2012 HACIADEMOCRACY
Issue 2
English
A mix of cultures at Taste of HACIABy Ximena Gularte Ruiz and
Wasila Issa
XVIII Summit of the Americas, Panama
The DelegateMarch 10, 2012asked 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 chairBy 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
Continued on pg 2
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 thatContinued on pg 2
Page 2
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-
HACIA DEMOCRACY 2012
Page 3
Bilingualism in rural areasBy 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 peopleBy 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.
Page 4
HACIA DEMOCRACY 2012
More than just debates: HACIA ice breakersBy 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
HACIA DEMOCRACY 2012
Page 5
Child Labor: Are we there yet?By Paulina Graham
March 10, 2012
Issue 2should 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
Page 6
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