Water is a Weapon
IUCN, The Great Blue Wall Initiative 2021
It is time to turn the tide on accelerating climate change
“…but it will not be smooth sailing in this committee.”
It’s 2021, and the Western Indian Ocean Ecosystem- home of marine biodiversity and coastal communities- is facing rapid deterioration due to climate change, creating food insecurity, rising sea levels, and storm surges.
Thus, out of great necessity, the Great Blue Wall Initiative, an Africa-led effort to slow and reverse the effects of climate change, increase the resilience of the planet and local societies, and unlock the power of the blue economy, was born.
In this committee, delegates will devise solutions to foster coastal resilience and enable perpetual biodiversity, all the while sustainably benefiting local livelihoods. They will collaboratively find ways to create sustainable maritime industries and infrastructure while simultaneously ensuring those policies are in line with the Great Blue Wall Initiative and IUCN’s guiding values.
To reach their goals, delegates must navigate the sea of national and regional interests, the rapidly deteriorating ecosystem, unprecedented requisites for funding and support, and, of course, collaboration and diplomacy to deliver on their promises to the health of the planet.
Water is a geopolitical weapon, and it will be your job to determine how to wield it.
Welcome to The Western Indian Ocean Ecosystem
Navigate the sea of national and regional interests
What will you do?
Meet the Team
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Maddyx Bride
CHAIR
Maddyx Bride is a student in Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service Class of 2029, majoring in International Politics and minoring in Chinese. Maddyx is proud to be from the amazing Bay Area, California, but now lives in New York City while being a Patriots and Chiefs fan (have fun making sense of that). Her MUN journey began at Georgetown, where she joined the Model UN team as a freshman and, despite her novelty, is now well involved in the MUN community, previously staffing NCSC LIII and NAIMUN LXIII and now serving as the USG of NSA at NAIMUN LXIV. Outside of MUN, you can find her listening to Hamilton, drinking mochas, and sidequesting with friends. She is also especially excited to chair this committee, as being allergic to hot water and not knowing how to swim, she personally understands how water is a weapon!
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Mary Abi-Karam
CO-CHAIR
Mary Abi-Karam is part of the Georgetown School of Foreign Service Class of 2027, majoring in Culture and Politics with a specialization in gender, media and entertainment, and AI. Hailing from the sunny beaches of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she made her way to the Hilltop after transferring from UNC—bringing with her five years of experience in all things MUN. Before joining GUMUN’s travel team, she chaired and served as a crisis director for a JCC at UNCMUNC and MUNCH, and has even coached high school delegates (meaning she’s spent a truly alarming number of hours explaining how to write operative clauses). At Georgetown, Mary is a member of Project Maverick, GU’s Alpha Kappa Theta Iota Chapter, and the GU Arab Society. She also serves as the Director of Special Events for the Georgetown International Relations Club (she knows how to throw a good party). When she’s not going to class or collecting gavels, Mary can usually be found asleep, in the makerspace sewing her own clothes, or at the poker table, surprising unsuspecting men with her ability to do basic probability math. Her music taste is objectively valid: itsmurph (who she saw live, which, frankly, makes her better than most people), MF DOOM, and Erykah Badu. She’s excited to join the NCSC team this year and looks forward to helping run a sharp, well-organized conference.
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ASSOCIATED STAFF
OTHER MEMBERS
Director: Anish Raja
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Madeleine Crighton
UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL
Madeleine Crighton is a member of the Walsh School of Foreign Service Class of 2029, studying International Politics and minoring in Economics and English. Madeleine is thrilled to serve as the USG of GAs and can’t wait to see you all at NCSC LIV and to meet you in Washington!
