TEDIMUN'19 Opening Ceremony
The Conference started with the Deputy Secretary-General Irmak’s great performance with the flute and Russian Ambassador BaÅŸak and delegate Lara’s fascinating piano recital. After that, Zal Rohat Ekinci who is the President of the General assembly, yielded the floor to our MUN Director Burcu Cinli, to welcome TEDIMUN’19 participants to TED Istanbul College. Following her speech, Secretary General Zeynep Binzat addressed her appreciable opening speech.
Afterward, our DSG Irmak Büyükyıldırım informed the TEDIMUN participants regarding some important details about TEDIMUN. Such as; always asking for permission from your chair before you leave the committee or before doing anything which concerns TEDIMUN and following the guidelines which are presented at the information booklet or obtaining the information from the QR codes which could be found anywhere in the school. Subsequently, our keynote speaker Mr. Swann lectured a prominent speech which we are pretty sure is going to have a significant positive influence in not just organizing TEDIMUN but also throughout our lives. You can find the highlights of his speech in our Instagram page.
Subsequently, the ambassadors were invited to deliver their opening speeches for their respective nations including; Canada, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Greece, India, The Islamic Republic of Iran (paying respect to Allah), People’s Republic of China, The United Kingdom, The United States of America, Russian Federation and Spain. Thereupon, TEDIMUN’19 trailer and opening video took place which was mainly planned by our Head of Press Can Batu and edited by Tibet Diker. The production was noble, captivating and sometimes funny. At the end of the video, everybody laughed off because of a sudden and totally unrelated video recommendation popping up.
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At the end, to announce the official opening of TEDIMUN’19, our Secretary General Zeynep Binzat and Head of Press Can Batu Ä°zmiroÄŸlu took the spotlight and wished everyone a fun and entertaining time at TEDIMUN. Finally, everybody was warned that there may be consequences for being late to their committees and it has been said that the chairs have full authority to press on judgement as how they see fit.
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As TEDIMUN’19 Press Team, we wish everyone to enjoy TEDIMUN!
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Made by: Cem BayramoÄŸlu
Our DSGs Birthday
Today is the birthday of our lovely deputy secretary Irmak Buyukyildirim. If you haven’t met with her, you are missing a great enjoyment in your life. So let’s get to know her a little bit. She is the cutest person in the world with really small fingers. She has a really weird voice when she talks with her mother. Her voice tends to thin 5 times as her original voice. You can never argue with her on any subject since she is very cute and lovely. So what have we done for this cute person for her birthday? We had a surprise party surrounded by mini brownies. Zeynep told her that there was a photo shoot with the flags downstairs. She had no idea that everyone was under flags for her birthday. She was planning to leave early to celebrate but she didn't leave because she loves Tedimun she couldn’t leave us. This is the official we love and adore. So happy birthday Irmak and hope you’ll have a great 18th year with lots of happiness and mini brownies.
Interview with the Head of Approval
1-What are your expectations from the TEDIMUN?
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It is my last year in TED Istanbul so rather than myself, I expect more from the future delegates and hope that they improve themselves, express their ideas freely and work together as a group.
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2-What are your bits of advice for the future delegates and people who want to join TEDIMUN?
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Even if they are not confident about talking English they should give themselves a chance, do mock debates and share their ideas with each other.
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3-How do you think this MUN will benefit you in the future?
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As the Head of the Approval Panel, I get tons of resolutions and I read them all, the more I see different ideas the more I think about them and it adds to my knowledge. I get a bigger vision about several topics.
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Made by Gülce Yüksek
Economic Debt
Have you ever heard about an economic debt? An economic debt is similar to a family’s or business’ debt. Someone runs into a credit card or a mortgage payment and needs to work out a payment method to avoid getting bankrupt. But what does an entire country do when they get into a similar economic debt? For a number of emerging economies sovereign debt is the only way to raise funds, but things can get out of hand really quickly. A sovereign bond is a specific debt instrument issued by the government. They can be entitled to both foreign and domestic bonds. Just like other bonds, these bonds also promise the buyer a certain amount of interest for a postulated number of years to repay the face value of maturity. Most countries who are developing their economies to the world’s richest nations issue debt in order to finance their growth.
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The Eurozone crisis was the biggest possible threat back in 2011, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The crisis only got worse in the year 2012. In 2009, back when the world first realized Greece could default on its debt. It escalated into the potential for sovereign debt defaults from Portugal, Italy, Ireland, and Spain in three years. Even Germany and France, two of the MEDCs of EU, struggled to support these countries. They initiated bailouts from The European Union Central Bank and The International European Fund. These measures didn’t keep many from questioning the viability of the Euro itself. However, not only these countries in Europe got financial assistance from the European Union. Cyprus, Latvia, Romania, and Hungary were the countries that got help from the European Union.
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The failure to resolve the crisis has been largely attributed to the lack of political consensus on the measures that need to be taken. Countries like Germany that have good economic power are insisting that poor countries stop wasting the money that they are lending them. While the borrowing nations argue that further austerity would only negatively affect their economic growth potential.
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The Eurobond has been proposed as a source of low-interest financing that would provide investors with confidence in the struggling economies. Supporters defend the Eurobond plan saying it has the potential to end austerity. However, opponents believe it is only delaying the inevitable by pushing debt problems into the future and worst case scenario is placing a huge debt burden on wealthy EU nations such as Germany.
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Made by Timur Özçelik
Types of People That You See In MUN Conferences
*Photos used in this article in no way suggest that they are corresponding into the stereotypes; our press team chose these participitants, because, well... we could not not-have these awesome photos of our most photogenic participants in our newspaper*
The Party Animal
The only two ways you’ll see them is either hungover, or chugging a water bottle with a suspicious-looking “water” in it. They go to conferences for the socials and they were very disappointed when they found our TEDIMUN had its at school, but too late; their parents had already completed the payment.
The Model
They walk into the conference and all eyes are on them. They’ll sit there mysteriously, receiving countless notes - but the only time they’re gonna be involved in the debate is when the love confessions are read from the gossip box.
The Freshman
They have a folder with the entire UN Charter printed out. They memorized every president their countries have had in the last century. They wrote at least half a dozen clauses for their committee. Will they raise their placard even once throughout the conference? Nope. To be fair, most of them were probably forced to do all that work by their MUN directors.
The Backup
Someone from their school got sick, so they had to send a replacement. They will probably be that delegate who goes to the bathroom and comes back two and a half clauses later.
The Suck-Up
They’ll be bringing their Chairs coffee at breaks, complimenting their “exemplary organization,” and asking if maybe, perhaps, they could present their third clause after lunch.
The Wannabe
That delegate representing some obscure island nation who speaks with the authority of a P5. Everyone else just sit there and genuinely wonder why the chairs keep on calling on them.
The Athlete
You can see them playing all kinds of sports at every coffee break. No matter the weather, they’ll show their 100% performance to prove they are the best at that sport.
The Future Ambassador
All you want to do is take them to the side and explain that, contrary to what they might believe, this isn’t actually a UN conference.
Made by ÇaÄŸla Pars
Tips & Tricks For TEDIMUN'19
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If you see these two anywhere just hold on to them before they disappear! They are constantly running and solving problems so, if you are lucky enough to even see one of them then you are one step ahead of everyone else!
​2. Be sure to participate in as many games as you can in order to feel like a part of the team completely! The more games you play the closer you get with your committee and gain best friends for life.
3. Make sure to give as many poses as you can to this guy and his crew. With his entertaining nature and ability to pick the best press members there are; he is the one that can make you famous!
Just jump in front of every camera you see to be a part of our daily posts.
Made by ÇaÄŸla Pars
Interview With Our DSGs
1-) Could you please define MUN with a single word?
Irmak : Challenging
Sinan : Progress
Sude : Fancy
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2-) Can you tell us one positive and one negative thing about MUN?
Irmak : The good thing is that I get to meet a lot of new people and have a lot of fun. The negative side is that there's a lot of pressure.
Sinan : It encourages cooperation, but it can sometimes be boring.
Sude : MUN certainly improves one's language abilities and public speaking skills, but in an expensive way. I would prefer it to function in a more modest way.
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3-) What has been your biggest fear to happen to you in MUNs?
Irmak : To get picked randomly in the committee.
Sinan : Not being able to speak properly.
Sude : Not knowing what to do.
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4-) What do you think about other people's work in TEDIMUN'19?
Irmak: The Executive Team and everyone who has participated in this conference have put in a lot of work to this conference and it think everyone can feel it even now.
Sinan : It is often satisfactory.
Sude : I appreciate that people from both TED Ä°stanbul and other schools came here and are doing hard work. Whatever their positions are, what matters is that they are trying their best.
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5-) Has anything strange happen in this conference?
Irmak : It wasn't very strange but it was surprising to see the whole conference waiting to celebrate my birthday with 200 brownies!
Sinan : The gossip's can be a bit strange sometimes.
Sude : I came here after my dershane, and the strangest thing for me for the time being is the committee work itself, especially after 5 hours of math.
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6-) How do you feel about being in the main team of the first MUN organization in the history of TED Ä°stanbul?
Irmak : I feel honored, and it is also special to me personally, because this is my last MUN before I go to university.
Sinan : It is very exciting to be a part of this great organization of people and being the first to create such a thing in our community is simply wonderful!
Sude : I feel thrilled. We all put a lot of work in the conference. It's still a tiny bud on a plant, but it is exciting to see it grow into a flower.
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7-) What kind of effect do you think this organization will have on the future of MUN in TED Ä°stanbul College?
Irmak : Since this is the first conference, there wasn't as many participants as we have anticipated, but I believe that in the future conferences the number of participants will increase, and TEDIMUN will have an even wider effect.
Sinan : It will help the future generations to know more about the world and how the authorities make decisions about our world.
Sude : More people will be engaged in MUN, either as admins, delegates, press or even chairs, since we have our own MUN at school. Everyone is already excited for future sessions.
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Made by Teoman Tuncer
Interesting Stuff To Do In TED Ä°stanbul
Water dispensers are the most useful things in the school (now it sounds a bit sad to say this). It will stop your thirstiness in no time. Quenching your thirst after being stuck in a room full of delegates arguing for 90 minutes non-stop is amazing. The water flows through your oesophagus like ice cold. So, if you need an amazing experience while freshening up you need to find a water dispenser.They are available in every floor.
PS. This pic is a demonstration of how-not-to-use them. Please you make sure to use plastic cups or better yet environmentally friendly bottles and air pods are not allowed no matter what you are doing.
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​We don’t have A/C in every room but when we do, it is great. These ventilation apparatuses will help you cool down and these hot summer days will be better. This is the spot to chill with a great botanic view of Acarkent.
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​In the garden, you’ll find a small lake. Walk right up to it and there you’ll find the most perfect spot to sunbathe. We all need Vitamin D in these months. So, this is the spot to relax and lie down for sure.
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The tea centre is our best spot in the winter. You can find all kinds of warm beverages and even baklava at times. Forget about Starbucks, in here your gustatory senses are welcomed to a paradise. And with the tea tray life becomes easy since you’ll be able to carry more than one at the same time.
PS. As all good things in life, bare mortals are not allowed in.
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​And now the tablecloth. This is a place where everyone is welcomed and can’t escape at the same time. You can spend time underneath if you’re running away from problems in TEDIMUN-not that you would ever have any. What is inside the tablecloth is a secret. You can only find out if you get inside and the mystery will be legendary.
The Yemen Situation
The Republic of Yemen was established in May of 1990 with the reunification of North Yemen (Yemen Arab Republic) and South Yemen (the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen). The Republic of Yemen was ruled by North Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah al-Saleh for 20 years. He had already been ruling North Yemen for 12 years before reunification.
During President Saleh’s reign of 20 years, one civil war happened between North and South with the victory of the North Yemen. This resulted in the exile of separatist leaders, forced the retirement of military officers and redistributed the southern properties. Some of the southern retired officers began organizing peaceful protests in the 2000s, and in 2007, created the separatist Southern Movement (al-Hirak).
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The Zaydi Believing Youth (a group that formerly ruled the north before President Saleh arose protesting the government in the North) movement arose protesting the region’s underdevelopment as well as Yemen’s cooperation with the United States during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
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In 2004, President Saleh sent government forces and killed Al-Houthi who was the leader of the Believing Youth movement. The Houthis continued to battle Yemen’s government on and off for six more years.
In the last of these incidents, President Saleh set out to crush the rebellion with an “iron fist,” and used tactics that caused civilian collateral damage. A ceasefire was reached between the Houthis and the government in 2010. However, the underlying grievances of the conflict were not addressed.
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The 2011 Arab Spring protests spread throughout Yemen with JMP, Houthis, and Southern Movement support. The movement hit a turning point on 18 March, when government forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing dozens. There were mass resignations among the ruling party, including some 20 Members of Parliament and General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar (the second most powerful man in the country) who then used his influence to protect protesters. After months, President Saleh agreed to a deal designed with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that transferred rule to Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi with power shared between the GPC and JMP political parties.
As part of the agreement, the National Dialogue Conference was designed to involve the protesting forces in drafting a new social contract; this process lasted nearly a year. Despite ongoing negotiations, Yemenis faced food insecurity, electricity outages and the continued threat of violence.
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In 2012, and no longer in power, Saleh joined forces with the Houthis where he contributed funding and elite military units. Today’s civil war was set off when the Houthis, with Saleh’s support, took control of Sana’a in the fall of 2014 and then seized the presidential palace the following January. Hadi resigned, fled to Aden, and then reasserted his power. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia—in support of President Hadi and believing the Houthis to be closely affiliated with Iran— began leading airstrikes against Houthi targets.
Throughout the conflict, all sides have contributed to the devastation experienced by civilians. Parties to the conflict have attacked critical water infrastructure and systems of food production. Food imports have not recovered from a general blockade or a port closure put in place in 2017, and humanitarian groups and aid shipments have been blocked from reaching populations in need. At the same time, a wartime economy has developed as traditional systems have collapsed. And while many Yemenis suffer, a few profited from taxing goods at checkpoints and an underground economy.
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The United Nations has been working with the parties to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict. In December 2018, the UN brokered a peace deal between the Houthis and the government in Sweden. Known as the Stockholm Agreement, it involved a prisoner exchange and agreement to withdraw from the Red Sea trade corridor—including the port city of Hodeida—critical for the import of food and humanitarian assistance. Unfortunately, disagreements have delayed implementation of the deal and hostilities have continued throughout the country.
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Made by Cenk ArslanoÄŸlu