Dear Delegates,
Welcome to NCSC XXXVI and the Geneva Summit on the Political Status of the Arctic. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Mirco Haag, and I’ll be your chair for this conference. I am a rising Senior in the School of Foreign Service, majoring in International Political Economy. On campus, I do various activities besides Model UN, including the Philodemic Debating Society. I’m originally from Geneva, Switzerland although I grew up in California. As hobbies I enjoy traveling and losing at chess. Julia Dizhevskaya will be the Crisis Manager for the committee. A Junior in the School of Foreign Service studying International Politics, she takes a keen interest in German and European affairs.
This Summit will discuss the future of one of the great modern frontiers and how modern society values global commons. Over the weekend, we’ll be discussing two issues that are of huge significance to both developing and developed countries. Continuous demand for natural resources has led to a global search for raw materials. Simultaneously, global climate change has made the previously inhospitable northern regions ever more commercially accessible. Summits to decide the future of various territories have a long and storied tradition, from the Peace of Paris following the Napoleonic Wars to the Berlin Conference concerning colonialism in Africa.
The topics for this weekend will include discussion of the territorial rights of the various arctic nations. Territorial claims of States and the associated sovereignty provide the underpinnings of the international system today. A Summit on the Arctic will necessarily need to address the various claims of the Arctic States. Similarly, international needs and obligations will need to be kept in mind as territory and regional control is decided.
Territorial claims derive importance both from the prestige of simply holding territory and the use of that area. In this case, the emergence of the Northwest Passage as well as natural resources provide ample opportunity to use and exploit the northern Polar Regions. Shipping and transit rights are integral to the debate on proper use of the region. Natural resource extraction promises to ease the strain felt by international commodity markets from spiking demand. Environmental consequences should also be considered as economic activity tends to degrade and destroy the surrounding region. Already suffering from Climate Change, the Arctic is one of the few unspoiled areas left on Earth. In order to save it, we have summoned the Geneva Summit on the Political Status of the Arctic.
Hoya Saxa,
Mirco Haag
SFS 2009
mjh76(at)georgetown.edu
