Aug. 29, 2012
Sir/Ms:
Dawson College will hold its annual Model United Nations conference (DCMUN) on Friday November
23 and Saturday November 24. The event is being organized by students from the Dawson College
Model United Nations. All activities will be in both French and English.
We will be simulating three committees this year:
General Assembly
1973 Oil Crisis
(double-delegation)
Crisis Committee
Northwest Passage 2016
Special Council
Berlin Conference 1884-1885
General Assembly 1973 Oil Crisis
This is a specialized General Assembly as we are asking delegates to look back to the 1973 Oil Crisis that rocked
economies all over the world. This innovative approach to a General Assembly debate will assuredly lead to
interesting and provocative debate as the United Nations General Assembly attempts to defuse and resolve the
crisis.
In response to the Arab-Israeli Yom Kippur War of 1973, the Arabic countries of the Organization of Oil
Producing Countries (OPEC) imposed a boycott on oil sales to the United States and other counties. The embargo
caused large increases in the costs of oil and petroleum, with gas prices at the pump increasing from 25 cents to a
dollar in a very short time and drivers waiting 2-3 hours to fill up.
There were significant longer-term economic effects of the boycott; some economists blame the oil price hikes for
the world stock market crash of January 1974. There were also political effects as the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization was divided. It has also been revealed that the United States and Britain considered invasion of
Saudi Arabia to seize oil fields and ensure access to oil. In an era of the Cold War and the Viet Nam War, this
could have had catastrophic effects.
Ultimately the 1973 Oil Crisis caused huge changes in the world’s economy and political landscape. The era of
cheap oil and cheap energy ended abruptly. Developing countries also discovered that the prices of their natural
resources could be used to influence political and social situations. The General Assembly will be asked to debate
a global response as oil prices are rising rapidly, the world is divided and resumption of hostilities in the Middle
East (or worse) must be avoided.
Crisis Committee - Northwest Passage 2016
Geo-Political and Economic Crisis: innovation in Model UN committee
This fast-paced and intense committee will be centered on a crisis in the Northwest Passage near Alaska. Set in
2016, the debate will be political, military and economic, with the delegates needing to use discussion to resolve a
situation where the United States is taxing vessels passing Alaska to enter the Northwest Passage - and China is
refusing to pay. Events and crises will arise to test the priority management and foreign relations skills of
delegates. You will have to respond to troop movements, economic upheaval, resource issues, international
relations, pre-defined alliances, changes in government, and more. Since the committee is set in 2016, delegates
will be provided with a short dossier updating him/her on the developments in the world in the 4 years between
the present day and the crisis - all based on current events and trends. Delegates will be forced to think critically,
creatively and quickly. History and current events will help delegates use debate to bring about a successful
resolution of the crisis.
This committee will use online resources, so laptops will be provided as part of the crisis. Each delegate will be
given a Facebook account representing their country, with all the other countries added as friends, as well as a
crisis news feed and a method of communication with their home government. The addition of a social media
component emphasizes the growing role online resources play in our increasingly digital world. We think this will
bring debate and communication to new, higher level. We look forward to your participation in this fast-paced,
highly innovative and forward looking committee!
Special Council, the Berlin Conference 1884-1885
The scramble for Africa
This year we have decided to hold a very special, divisive historical committee: the Berlin Conference.
Known as the true beginning of the ‘scramble for Africa’, the Berlin Conference was a meeting of the Great
Powers of Europe, and the culmination of the political machinations of such European leaders as King Leopold II
of Belgium. At this meeting, European powers, inflamed by nationalist sentiment and the desire for glory and the
riches of colonies, discussed how to divide up the African continent amongst themselves. The lines they drew
blindly on maps, the rules they put in place and the colonies they founded as a result of this conference, have had
a profound and lasting impact on the world to the present day. One of the most significant examples of this can be
found in the borders of modern African states, most of which follow the colonial lines drawn by the Great Powers
as a result of the Berlin Conference.
Delegates will be asked to represent the heads of European powers, and the United States of America.
Many questions will be raised during the preparation for the conference and in committee session itself: what are
your country’s long-term interests in Africa and in the realpolitik of 19th century Europe? Which allies and
information can you trust, and where lurks the next Machiavellan plot against you or your nation? As a president,
king, emperor or tsar, how will you use your power to gain the most from the negotiations while still reaching an
agreement that all the voting members of the committee will be satisfied with? Will you be a peacemaker, a
warmonger, a mediator, or a trader? Will you listen to the arguments of early anti-colonial activists, or will you
send out your armies to secure new territories?
A high level of historical accuracy and being in character will be expected from delegates, but they will
also be expected to be able to respond to developments and historical twists thrown at them during the conference.
Delegates will work toward producing a treaty that must be accepted by a consensus of the voting members of the
committee, but nothing restricts delegates from making bi- or multi- lateral treaties- either in public or in secreton the side. The fate, power, freedom and wealth of nations depends on these discussions, and we ask you to step
in and lead your nation during this defining time.
Opening ceremonies and introductions to DCMUN at 18:00 on Friday November 23 will lead
directly into the first session. On Saturday November 25, sessions will begin at 9:00 sharp for delegates
to discuss debate, negotiate and resolve the issues through voting. A light lunch for delegates and
faculty advisors will be provided on Saturday. DCMUN will recognize outstanding delegations and
delegates for their contributions to the discussions. Specific criteria for awards will be provided with
delegate guides upon registration.
Students from secondary schools and Cegeps are invited to participate in DCMUN. The Conference will
take place at the downtown campus of Dawson College 3040 Sherbrooke Street West ,Westmount,
Quebec. Registration is $45 per delegate ($60 after Oct. 20). Registration and payment must be
complete by Oct. 29. Position papers will be required and are due no later than Nov. 11. Additional
information and countries assigned will be sent by Nov. 1.
Registration can be online at http://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/home or they can be mailed in. For
more information, please contact Ted Irwin 514-931-9831 ext. 1582 tirwin@dawsoncollege.qc.ca.
See you at DCMUN.
Sincerely,
Ryan Estwick
Secretary General
DCMUN
Dawson College Model United Nations DCMUN
Registration Form
School
Faculty or other
contact
1.
2.
Mailing address
Telephone number
Email
Work
Cellular
Brief description of school MUN program (years of operation, number of students, etc.)
MUN conferences attended 2011-2012 (if any)
Number of delegates requested:
General Assembly: 1973 Oil Crisis
Specialized Committee: Berlin Conference 1884-1885
Crisis Committee: Northwest Passage 2016
Total
Number of faculty advisers
DCMUN 2012
Please indicate (check) at least 4 country preferences for the 3 committees. For the GA, you may
include Non-Governmental organizations (e.g. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, NATO,
Warsaw Pact, etc.)
As much as possible, the assignment of countries will take into consideration your
preferences.
General Assembly - 1973 Oil Crisis
1
5
2
6
3
7
4
8
Special Council:
Please indicate at least 4
preferences in numeric
order ( 1 first, 2 second,
etc.).
Number delegates for this
committee:
.
Please indicate at least 4
preferences in numeric
order ( 1 first, 2 second,
etc.).
Number delegates for this
committee:
.
_Austria-Hungary
_Belgium
_Denmark
_France
_Germany
_UK of Great Britain
_Italy
Crisis Committee:
_Denmark
_Spain
_Russia
_Canada
_Germany
_UK of Great Britain
Berlin Conference 1884-1885
_the Netherlands,
_Portugal
_Russia
_Spain
_Sweden-Norway
_Ottoman Empire
_United States (observer)
Northwest Passage 2016
_Greece
_United States
France
_Italy
_Japan
China