By Mr. Danny McGuire, Model United Nations Program Moderator
The real-time topic for the simulation was the “Privatization of Space”. The twenty-four MUN attendees went through this simulation following all Parliamentary Procedure that surrounds actual United Nations committee rooms and created lively debate and entertained strategic alliances. The overarching paradigm that the students were presented with was the Privatization of Space. To come to a group resolution the delegates needed to address some essential questions. These essential questions were,
1. What are the practical uses of space?
2. If we are to actually grant ownership of space, should it lie in the hands of the public or private sector?
3. Who is ultimately in charge of administering space law?
4. How will space law be enforced?
a. Military enforcement? …and who is to supply said military boots and armament?
b. Economic Enforcement? …will this economic enforcement be made manifest on our home planet or on the extension in space?
c. Political Enforcement? …what can be really politically enforced in space?
5. How will we avoid similar catastrophes and wars that have been caused by greed and past power brokers on Earth?
After the ‘Speaker’s List’, three moderated caucuses, four unmoderated caucuses, countless notes passed and witty banter throughout, the delegates came to a resolution. The resolution was dubbed “The Buzz Lightyear Plan” and consisted of a directive to the United Nations to create ‘pacts’ of countries that exist at varied socio-economic and technological levels that would pool in a percentage of their GDP so as to fund and coordinate both space exploration and feasibility of terra forming on other planets. Well played delegates, well played!!!
