G20 BMUN LXVII

Hello delegates! I hope the research process is treating you all well. Before going into the controversies and challenges surrounding the issue of sustainable agriculture, it is important for us to find a clear definition of what sustainable agriculture is. Generally speaking, sustainable agriculture practices produce agricultural goods without damaging the resources needed for agricultural production. For example, agriculture cannot be sustained in nutrient deficient soil. One of the oldest and most popular sustainable agriculture practices, crop rotation, helps increase soil fertility and crop yield while reducing the risk of soil erosion. Alternation between nutrient poor and nutrient rich crops has been used to maintain the integrity of crop soil ever since the agricultural revolution. However, sustainable agriculture is about more than just protecting soil; given the environmental challenges of the anthropocene, agricultural practices that harm ecosystems, contribute to...

Hello delegates! It's Brendan, and here is your first topical blog post. These blog posts will be formatted with key points, followed by one or two questions for thought at the end. International property rights and technology transfer is especially contentious when it comes to developing nations. Because of their limited funds, developing nations often protest against the lack of the slow implementation of the World Intellectual Property Organization's Development Agenda. There is also disagreement between the developed and developing world regarding the direct or indirect transfer of technology. Developing countries prefer a direct transfer of technology rather than having a third party or company regulate. According to a questionnaire distributed among regional universities, companies often do not spread technology evenly across a country. With the question of how to best distribute technology comes the question of what should be prioritized in distribution. Three majo...

Hello delegates! It’s 31 days until BMUN (!!!)  which means that position paper is due pretty soon. Please keep in mind that position papers are due on February   3rd (sorry for the confusion before!)  to be considered for the Best Position Paper Award, and February 10th to be considered for any committee award. Hope y'all are enjoying the fun research for the topics! To give you some last pieces of advice before submission, I would strongly encourage everyone to reconsider this question: what is a position paper? With all kinds of documents to write in a MUN conference, you should bear in mind that every document has its own purpose. For a position paper, its purpose is for the country to formally present its own opinions and possible solutions it proposes on the topics to be discussed in the coming conference. To begin with, a position paper breaks down into 4 integral sections : past and current international actions, country’s position, proposed solutions and ...

Hellooo! My name is Brendan Wu and I will be serving as one of your Vice Chairs for the G20 this year! I am a freshman Regents' Scholar from the bay area double majoring in Business Administration and Molecular/Cell Biology. This will be my 7th year in MUN, after competing at multiple conferences across the world. I look forward to hearing all of your novel ideas during our conference. At Berkeley, I am the Policy Director for Senator Greenwald in the Associated Students of the University of California, a Student Advisor to the Vice Chancellor, a member of the parliamentary debate team, and campaign/finance manager of Student Action. In my work with these organizations I have affected legislation regarding emergency preparedness and food security, travelled, and worked with lots of data. I am also the founder of my nonprofit: WeCanHearYou.org, where since 2013, I have taught underrepresented students leadership and public speaking skills. I am fortunate enough to have gained...

Hello delegates! My name is Claire Black and I am super excited to be your vice chair for BMUN's upcoming G20 committee. I am a sophomore at UC Berkeley and have previously served as the vice chair of BMUN 66's bilingual OAS committee and as the head chair for Berkeley Model Arab League's Council of Economic Affairs.  I am majoring in Political Science with minors in Public Policy and Conservation and Resource Studies, so I am very passionate about international environmental policy and management. I see the United Nations, as well as Model UN, as an amazing exercise in international cooperation to create a more sustainable future.  Outside of BMUN, I do research with a Berkeley political science professor, edit for the International Relations Review of Berkeley, and work for the non-profit  Matriculate which helps high achieving, low income high school students access free college advising. So, feel free to vent to me about any frustrations with the college admissi...

Hello Everyone!! My name is Sabina Nong and I am the Head Chair for G20 at BMUN this year ;))) I am a junior majoring in political science and minoring in political economy and I am super excited to share with you my interest and thoughts. This is my 6th year in MUN and being a head chair for G20 is both a lot of responsibility and a valuable opportunity to provoke in-depth discussions. Outside of BMUN, I work for Berkeley Human Rights Lab at Berkeley School of Law and help out with human rights researches regarding wars, genocides and crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, I am also involved with an NGO called Chinese Initiative for International Law and help with the program called Rainbow Law School which brings together young legal professionals and law students in China to discuss legal issues in the LGBTQ+ movement. I am originally from Shanghai, China and honestly, 3 years of college in the U.S. has been a mindblowing experience for me to meet new friends around the globe and...