[GMZ] Crisis and censorship against the press marks today’s UNSC sessions

GOMUN 2021

Jhovana Guerra

 

During the fifth session of the UNSC, a terrorist attack was reported in a refugee camp in the Philippines. It was found that the attack was led by extremist groups Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),  Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and the extremist group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Upon being notified of the attack, the Delegate of France suggested a motion in favor of banning the press from the discussion of the crisis, which was accepted with 100% approval. Surprisingly, the Norwegian Delegate, despite being one of the states that mostly supports press freedom, did not oppose this decision.

In the press conference, when asked about its position, the Delegate of Norway claimed to have acted in this way only because for some states in the committee this subject is extraordinarily sensitive, so it would be impossible for some Delegates to position themselves in an “honest” way if the press were present at the discussion.

However, at the end of the fifth session, the UNSC and the Delegations of the Philippines, the United States, the Russian Federation, and the People’s Republic of China delivered Press Releases containing the measures they intended to launch with regard to terrorist groups, and how they will deal with/help the victims of the attacks.

The sixth and last session today started a little tense because of the return of an angry press. The journalists were more discreet in giving their opinion. However, the discretion was not sufficient to diminish discrepancies and pinpoint throughout the session.

Nevertheless, the sessions this morning were balanced and even indicated alliances between the Delegates. Although, this quiet time did not last long and soon the committee began to exchange barbs and indirect.

Imprensa

Imprensa

Post organizado por delegações do Comitê de Imprensa Internacional na 3ª Edição do Goiás Model United Nations