number NATURE 1 - Sat 11/25 CFMUNEWS 2017
CFMUNESCO 2017 Staff photo by Matilde Muzzolini Cover: An optical Illusion of the 1917 destruction of The Devil's Bridge in Cividale del Friuli for the commemoration of the Great War.
Finally, one year after the last greetings, CFMUNESCO has come back to Cividale! Our city and our school are now ready to spend these four days of MUN with you in a wonderful way. The press team is pleased to welcome all the delegates from all over the world that will take part in this amazing 2017 edition. This is a really special edition, with an incredible number of delegates (over 270) and a different approach to what MUN is. As the last year there are six committees: UNESCO, RCRC, the Security Council, UNODC and two new entries: UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) and the Historical Committee. Because of the fantastic amount of people who have chosen to join the CFMUNESCO, the UNODC and the UNWTO are both divided into two different committees. The Historical Committee is absolutely original: it is focused on World War I and the delegates will follow and deal with events that took place from April 1917 to 1919. They will solve crises and problems of this period of time, but not like common representatives of their countries. Everyone will play the role of a character who took part in the War as a leader or with some important roles. In the Historical Committee we will find Prime Ministers, Presidents, Emperors and leaders of any kind. There will also be a Pope! On Sunday morning the delegates will meet and discuss in Kobarid (also known as Caporetto), where in 1917 the Italian Army was defeated by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This event brought many consequences to the Great War. This special committee has been created to better understand what a war like World War I can produce; the international crises will be seen from different points of view, to commemorate (not to celebrate) a fundamental moment of our history. Every committee is under the direction of Chairs, who work to guide delegates to produce Resolutions about the issues and crisis around the world, exactly as if they were at the United Nations. issues and crisis around the world, exactly as if they were at the United Nations. the CFMUNESCO 2017 will be amazing - and it will - we have only to thank the staff, all the admins, delegates, teachers and everyone who helped the Secretary General Simone Clavora and the Executive Team in their great job. Now I would like to wish everybody good luck. Our team, reporters and photographers, is here to tell you about all the events of these four days with engagement and, of course, some irony. Your Editor in Chief, Anita Braida Make MUN, not war! CFMUNESCO 2017 Press Group photo by Mattia Burello
Exclusive interview: meet our Secretary General! Simone Clavora
So, being a Secretary General is a big deal. Did you spend a lot of time in preparation of this conference? Yes, of course. I have spent almost every day for the organization. Some days, I had to work with the other presidents and chairs. But most of the work was at home because I had to write emails and documents for the other schools. Are you happy with the work you and your colleagues have done? I am very proud of it. In a few months, we had to prepare a lot of things and we did it. It was great because I received a lot of help from my colleagues. Do you have any special expectations for this conference? Sure, like every year. I hope it will be the best for me, because it will be my last one. I also hope that the delegates will work as they are supposed to do as we need their work to make the conference go well. What s the best result you have achieved during your MUN career? In my first years, I passed through my shyness. I started to speak in front of people that I didn t know without any problems. Then I understood that politics is fundamental in our daily lives. We all know that there will be a big innovation this year, everybody is talking about it: the Historical Committee. Who had the terrific idea of introducing it? I remember that when my teacher proposed me to apply as the Secretary General, we already talked about it. It was something we really wanted to do because of the anniversary of Kobarid. After some months, I proposed it to the current president of the Historical Committee, Viktor, and together we decided to put it in a concrete thing. In this committee, there s a special way of debating, do you think that delegates will be prepared enough? I hope so. First of all, because it will be very very special: they are not supposed to be just delegates, but historical characters. Of course, we are preparing our students the best we can and we hope also that foreign students will do their best. "In a few months we had to prepare a lot of things and we did it" We recently had 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Kobarid. Do you have any thoughts about it? I do. It is the main reason why we decided to put the Historical Committee in our conference. The main purpose is to remember it in order not to repeat the same mistake again. I know you have visited the Minister of Education recently, how was this experience? It was great. It was the first time I had ever visited a Ministry in general, but I already knew the Minister because I met her at the Young G7 in Catania last year. Anyway, it was a really good opportunity because we could deliver many of our ideas and opinions. Will we see you walking a lot around the committees in these days, or will you spend your time resting and eating the amazing food from the coffee break? Of course I will eat and sleep ahaha. Interview by Giulia Cariola
Cividale del Friuli Kobarid What is new about this CFMUNESCO 2017? Cividale del Friuli Photo by Letizia Bon It's the Historical Committee: a group of people that are in charge of discussion of issues related to WW1 history : Every school has a character in this group, each one plays an important role, a historical figure in the years of the War. Members of HC are from other schools like Russia, Slovenia, Croatia, The Netherlands, Germany This is a special committee, because it works in a different way, it focuses on Historical events. The characters that are represented (by students) were active from 6 april 1917 to 21 january 1920. Jacopo Celere Let's meet Kobarid Kobarid (Caporetto in Italian) is a small town in Slovenia close to the north-eastern Italian border. It is located near the Isonzo river, just 18 km from Cividale del Friuli, and it has a really interesting and unique history. Indeed people know it because of the battle that was fought between the Italian and the Austrian troops during the First World War, from24th October and 27th November 1917, and that ended with the defeat of the Italian troops that had to withdrew to the Piave river (in Italian la disfatta di Caporetto ). An interesting fact is that the battle of Kobarid was perceived as a debacle by the Italians who, even today, define an event a caporetto if it has terrible consequences. The battle was so devastating and dramatic that even one of the most important American authors of the last century, Ernest Hemingway, quoted and talked about it in his masterpiece A Farewell to Arms with the narration of his personal experience during the First World War. Kobarid belonged to Italy from 1920 to 1947, then it passed under the control of Yugoslavia and after that of Slovenia. This city is really a particular mix of Slovenian and the culture of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The two areas have a lot in common and they sometimes co-operate for projects or Sacrario dei Caduti in Kobarid Photo by Michele Barnaba events; an example was the commemorationof the centenary of the battle of Caporetto, from the 23rdof October and the 2ndof November 2017, when both towns were busy in the preparation of some cultural and social events. Today Caporetto is also really famous for the amazing natural landscapes that surround the valley; a lot of tourists come to this town to visit the city itself, the museum dedicated to the war and the Memorial Monument. Moreover the town organizes a lot of itineraries that recall the places of the war; Kobarid and the surrounding area is also famous among tourists for sport activities such as trekking, climbing, cycling but even rafting and kayaking. Aessandra Rucli
1917 2017 Interview with Viktor and Cecilia, Chairs of the Historical Committee What is the Historical Committee s purpose? Viktor: Today, 100 years after the battle of Caporetto we will discuss about the happenings between the 6th of April 1917 and the end of the First World War. We will not just discuss about the battle of Caporetto but also about other key events. What do you think is the best aspect of the Historical Committee for young people and what do you expect? Viktor: The best aspect for young people is that they don t have to get into the role of a delegate of a country but into a historical character, which is much more fun. Cecilia: I expect the delegates to be very prepared and to respect the order of the events. I also expect to work in group a lot. Viktor Toth How are you going to prepare to get into your role? Cecilia: I will obviously do researches about every single political aspect of the character I will get into, but I will also research about its behaviour and personal aspects. Viktor: Another element we should care about is that we must act as if we didn t know what in fact happened in the end. How do you think the committee will face the world crisis and come to a solution together? Cecilia: I hope all the delegates will know everything about their characters. I also hope there will be a lot of group work. Viktor: There will also be a lot of unmoderated debates Cecilia Furioso Cenci In your opinion, what prevented the European countries to come to a peaceful solution at the time? Cecilia: There were definitely many political interests. European countries thought more about themselves instead of thinking about what the right thing to do was. Viktor: In fact, between 1917 and now there have been a lot of other wars such as WWII and the Cold War because it seemed the best method to prevail against other countries. These wars have now taught us that the idea of finding a compromise is the best solution. Do you think there is a way to make countries avoid armed conflicts? Viktor: Diplomacy and dialogue probably are the only solution, but they don t often happen. Cecilia: Sometimes the governments think only about economy and not about people. Viktor: There are some people that even think that it is capitalism itself that makes the governments think only about money, but I personally don t agree with this idea. Martina Restucci and Federico Guglielmotti
WELCOME FELLOW DELEGATES! This page is entirely dedicated to quizzes and the fun zone(yaay). So, without further ado, sit back, relax and solve my puzzles. BEST COMMITTEE PICTURE! Share your photos on Instagram using the hashtag cfmunesco2017. The winning ones will be published on our magazine and on CFMUNESCO official accounts! Have fun! THE ULTIMATE QUIZ 1)Main reason of the WWI? a. murder of German president in Berlin b.murder of Austria's heir in Sarajevo c.territorial rivalry d.revoultion of Russia with Lenin 2)In which year did the battle of Verdun start? a.1914 b.1915 c.1916 d.1913 3)Which country made the first declaration of war? a.serbia b.austria-hungary c.italy d.germany 4)Which of the following military technologies were developed during WWI?(multiple choice) a.napalm b.gas masks c.tanks d.ironclad ship 5)Who won WWI? a.allies in 1918 b.central powers in 1917 c.allies in 1917 d.central powers and Neutral powers in 1918 6)Why did Britain declare war on Germany? a.because Germany was allied with Austria- Hungary b.because Germany declared war on Belgium c.becaude Germany invaded Britain d.because Britain wanted revenge on Germany 7)When did WWI start? a.july 28, 1914 b.august 4, 1914 c.august 11, 1918 d.november 2, 1914 8)Who was the commander of Britain? a.david Lloyd George b.vittorio Emmanuele c.woodrow Wilson d.ferdinand I