political stability in Yemen. China and the Russian federation vetoed two clauses that suggested continuing the air strikes in Yemen. Another suggestion was to ban the Huthi leader and his son from traveling to be trialed by the International Criminal Court. The majority of the honorable delegates in the council agreed on this clause, and thought that this solution will contribute effectively in resolving the Yemeni situation. The council had a remarkably fruitful debate.

AHMED OMAR with the help of Rodayna AbdelHamid 

The committee were debating about the resolution that the delegation of United States of America submitted, one of the delegates requested dividing the issue into two parts, and now they have to deal with two different resolutions.  The chair took the place of the Israeli delegate to argue with the one of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The latter offended Israel so they had to apologize.

The USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics believed that Israel started a war based on fear not on actions. The USSR added that Israel was invading Sinai and the Golan heights, and all that Egypt did was trying to get their land back and avoid war. Religion cannot be an excuse to send Syria and Egypt to the international court of justice.

Menna Asran

Jannah Gamal

The Federal republic of Germany brought the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, (aged 54), thinks that Italy breaking the rules and judging Germany in their courts is illegal, and the ICJ must make sure that it is the last time this happens. She believes that Italy is taking advantage of the strong economy of Germany to exploit it and weaken its economy. The witness believes that Germany is now using Euros and must not pay the 80 million marks. Lastly, the witness has not been taken into consideration because of lack of information.

The Italian Council brought Lilia Bardini to prove that there was a massacre in 1944. She was living in a small village, and is 76 years old. When she was 12, in 1944, she had brothers and sisters, but when the Germans attacked, the villagers heard huge noise (bombs, fire) and were terrified. She saw her family dying in front of her, except her older sister. 560 people were killed, including 107 children. The German military killed everyone in her village in less than a day.

The Federal republic of Germany followed by bringing the aged Susana Walsen Rainer. She is a law expert, when the 2^nd World War was taking place, she was in her 2^nd year of college (law school). She said that Germany did not go against the Jus Cogens law. She refused to answer several questions, but Judge Mardini asked if the Germans did any aggression and Susana said yes, then Judge Mardini clarified that aggression is against the Jus Cogens law. Therefore, they did in fact go against the Jus Cogens law.

To conclude this article, the the Italian council is in the lead. Now the question is, who will win the case? Our money is on Italy.

Mariam Chafik

Hussein Tarek

Omar Khaled

A directive urged to stop any industrial work that causes the production of carbon dioxide, but instead uses renewable energy. This directive passed with a clear majority. Another one plead for a twenty-four hour curfew to be issued due to the acidic rain. This directive also passed with a clear majority.  During the debate for the first directive, Richard walked in and was able to answer some questions. An important question was asked; is it affecting other nations? And if so how can we prevent it? His answer reassured the committee that it is not affecting neighbouring countries, nonetheless the problem should be dealt with immediately to prevent any further harm. In conclusion, the discussion about the crisis was difficult. Nonetheless the delegates presented well-thought out solutions. This is an actual crisis that we face on a daily basis, therefore everyone should search for a solution in their own community – not just the environment commission.

Doreen Shenawy

Gastronomy

Deciding on going with something simply yet has everyone’s stomachs grumbling, the Events Department settled on a delicious assortment of food such as popcorn, corn dogs, french fries, crackers and ice cream.

Entertainment

To begin with, the laser show was how the night started, along with a set of English songs.

Then later into the night, “Abdallah Aboud”, our head of Ceremonies, fired up the show by singing both covers of songs and performing an original! Following up on that performance, were both violinist “Marcellio” and a saxophonist, who played their instruments following actual songs’ beats.

All in all, it was phonemail, and the participants cannot wait until the next outing!

Laila Alaa

Haidy Tarek

Lara Ziyad

The Italian counsel believes that if a country commits such crimes, they lose the immunity right. The Italian counsel also specifies that german soldiers terrorised Italien villages and countless other atrocities such as murder, abuse, forced labor..etc. It went as far as destroying entire villages, such as Deportivo. In 1933, Germany made an agreement – pay 40 million German pounds to repair the injustice they have caused.

The republic of Germany’s speech followed, they believe that Italy does not have the right to sue them in there nation due to there state immunity. However, Italy believes that they have the right to do so because they caused corruption. The advocates represented the case by presenting their claims, the defense team stipulated all of the claims.  The Italian counsel proved that Germany violated the Jus Cogens law.  Italy said that Germany has committed a lot of crimes against human rights and they must be judged as guilty, and can’t be neglected because of state immunity. These crimes are not related to the war. The Italian republic showed a picture of a statue in the Italian museum and it was basically a dead mother surrounded by her dead children, and they showed this picture to prove that Germany killed thousands of people such as mothers and their children.

We conclude that Italy has a lead and that the next time there will be witnesses. Now our question is: who will be the mystery witness?

Omar Sedky

Mariam Chafik

Hussein Tarek

Why was this case brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)?

Italy and Germany were allies at first, but when Italy took notice of the fact that they were about to lose World War II, they changed their position by surrendering to the Allies and declaring war against Germany, but they were displeased. Therefore, Italy filed a case against Germany in their nation. Although, they have state immunity, Germany signed a contract stating that they have to pay for repairs of the damages they have caused during World War II.

They began an informal debate on their opinions about the case. They started formulating a list of questions to the advocates. The plaintiff (Germany) and the defendant team (Italy) were writing their memorials to send them to the judges – a document that proves that they are not guilty or that the other advocate is guilty. The advocates were getting ready to answer any questions that may be asked by the judges or the justices. Germany has to prove that the case that Italy filed is against Jus Cogens.

The question now is why Italy didn’t give the case to the ICJ in the first place. In 2004, Germany was judged guilty in the courts of Italy which is against the Jus Cogens. At this moment, Germany took the chance and filed the case in the International Court of Justice to reverse the attack on Italy. The judgment is yet to be made.

Mariam Chafik

Hussein Tarek

Omar Sedky

The 7th of November, the delegates had a lobbying and merging session and were all writing resolutions, trying to find co-submitters and a main submitter to the topic which is Animal Poaching. The delegates were all engaging in the topic and were seriously working. They all also used the appropriate kind of language which is formal English.   Every person outside the committee is wondering why the delegates were negotiating with such enthusiasm… The United Mexican State and The United States Of America were both discussing their problems related to the topic.  Uganda, Zimbabwe and Congo were all arguing and helping each other about co-submitters. The delegation of Russia and the delegation of The Kingdom of Thailand were negotiating the definitions of a clause until the chair interfered.   Now, pretty much everyone wants to know the allies, as well as the resolution. The main submitters of the four resolutions were Zimbabwe, China, Mexico and The United States, with Russia as a co-submitter in every resolution. One of the resolutions submitted by Zimbabwe was to create a central park where rare animals are secured and that would have powerful forces around, as well as security cameras everywhere. One of the resolutions, submitted by China, had a goal of decreasing the importation of animal parts. One of the resolutions, submitted by Mexico, was to create reinforcements against animal poaching on a national level. Last but not the least, one of the resolutions submitted by The United States was basically to create a campaign with full insurance.   In the second session they continued lobbying and merging, the delegates where debating…

Doreen Shenawy

Nour el Samaa

Carla Dimitri

Youssef Raef