2012 HACIA

DEMOCRACY

Issue 2

English

A mix of cultures at Taste of HACIA

By Ximena Gularte Ruiz and Wasila Issa

XVIII Summit of the Americas, Panama

The Delegate
March 10, 2012
asked for a cultural event. The board, after this petitions, created Taste of HACIA. On the evening of March 9, Taste of HACIA took place for the first time. This was held at the Ocenica restaurant. The activity was distributed in tables, assigned to countries, where the delegates presented features such as candies, snacks, clothing, brochures, and bracelets, among other things. Also, there was music, videos, and dancing.

www.haciademocracy.org

View from the chair

By Daly Arnett

Whats a multicultural event, here at HACIA Democracy, without a representation of those cultures? Well, thats why Taste of HACIA was created: an activity where the delegates have the opportunity to expose representative objects and food from their nations. This gives everyone the chance to have a perspective other than his or her own country. The idea came up after advisors and delegates

Delegates showcase Lebanese food and arguile

By Mara Alejandra Lpez

Out of all the tables that stood out, Honduras had a buffet of food. Rosquillas, which have a round shape and are made up of dough, cheese, sugar and cinnamon, they observe. In discussing the role of finance in Latin America, the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) is the only committee with delegates from

are an example of the most common candies in this country. Guatemala had canillitas de leche (a well-known candy) and national fabric bracelets. The host of this event, non- American states. With this diversity of delegations, cochair Joseph Morcos expected more of a dissension where pan- American states would want IDB autonomy, but ultimately is pleased with the preparation of the delegates. Both working papers proposed by the middle of the second day of Committee are founded in the same principles, further showing the sentiments of compromise and consent in the committee. This consent serves to be the largest surprise for the chairs of the IDB, especially consider-

Panama, had brochures and food, but the most important thing was the murga, which is a group of musicians that play national Panamanian

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Have you ever wondered what your chairs actually think of you? I travelled to three committees of varying

sizes, structures, and topics to interview chairs and discover the truth behind the dais, looking into how they prepare and what

The Panama Special Cabine of Manuel Noriega is a small meeting of ministers discussing national crises in an intimate setting. By Gabriel Mendez

ing the diversity of the delegations involved. Just next door, the chairs of the InterAmerican Commission on Hemispheric Security (ICHS) are excited to see the growth that many of the delegates have shown only after the first day of committee. Leading with experience from several previous Model U.N. conferences, Raul Quintana and Tim Tsai believe that they have got [their] dynamic down. With three working papers proposed during the middle of the second day, the chairs feel that
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HACIA DEMOCRACY 2012

Mix of cultures

Issue 2

March 10, 2012

(Cont. from pg 1)

Saturday Comic

music. This made everyone join the Panamanians dancing, and the night turned into a cultural party. Beat Idoyaga, president of HACIA Democracy, said, I had a great time, and I believe this was a fabulous year. He mentioned the Guatemalan bracelets, the Lebanese food, and the small hats from Panama. He also said that he hopes next year more countries get to participate in Taste of HACIA. Stephanie Oviedo, recruiting director, said she really liked this activity. She mentioned that Panama stood out and that she didnt expected so much participation from all the countries. She tried most of the food and mentioned the peanut butter fluffs from the United States. She also said she received souvenirs from almost every country. Taste of HACIA offers an encounter of the different nationalities and cultures in one night. The comments from different people indicated that Taste of HACIA accomplished its purpose and exceeded expectations.

The Bold Press Corps, making trouble

By Michael Meng sis Cabinet, he had to define what the cabinet would do, decide how crises would happen, and what members should compose the cabinet. Acting as Manuel Noriega, the Chris Lehman is using his influence as leader of his cabinet to ease in delegates unfamiliar with the crisis structure. He did this with few crises the first day, but is planning to speed it up with press releases and more crises for the final two days. Overall, Chris believes that the substantive ability of the delegates is very good and that his experience at HACIA varies from his experiences at conferences in the United States because delegates focus more on substance versus on procedure and style in rhetoric. This approach to structure has allowed the cabinet to pass several directives. In each committee, the approach of the chairs to preparation and debate can guide the flow of committee, but there are always surprises as the personalities of delegates and crises are factored in.

(Cont. from pg 1)

Chairs

the working papers are a good first step but obviously we want more detail in a final draft resolution that culls the variations in technical and symbolic approach through compromise. The camaraderie among the chairs in the ICHS is undeniable, which surely encourages the active debate evident in the committee. In the words of their beloved junior co-chairs, Hemispheric Security goes hard in the paint.

While both the IDB and ICHS incorporate a wide range of delegations and sustain a more traditional, procedural debate, the Panama Special Cabinet of Manuel Noriega is a crisis cabinet simulation composed of a small number of delegates representing the cabinet of Manuel Noriegas advisors during 1988. In order to prepare, Chair Chris Lehman read The Noriega Mess: The Drugs, The Canal, and Why America Invaded by Luis E. Murillo. In order to structure a Cri-

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Page 3

Bilingualism in rural areas

By Anabel Elena Daugherty

March 10, 2012

Issue 2

On the 10th of March, 2012, I witnessed the second day of the Inter-American Comission of Human Rights, generally discussing the topic of education in rural areas. One of the topics mentioned was the need of the Spanish language in the indigenous peoples lives, so they will be better able to speak both their native language and the Spanish language. In the middle of a

discussion, one of the delegates ended her exposition with this phrase: There are children who prefer to work in a place where they pay them $3.000, instead of studying. In my opinion as a NGO (The Rainforest Foundation), making education reach the lands inhabited by indigenous people will help them keep their land more efficiently and reduce the possibility of losing the lands for specific legal of political reasons.

By Anabel Elena Daugherty

The law favors bananas over people

By Shola Powell

The indigenous Afro-Colombian population in Colombias Curvarad river basin is victim to a terrible injustice. These people were granted the right to own and live in their collective ancestral territories under law 70. Law 70, made in 1993, was the Colombian governments recognition of the Afro-Colombian peoples right to collectively own and occupy their ancestral lands. But now these rights might be taken away. In December 2010, Banacol (a banana company) promised land, materials, fund-

ing for building settlements, and three months of living expenses for farmers who clear-cut the land belonging to AfroColombians. Banacol found a loophole in law 70, as the law only protects the Afro-Colombians right to subsist in their territories, and does not protect their crops. Though the government evicted these farmers, they did not enforce this decision and many farmers remain on the land. By refusing to leave, the farmers are destroying the Afro-Colombians crops and diminishing their ability to live off their land, which they

have done for generations. This loophole brings to light the problems of the law that must be changed. Though these Afro-Colombians are not being forcefully removed, they will have no choice but to relocate as they have no other immediate sources of food. The defense of this atrocious act claims that supporting Banacol will benefit Colombias economy. However, the government fails to see that by agreeing with Banacol, they are agreeing to the demise of the Afro-Colombian population.

These invading farmers are also threatening the AfroColombian communitys ability to be autonomous. As stated in law 70, a community council will be established, but a census determines who is a resident of the collective territory. As a result of these nonnative farmers living on this territory, the AfroColombians are no longer the majority. The new inhabitants, who are essentially under the control of Banacol, may sway any votes made. The ancestral inhabitants will lose power over their collective property, cultural identity,

natural resources, and legal representation. Our organization believes that by law, the Afro-Colombians are granted the right to live and own their ancestral territories. The government should not have the ability to reclaim land that has been used by the Afro-Colombians for centuries. This is morally wrong. Profit should not be placed over peoples lives. In order to resolve this issue and ensure that future injustices do not occur, amendments should be made to law 70, so that the A f r o - C o l o m b i a n s crops, as well as their lives, are protected.

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HACIA DEMOCRACY 2012

More than just debates: HACIA ice breakers

By Isabelle Gonzalez Roy

Issue 2

March 10, 2012

Delegates give their best during the sessions, but sometimes it gets too tiring, and delegates tend to stress out. So if you are tired of debating all day or you want some sort of way to relax, then ice breakers is your

thing. There are all kinds of games that are played here at HACIA but the most frequently played ice breakers are Baby, I love you, Boogie, Ninja, and Two truths and a lie. Mary Reed, business director, and Andres Uribe, chair of the

Inter-American Court of Human Rights, commented on their thoughts about the ice breakers and the popularity of Baby, I love you. Mary also shared a memory about her committee last year, where no one was able to make a certain delegate laugh, and the girls were all dancing around him and trying hard to make him laugh. Basically the ice breakers are done in order to make delegates feel more comfortable with each other as the conference goes on and to liberate the tension. In every committee there are always those

Celebrating a win after an ice breaker. By Isabelle Gonzalez Roy

guys or girls who make everyone laugh and turn these moments into unforgettable memories. Laughs and jokes were not missing from Consejo Interameri-

cano para el Desarrollo Integral which was one of the debates where the delegates were more into the games and were always enjoying every second of them.

Breaking the ice during committee session. By Isabelle Gonzalez Roy

Baby, I dont love you.

By Isabelle Gonzalez Roy

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Child Labor: Are we there yet?

By Paulina Graham

March 10, 2012

Issue 2
should go to a government program which provides funding for education. In addition, this money would also fund workshops helping children develop skills, as an effort to prepare them for adult jobs. They also suggested that children with failing academic performance should not be allowed to work. Many other delegations agreed with this idea, stating that the government should fund programs that ensure that the academic performance of employed children has been inspected. These programs would also revise and control the working environment that these children work in. Investing in children is a good investment, declared Emilia Fernndez from the delegation of Belize. Delegates repeatedly stressed the importance of education in child labor. As long as education remains the childs priority, I see no problem in the employment of children under safe conditions, said the delegate of Guatemala. The delegate of Venezuela once again insisted that a socialist government would fix all economic problems and resolve the issue of child labor. At the end of the session, the committee still hadnt reached a final resolution. However, more concrete ideas have been discussed, and it looks as though this debate is moving towards a more effective conclusion.

After four long sessions of debate, it looks like the delegates of the the InterAmerican Childrens Institute are finally getting to a resolution. The first conference of the day consisted on working papers. The delegates discussed child labor policies for children under and over fifteen. Unlike yesterdays meetings, where particularly broad topics dominated the discussion, todays meeting concentrated on more specific points regarding child labor. Nora Garry, the chair of the committee, certainly seemed to agree. Yesterday, they had much more abstract concepts, she says,

we (she and the cochairs) are glad that [the delegates] were able to discuss more specific points of the issue. The delegates have moved past the eradication of child labor over 15 years old, as they have come to the conclusion that radically ending it would sabotage the economy. Instead, they sought ways to improve working conditions, and to let children work without harming their education. In a unmoderated caucus, the delegates divided themselves into four groups, all with different ideals on how to deal with child labor. Their separation might be due to differences in political ideologies, as well as

economic differences. Common ideas around the room were the following: 1) Childrens working environment must be inspected to revise working conditions. 2) Children should receive the same wageearning salaries as adults. 3) Childrens education must come first. 4) Employed children should receive wage-earning salaries. One of the groups, led by the delegates of Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Dominica, had a particularly interesting point in their working paper. They proposed that children get paid at the most 15% less than adults; however, the percentage that they do not get paid

Ana Matilde Gomez Ruiloba de Sousa-Lennox, who has a degree in law and political science with a Master of Criminology, both from the University of Panama, was a guest speaker at the committee session of Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos today.

By Isabelle Gonzalez Roy

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HACIA DEMOCRACY 2012

Issue 2

March 10, 2012

By Amany Issa, Maria Eugenia Mantica, Mireya Larach, and Gabriel Mendez

FASHION POLICE

In this HACIA 2012, the delegates have not only demonstrated attitudes and interest toward debating, but also towards fashion. We had the opportunity to visit each committee and choose the best-dressed girls and todays most handsome guys. Check them out!

Name: Juan Pablo Villareal (16) Country: Mxico Committee: Pan-American Health Organization

Name: Francisco Arias (17) Country: Panama Committee: Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Name: Alexandre Carvalho Das (17) Country: Brazil Committee: Inter-American Hemispheric Security committee

Name: Victoria Bendeck (18) Country: Honduras Committee: Inter-American Childrens Institute

Name: Cristina Fernndez (18) Country: Nicaragua Committee: Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Name: Luciana Kafati (17) Country: Honduras Committee: Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs