Vanderbilt Model UN Weekly Briefing
For 2/23/2010-2/27/2010
Written on 02/27/2010 at 8:00 am
Next General Body Meeting: Tuesday, March 16th, Furman 114 at 7:00pm
Guest Speaker: Professor Dr. Joan Forry discussing international ethics
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All proceeds to benefit Charity: Water
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· Chile: An 8.8-magnitude hit central Chile, killing at least 78 people
o This is the largest earthquake to hit Chile in 50 years
o President Bachelet has declared a “state of catastrophe”
o Due to the earthquake, tsunami effects have been observed, with above-average wave height
· Cote D’Ivoire: Opposition group to join new unity government
o President Gbagbo has appointed a new electoral commission after he abolished the body, accusing it of fraud, which led to deadly protests
o The new electoral commission will be headed by a member of the opposition (Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast)
o No date has been set for elections
o Elections have been delayed six times since 2002 sparked by civil war in the country
· Colombia: Colombia’s Constitutional Court rejected a bid by President Alvaro Uribe to seek a third term
o The decision cannot be appealed
o The decision is seen by many as a sign of institutional stability and democratic progress in Colombia
o Uribe was re-elected for a second term after he won a constitutional change
· North Korea: South Africa has reported seizing banned North Korea weapons on a ship sailing from North Korea to the Republic of Congo
o South Africa has reported the seizure to the United Nations Security Council
o The report states that the weapons include spare parts for T-55 tanks that were hidden amongst sacks of rice
· Climate Change: An independent board of scientists will be appointed to review the workings of the Intergovernmental Planet on Climate Change, a United Nations Environment Program body.
o The scientists will specifically looking at a 2007 report which claims that Himalayan glaciers would vanish by 2035
o One area to be examined is whether the panel should incorporate so-called literature, or nonpeer-reviewed science in its reports
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