2. REACHING A CONSENSUS IS
NO EASY TASK
PPC report
22
from Bulgaria was particularly
persistent in campaigning to be
included to the list of sponsors.
He later told press,“I think our
committee was really competitive.
This challenged each delegate to
be the best we can.” After some
hours of deliberations, he was
eventually voted in as a sponsor.
In conclusion, the PPC re-affirmed
their commitment to establish
institutions in Afghanistan,
following democratic principles
promoting equal representation
of ethnic groups and gender
mainstreaming.
For most of the participants, they
shared the highlight of the PPC
simulations was being able to
work closely with other committed
individuals.
Saskia Laasik the delegate
representing Latvia said,
“We started off as a group of
individuals, but throughout the
week we had to put aside our
differences and work as a team.”
Montenegro, Bosnia and
Herzegovina when they met the
MAP criteria, should be invited to
join the NATO partnership at the
end of 2016.
However, the delegate
representing Greece insisted
that that the invitation should not
extend to the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia. This
caused tension within the
committee and a resolution
was not reached, until it was
decided that the nation, within the
framework on the UN, resolved
the issue of its name.
Mid-week, delegates focused
on gender mainstreaming and
NATO’s responsibility to combat
the deeply entrenched patriarchal
society in Afghanistan as part of
the rebuilding process. This topic
caused much debate between the
delegates.
The main issue that divided
delegates was the sponsorship
of the communiqué. The delegate
Amidst rising tensions and intense
negotiations, 28 youth acted as
delegates for the Political and
Partnerships Committee (PPC)
and were assigned to the task
of drafting two communiqués on
NATO’s Open Door Policy and
Gender Mainstreaming.
The PPC proceedings were
chaired by first timers, Eithandee
Aung and Anna Nadudvari.
Aung told press she “was really
excited to see how the delegates
would improve and to see their
confidence increase.”
There were two topics on the
agenda to be discussed. The
committee first talked about
NATO’s Open Door Policy and
the specific criteria that make
up the Membership Action Plan
(MAP). Delegates expressed
the symbolism of holding it
in Podgorica, the capital of
Montenegro.
For the most part, the PPC
were united and agreed that
3. EXPANDING NATO ALLIANCES AND FOSTERING
CULTURAL RELATIONS: FUTURE LEADERS TAKE NOTE
Academic panel session for PPC
24
He suggested that despite
this positive contribution,
“47% of people within
Montenegro oppose it,” due to
NATO’s previous bombing of
Montenegro in 1999, which
fostered distrust amongst the
country’s citizens.
Dr Vukovic suggested that due
to the lack of support from
the people and its high rate of
corruption, Montenegro may not
be ready to join the alliance.
This brutally honest response
impressed Chair of the PPC,
Anna Nadudvari, who said she
was surprised by the attitude
of the guest speakers as “they
were not falsely optimistic…
but committed to improving the
situation within Montenegro.”
As well as building strong military
relations, Prof I. Rogobete
addressed the importance of
building resilient cultural relations
within peacekeeping operations,
particularly NATO’s promotion of
gender equality within the deeply
entrenched patriarchal society of
Afghanistan.
Educating men is the key to solving
the problem of gender equality,
she continued saying,“educating
men is the most effective way to
promote and implement gender
equality within Afghan society.”
She said women must work
together and be supported by men
if gender attitudes are to change
within Afghanistan.
Overall, the delegates were
impressed by the honesty and
insight provided by the academic
panel.
The Political and Partnerships
Committee (PPC) heard from
a panel of academic experts on
Tuesday 2nd December, who
spoke about the challenges of
integration faced by NATO in the
21st century.
The panel consisted of Dr Ivan
Vukovic from the University of
Montenegro, Professor Silviu
Rogobete and Professor Ileana
Rogobete both from the West
University of Timisoara.
The panel outlined the challenges
faced by Montenegro joining the
NATO alliance.
Prof S. Rogobete said the “key to
ensuring security is dependent
upon building strong international
relationships” and that joining
NATO would be the “best
framework” for Montenegro.
4. NATO’S CAPABILITIES TO
MANAGE CRISIS
Lecture and Q&A session with Kurt Engelen
26
can be easily deployed from
Germany.
Yet some MoNYS delegates
felt that this black and white
approach to the situation was
unsatisfying. One delegate
expressed disappointment
saying, “I cannot agree with
these points, the situation is
much more complex.”
Engelen agreed with its
complexity, but acknowledged
that due to time limitations
they were not able to discuss
everything in full depth and
encouraged delegates to
approach him with questions
after the session.
He finished by saying he was
very impressed by the high
caliber of questions asked by
the delegates which he believed
provoked informed discussions
about important global issues.
The delegates of Model NATO Youth
Summit (MoNYS) went above and
beyond asking probing questions
to Kurt Engelen, Vice-President
of Euro-Atlantic Association of
Belgium when they met him face-
to-face at an academic session on
Tuesday 2nd December.
The MoNYS delegates participated
in a question and answer session,
which revealed opposing views
between NATO’s capabilities to
mobilize a military response during
times of crisis, and how the actions
of Russia can be interpreted.
The recent actions of Russia
provided a polarizing response
within the MoNYS community.
Some feared that NATO wasn’t
properly equipped to combat a
military invasion by Russia, whilst
others believed having such a
defensive attitude towards Russia
was unjustified and provocative.
Engelen said the real threat of
the Soviet Union to the Balkan
States is evidently seen through
the invasion of Crimea, asking
the delegates,“were the Russian
troops found in Crimea on
holiday?”
This led to a MoNYS delegate
pointing out that “it takes 3
months before NATO mobilizes
a military response, which is
concerning to the Balkan States.”
Many young delegates were
concerned that this slow response
was insufficient in providing
adequate defence.
In response Engelen assured
them that the military
capabilities of Russia were
exaggerated by various
propaganda techniques. He
added that NATO was equipped
to launch military action against
an evasion with troops that
5. THEY CAME AS DELEGATES,
BUT LEFT AS FRIENDS
Closing Ceremony report
38
One particular delegate, Tribun
Berisha, boldly stood up at the
end of the ceremony saying,“This
is the first time in first four years I
have actually felt happy. This has
been such a great experience for
me and I would just like to thank
everyone for being so great.”
The end of the conference
delivered the 3rd generation of
MoNYS alumni.
Best DPPC Delegate
Karine Meunier, delegate for
Norway
Best EAPC Delegate
Jules Landrieu, delegate for
Norway
Aleksanca Panić, delegate for USA
Best PPC Delegate
Imogen Clare, delegate for
Germany
Eleanor Landford
Maximenco said, “it was
extraordinary, the level of
commitment between the
committees and the high level
or academic achievement, but
this didn’t take away from the
social activities that occurred
throughout the week.”
She said that academically the
event was a huge success with
participants having produced
communiqués of a very high
quality, and that the papers
would be presented to NATO
after the summit’s conclusion.
Many participants expressed
their excitement for being part of
the global summit, with delegate,
Cas Legard saying, “Honestly
this whole experience has been
incredible. Everyone has been so
engaging talking about important
world issues. I have loved
meeting people from all over the
world.”
Throughout the week
participants were pushed to
produce their best work and
were able to form life-long
friendships.
Sunday 7th December marked
the end to what was a truly
memorable and challenging week
for the 160 participants that
traveled from across the globe
to attend the Model NATO Youth
Summit (MoNYS) 2014.
The closing ceremony marked
the end of an entire week of
simulations where delegates re-
created NATO’s decision-making
processes.
After week-long discussions
in individual committees and
councils, the Defence Policy and
Planning Committee (DPPC),
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
(EAPC), Political and Partnerships
Committee (PPC), and the the
NATO-Russia Council (NRC), all
gathered together for an end of
summit celebration.
MoNYS Secretary-General and
Chairperson of the EAPC, Carina
Maximenco, presented the
communiqués to the participants,
as well as the conclusions of the
summit at whole, awarding the
participants with recognition
certificates and special awards.
