REPORT OF THE TWO DAY

GECB MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2019

August 31 and September 1, 2019 at Government
Engineering College Barton Hill, Trivandrum

Organizers

Sponsors
CLIMATE CHANGE – THE CURSE OF OUR GENERATION

Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier.

In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path.
This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be
done. Only you know if we did it.
August 2019, 415 ppm CO2

This is a letter to the future written by an Icelandic author. It commemorates the loss of a
glacier which was in western Iceland at the top of the mountain Okjökull. It used to be the
“Ok glacier” and lost its glacier status in 2014. That happened after its area reduced to less
than half a square mile from the original 5.8 square miles. The plaque ends with the date of
the ceremony and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air globally.

The loss of Okjökull Glacier is not just a loss for Iceland but is also a reminder to the world
about the ill-effects of global warming due to climate change. Scientists attribute this
situation to global warming and the once majestic glacier is now “dead ice.” It means it has
stopped moving and has transformed into an accumulation of clay, silt, sand and gravel.

People like to be controversial and deny climate change. But there is overwhelming evidence
to prove its effects:

1. Global Temperature Rise

2. Warming Oceans
3. Shrinking Ice Sheets
4. Glacial Retreat
5. Decreased Snow Cover
6. Sea Level Rise
7. Decreased Arctic Sea Ice
8. Extreme Events like cyclones
9. Ocean Acidification.
Can we afford to deny something that is right in our faces?

The youth of the world are at the forefront of protests at the general apathy from figures in
authority. Greta Thunberg a 16-year-old Swedish student rose to fame with the speech at the
United Nations Climate Action Summit.

“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be standing here. I should be back in school on the other side of
the ocean. Yet you all come to me for hope? How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and
my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering.
People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass
extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth.
How dare you!"

These discussions and actions are becoming the base of the question of human existence
beyond this century. This was the motivation behind selecting CLIMATE CHANGE, Sustainable
Goal #13, as the topic for the maiden edition of Model United Nations at Government
Engineering College, Barton Hill, Trivandrum.
GECB Model United Nations Conference 2019
DAY 1
For the first time in its history, Government Engineering College BartonHill Trivandrum was
going to conduct a Model United Nations (MUN) and the entire college was thrilled to witness
the first ever MUN of the college. All the organizing committee members were rushing on
their last-minute preparations to make sure that there were not any oversights which they
have not foreseen during the 3-month long preparations for the GECB MUN 2019.
The 80+ delegates who came from 20 different institutions in and around the state where
well dressed and was seated in the main hall for the inauguration ceremony. Some delegates
have already started to check their lobbying skills by intermingling with other fellow delegates
and forming various country blocs. They were all eagerly waiting for one person to arrive –
His Excellency T P Srinivasan IFS, former permanent representative of India to the United
Nations and an outstanding orator. ‘This is the first generation to see climate change and the
last one to save it’ aroused a sense of self-realization within the young audience gathered
there, who wanted to bring about a change in the world. ‘Be the change you want to see in
the world’ were the words from the Secretary General of GECB MUN 2019, who made it clear
that he doesn’t want just mere resolutions coming up from the committees, instead solid
actions should be taken that should at least be followed by the delegates themselves
hereafter.
Apart from Mr. TP Srinivasan other Dignitaries present included The Hon’ble Principal of
Government Engineering College BartonHill Trivandrum, Dr. Suresh K; Alumni Association
Secretary Mr. Vishnu R G; The Head of IT Department, Mrs. Shamna H R; and Dr. Suja R.
All of them shared their happiness in being a part of the first ever MUN in the college and
expressed their gratitude and well wishes to the Secretary General and his entire team of
Organizing Committee in making a dream come true and taking the college to a different
experience. The Principal mentioned the college needed more such knowledge sharing and
discussing platforms to enhance a sense of responsibility among the youth on the issues that
affect the world as a whole.
Once the inauguration ceremony was over, the two committees of UNGA and UNEP were in
formal session and the presidency was taken over by the chairperson and vice chairperson of
the respective committees. The discussion of the first day was very fruitful, were the serious
problems of the climate change was debated at length identifying each and every problem
faced by each country. The first timers were able to cope up with the experienced MUNners
so easily and at times outshined them. The committee was eagerly waiting for the working
papers coming up from various delegates the following day – after all it was a competition!
DAY 2
The second day started early at morning 8 as per the recommendation of the executive board
members. It was scheduled to start only after 9am, but due to the intense and meaningful
debate showcased by the young delegates the previous day in both the committees alike, the
chairpersons and vice chairpersons were so excited to see how the committee would perform
today, the final day of the two-day event.
The expectation of the committee has not failed – the delegates were exceptionally well
researched on the given agenda with nearly no one losing a chance to give a speech in the
committee in order to lure the fellow delegates to support their working paper. The high zeal
from the part of the delegates even encouraged one of the chairpersons to take up the role
of Peoples Republic of China, who was absent in the committee, because it reached a point
where the committee could not move forward without the presence of the delegate of PRC.
By the lunch break almost all the working paper were discussed and the committee was its in
final session i.e., drafting a resolution. The executive board members had a clear idea on who
the winners would be, but they need the to bench the draft resolution in order to hand over
the final results to the Secretary General. Once the time was 4pm, the organizing committee
members have informed both the committees to wind up the session and to assemble the
delegates to the main hall for the valedictory function.
The guests for the valedictory function included Mr. Ajith Gopi, program officer at Agency for
Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT); Mr. Arunkumar D.V, Chief Executive
Officer of TranslinguaIndia Institute of Foreign Languages (TIFL); Dr. Anish K John, Professor
of Mechanical Engineering Department at Government Engineering College BartonHill
Trivandrum; and Mr. Vishnu R G, Secretary of Alumni Association (GECTAA). They received a
warm welcome from the delegates gathered in the room.
“I am a great follower of Greta Thunberg, the climate activist who is creating a revolution in
the world related to climate change”, commented Mr. Ajith Gopi in his speech emphasizing
the need and the potential of the youth in the world, who could create wonders. Being a
specialist in automobile engineering, Mr. Anish K John reiterated that the automobile industry
has reached its zenith of research on finding out the ways to reduce the carbon emissions
from internal combustion engines and that the only way now in front of us is to abandon the
use of IC engines and move to electric vehicles. A former MUNner himself, Mr. Vishnu R G
focused his speech on how happy he was to be a part of the first MUN of his alma mater, and
expressed his willingness to collaborate for similar future endeavors. A foreign language
teacher, Mr. Arunkumar was more concerned on how the atrocities done to the environment
in one part of the world could affect the whole world in a very short span; he was clearly
mentioning about the forest fires in the amazon rainforests.
The prizes were announced and each of the guests were invited to hand over the prizes to
each of the delegates. Both the prize winners and the executive board members were
honored appropriately. Also, from the part of the organizing committee, a small pot plant was
handed over to each of the guests as a memento. Before the Secretary General declared the
GECB MUN 2019 closed, there was a short-sponsored program from TEAM PRAVEGA, a
competition team from the college who focuses their work on increasing the efficiency of the
engine. Their predecessors have won several accolades for their innovative idea on bamboo
chassis.
And after 2 days of meaningful debate and successful organizing from the part of the
organizing committee, the GECB MUN 2019 came to an end. The Secretary General thanked
the entire organizing team for investing their trust in him during the entire period of
preparations and for each of their advises during the time of adversities. Overall, GECB MUN
was a clear example of how strong leadership, constructive friendship, successful teamwork
and perseverance to achieve a dream, could prove worthy for a lifetime.
REPORT ON THE DISCUSSION OF THE AGENDA IN UNGA

One of the 2 committees simulated in GECB MUN 2019 was United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) which comprised of more than 50 delegates representing various democracies of the
world. Of the 50+ delegates present, majority of them were first timers with only a few rooms
left for the experienced ones. The workshop on MUN conducted as a pre event for the GECB
MUN 2019 was attended by most of the first timers both internal and external to the host
college and it has proved effective by reducing the headaches for the executive board
members in explaining the technical jargons associated with the diplomatic world. It also
helped in managing the limited time of the committee towards meaningful debate.

From the commencement of the first session onwards, the Executive Board members have
taken notice of the zeal and valid contents in the speech showcased by the delegate of Islamic
Republic of Pakistan, who was to win the prize for the best delegate in the following day. She
spoke well on the issues pertaining to the agenda and took due care in not to deviate from
her foreign policy. Her lobbying skills were also truly exceptional. Apart from her it is to be
mentioned that everybody else in the committee performed equally well, making it difficult
for the executive board members to select the runners up.

With none losing a chance to speak and almost everybody including their names again in the
General Speakers List, made the committee truly interesting and worth experiencing. During
the feedback session presided over by the Secretary General, this fact was indeed evident
from the words of the energized delegates themselves.

A success of a committee lies in its ability of coming up with a Draft Resolution. Prior to a draft
resolution various working papers would be introduced and discussed in the committee, out
of which the best one would be selected by voting procedure. To the surprise of the executive
board members and the Secretary General, only one working paper was introduced in the
committee despite the intense debate during the previous two days indicating that the
committee wanted in unison to pass a single resolution pertaining to the climate change. The
same is provided below.

In effective, no person would disagree on commenting that the committee has served its
purpose, however limited it may be, in achieving an awareness among the youth in bringing
about a change in the world. “Think Global, Act Local“ was the motto of the committee.
 United
Nations

General Assembly Distr.: General

1 Sep 2019

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 1 September 2019

Agenda: Addressing Reasoned Climate Change Remonstrations To Achieve
Immediate Climate Action
Sponsors: French Republic, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland, Republic of Korea
Co-Sponsors: Belgium
Signatories: Mexico, Indonesia, Kenya, Denmark, Norway, Serbia, Columbia,
Sudan, Egypt, Portugal, Czech Republic, Singapore, Kenya,
Rwanda, Denmark, Poland, Iceland, South Africa

The General Assembly,

Reaffirming the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Recalling the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Agenda 21, the
Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Declaration on
Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (Johannesburg Plan of Implementation) and the outcome
document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, entitled “The
future we want” , as well as the outcomes of all the major United Nations conferences and
summits in the economic, social and environmental fields,

Recalling also the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all

human rights and fundamental freedoms and the need for persons with disabilities to be
guaranteed the full enjoyment of their rights and freedoms without discrimination,

Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol thereto, the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of
the Child and all other relevant international human rights instruments,

Recalling the Paris Climate Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol,

Recognizing existing obligations and commitments under international environmental law,
Reaffirming all the principles of the Rio Declaration,

1. Urges States to conduct studies on implementing geo-polymers to replace concrete for

roads;
2. Encourages States to incorporate subsidies to electric vehicles, solar panels, ;
3. Emphasizes on training indigenous people in the use of renewable energy sectors, hence
utilizing colloquial knowledge;
4. Encourages promotion and development of sustainable cities;
5. Calls upon member nations to impose a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030;
6. Emphasizes the need to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 for the sustenance of the
human civilization;
7. Stresses on advancement in construction technology by promoting green and energy-
efficient building;
8. Encourages nations to ban single use plastics by 2025 and ban plastic production plants
by 2030;
9. Urges the member nations to employ taxes on fossil fuels gradually.

1 September 2019
REPORT ON THE DISCUSSION OF THE AGENDA IN UNEP

The 2nd committee simulated in the GECB MUN 2019 was United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP). It was first decided to be United Nations Human Resource Council, but
was later changed to UNEP, on the fact that it would more aligned with the purview of the
theme of the event, SDG #13 – “Tackling Climate Change”. This committee comprised of
nearly 30 delegates representing various democracies of the world. Unlike the previous
committee, this one consisted of equal number of first timers and experienced MUNners.
Nonetheless, the debating quality of the first timers at times overshined that of the
experienced, astonishing both the executive board members and the other fellow delegates.

The committee in comparison with the other was a more “chilled” and relaxed, with most of
them taking as much time explaining in depth of the contents of their speeches; it can be
attributed to the low strength of the committee. The committee more focused on
unmoderated caucuses allowing the committee to form several blocs and reach a consensus
regarding what sub topics they need to be discussed in the committee.

The phenomenal speeches of the 30+ delegate was overshadowed by one small negative
factor in this committee – a majority of them failed to follow their foreign policy. Apart from
this, the whole committee was productive. Two working papers were introduced in this
committee out of which only one was passed by voting to form the Draft Resolution. The two
working papers are provided in the Annexure 1 and Annexure 2 of this report. The passed
resolution is shown below.

Despite their deviation from the foreign policy, a small informal session from the part of the
executive board members helped in understanding the mistakes the delegates were
committing and it had a positive effect on improving the general mood of the committee.
 United
Nations

Environment Programme Distr.: General

1 Sep 2019

Draft Resolution 1919

Committee:-United Nations Environment Programme
Agenda:- Combating Climate Change: Need for Renewable energy development and
Employment
Sponsors:- Democratic Socialistic Republic of Sri Lanka, The French Republic, The Federation
of Russia, Kingdom of Norway, The United States of America
Signatories:- Members of The United Nations Environment Programme

The United Nations Environment Programme

Noting with deep concern that the world is threatened by the adverse effects of Climate
Change,
Alarmed by the rise in sea level, melting of ice caps and the increase in Green House Gas
levels,
Affirming the need to adopt a legally binding solution to combat climate change and develop
and employ renewable energy resources,
Reaffirming the actions taken by the global community on the issue,
Bearing in mind that immediate action is the need of the hour,

1. Urges the international community to provide international collaboration with respect to

technical and financial support towards research, development and deployment of renewable
energy resources;
2. Encourages the development of resilient architecture and infrastructure to limit the losses
due to climate change;
3. Calls upon member states to implement renewable energy awareness in their educational
curriculum;
4. Welcomes the implementation of zero waste management policies in the national
legislation;
5. Calls upon the nations to provide incentives to encourage the development and
deployment of renewable energy;
6. Urges the need for proper indexing of renewable technologies and a separate indexing of
pollutants with respect to global climate change;
7. Recommends the adoption of alternative measures to tackle climate change such as: A.
Encouraging the adoption of innovations in the fields of Carbon Dioxide Capturing, alternative
fuels, B. Adopting energy efficient methods to existing technologies;
8. Aspires to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 by setting realistic emission targets;
9. Urges the international community to collaborate on pragmatic efforts to tap region
specific renewable energy resources.
Annexure 1

Committee: United Nations Environment Programme

Subject : Combating climate change- the need for renewable energy development and employment
Proposed by : The Kingdom of Bhutan, Federative Republic of Brazil, Japan, Seychelles, Singapore,
South Africa, Republic of Korea , Indonesia and Philippines.

Recognizing the importance of viewing climate change as a companion to the choice of our energy

resources and the need to develop and employ renewable energy resources in the mainframe of our

countries,

Some of the innovative ideas proposed are:

1. All sponsors must strive to encourage R&D on renewable energy sources and provide with technical
and financial assistance to research projects done on renewable energy sources to bring about
technological innovations and subsequent price reduction and market growth

2. All signatories could decide upon a fixed share of their GDP each year which will be utilized to invest
in renewable energy sources and emission reducing technologies to be implemented in their country
or in another country of greater renewable energy potential and such bilateral agreements will be
moderated by the UNEP for fair and equitable treatment

3. Carbon pricing should be made mandatory in all agreeing countries to bring about major reductions
in carbon emissions

4. Resilient architecture and infrastructure has to be developed in all agreeing countries to mitigate
the damages caused by climate change especially for securing shorelines, mitigating landslides and
adverse effects of floods i.e, buy more time until the resolution begins to produce significant results
(eg .Singapore (SDC,SDT), Philippines)

5. Educational cooperation’s between leading universities and leading institutes with prime focus on
development and employment of alternative renewable energy resources.

6. To create a platform a world community to adopt strategies that were successful in the respective
countries.

7. Introduction of platform for the world community to propose and adopt strategies that is for
combating climate change which were successful in the respective countries.

8. Encourages Satellite technologies like GOSAT-2 to monitor Carbon and Green house gas emissions.

9. Encourages subsidies and tax concessions towards companies who switch to renewable energy
sources

10. Setting up town websites where people can be aware about how each town or society to combat
climate change.

11. National initiatives should be taken up by each country especially in curbing greenhouse gas
emissions with their already available resources.
12. Encouraging all nations to move into Zero Waste management policies

13. Antismog reliably measure and reduce air pollution

14. Eco Chill energy recovery from cryogenic gases.

15. Wing sail System for better fuel efficiency.

16. Introduction of multi-material optical sorting machine to help recycle large amounts of waste
quickly and accurately.

17. Floating solar panels to be established in Island nations where land space is an issue.

18. Boosting the development of ocean thermal energy conversion.

Annexure 2

Parties: France, Egypt, Germany, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Norway, Denmark, Saudi,
Portugal, Israel, China

Bearing in mind the fact that the past actions have not been effective in creating a paradigm shift that
is necessary to drive the need to change with respect to renewable energy,

Recognising the limited success of the KYOTO Protocol and the Paris agreement,

Affirming the urgent need to combat climate change and resort to renewable energy,

1. Encourages member states to put aside a minimum share of 0.05% of their GDP in addition to the
existing funds for collective collaboration

2. The Developed eco

3. Recommends the creation of a legally binding document in order to tackle the existing flaws
governing climate change.

4. Encourages the committee to come into consensus with regard to emissions trading, joint
development

5. Collaboration on pragmatic efforts to tap solar energy in deserts, potential areas and from outer
space.

6. Encourages the adoption of SDG clubs with special emphasis on SDG 13, 7 etc.

7. Urges the urgent need for proper indexing of renewable technologies and a separate indexing of
pollutants with respect to global changes

8. Recommends the adoption of incentives to aid climate change.

9. Encourages the increase in incentives for electric based transport system.

10.Aspires to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 by setting realistic emission targets.

11. Encourages the adoption of renewable energy in the school curriculum, dedicated and new
specialised courses and institutions for renewable energy engineering

12.Encourages the collective collaboration with emphasis on technology like disaster management
systems and protocols.

13.Encourages the adoption of alternative and creative measures.