Hindustan Young Leader Conference 16th to 18th March, 2012

HYLC Day-1

As the 16th of March approached, the buzz and excitement around the Hindustan youth leaders conference had reached fever-pitch. Every member of the organizing committee, support team and council staff were on their toes, from the word ?go? and their excitement was contagious. The inaugural session included recognizing each council, their chair and their respective goals and objectives. Every delegate was recognized by their council and each council highlighted their agenda.

After a splendid lunch (I can safely say so ?cause I heard the Arab delegate burping), the afternoon session resumed at 2:00 p.m. I made my way to the G20 council. I was greeted by Arjun, friend and council staff, with a huge grin on his face.Jithin who bore all the hallmarks of someone who had been up all night showed me to my place. I sat waiting for the session tocommence.

G20 was international, in every sense of the word.Mexico, Brazil, the European Union, Italy and the U.S. seemed like the key players of the pack. It was funny that nobody filled the place of the delegate of U.K., so much for British etiquette. They were focussed on issues related to IMF and the World Bank. Karan(chair) addressed the basic code of conduct and he also mentioned that they would be adhering to MUN protocols. There would be an informal caucus (general ideas and one-to-one interactions) followed by a moderated caucus (presided by the chair, a more formal interaction session) .It was 3:02 when Varun, an ECE student from SRM university and co-chair for the nonce joined us. He quickly gave us a run through of the events to be discussed. They were doing monetary claims and World funds and their relevance to global economy.The delegate of U.S.A was forever raising their placard to raise an objection against the policies of the European Union. Mexico and Brazil were getting on quite well, I thought. They were all for joint ventures and mutual benefits. For a first, it was a decent session. My watch showed 3:43 p.m. and I still had to check out the other councils. I scurried downstairs to the Indian council, a mad image of Cinderella- at- midnight crossed my mind.

The Indian national advisory council was different from the G20 in many ways. For starters, every member had Indian names on their placards and they represented themselves. I thought that was their USP because the flow of debate would not be hindered by the individual?s viewpoint clashing with a nation?s. Their main topics of discussion included Child rights in India, reforms and acts passed by the government, Education and the poverty menace.Prateek Patnaik(chair) stressed the importance of implementing the RTE act in a better manner, why the submission of wealth affidavits can help manage national wealth better and how education to all kids is an asset. Pratik also highlighted why child labour act must be implemented so as to implement RTE act better. During the moderated caucus, Sneha Mehta did not think that launching of websites would proliferate the growth of education in rural areas .she also felt the need for a new body to be in order. Shushruth said free polio was a hit in rural areas and he saw no reason why free education couldn?t be.Devanshree suggested that families must be more open to educating their children instead of letting them continue as labourers. The role of NGO?s was vital to their cause. Shanthanu concluded the session by saying the spread of education by word of mouth is the most effective way in rural areas. At the end of the day, the motion that a new ?watchdog community? needed to be set up was passed unanimously.

 

Wipo-Icann had ten delegates presided by Anuj (chair). Harish (co-chair) conveyed how important it was to be updated with the recent developments in World organizations. He also stated the rules of procedure and flow of debate as there were most number of first-timers in his council. I was amazed to see delegates as young as fourteen take part in world issues. Clearly, age was no guarantee of wisdom. Harish started off by putting the question:?what do you know about article 12?? to the floor. Seeing as many of the delegates were amateurs, the chair decided to step the level of intellect down a notch. They went by giving them general issues like world politics and treaties. I caught Harish saying ?we will have the implementation and ratification of ACTA as our next topic of discussion and we are done for today?, before I left. It was a clear indication for all the delegates that they needed to up their game. I thought it was just a matter of doing their homework before their next session.

 

RIO+20 had a more formal approach towards things mainly because it was arguably the biggest council in terms of number of delegates. They were dealing with the oil crisis and the depletion of natural resources. For the nonce, France was accusing Iran of leading the world astray in terms of using oil as their chief resource, not understanding the repercussions of their actions and how it would cause Europe and the west to be hard-pressed for fuel. Iran blatantly refused to acknowledge any of the former?s allegations and maintained that Iran had been in the process of researching and implementing renewable resources much before her geographical neighbours. Mexico joined in the battle of words by asking why Iran was so keen on oil export if their attempts at other forms of energy were well received. France smirked at Mexico?s lack of shrewdness but went on the offense against Iran with the issue of carbon capture. Iran chose not to answer France this time around. Malaysia spoke of how they have strict measures on the emission of carbon and encouraged other delegates to emulate their example. The chair addressed this statement to general agreement .Malaysia was already in everybody?s good books after a unanimous vote in order. Australia was yet to speak. The places assigned to the delegates of Saudi Arabia and four others stood empty. France and Iran were at loggerheads the whole day. Their heated discussions were fun to watch, though. I also observed how influential the delegate of France was and how the chair succumbed to France?s every word. Brazil was allotted thirty seconds to address the issue of resource exploitation but before Brazil spoke Iran expressed their need to address the issue with France. France refused the proposal by saying it would only be right to follow protocol and will address the issue only after Brazil had their say. This was one of the lighter moments of the council wherein France was supporting Brazil?s cause in terms of mike acquisition. Petty issue it may seem but it was open support, nonetheless. Humanitarian issues were addressed and the only other motion passed was with regard to the curtailing of carbon emissions.

The Bilderberg council observed the issues related to territorial disputes and legit acquisitions. The council comprised of the Aristocrats and men in power. Exonn mobi elaborated on how the construction of waterways would better the transport and communication aspect of nations. The CEO of NATO seriously doubted this proposal on grounds of water related adversities, and that the con?s of the project outweigh the pro?s. Lord Nicolas Stern ,a British economist stated that Thames is a brilliant waterway tourism hub with no issues of serious pollution till date. The division of the arctic was what they were all getting at. Henry Kissinger seconded Lord Nicolas?s view saying trade and commerce would benefit for all, were this project to be undertaken. The chairperson of the UNICEF humoured Henry Kissinger if he was looking for business and also asked Kissinger to elaborate on the issue .This drew smiles from every member in the room. Henry Kissinger obliged, saying monetary benefits were definitely on his mind when he made that statement. The topic of discussion was quickly changed to gas and petroleum consumption. Everybody was in agreement to the chair?s view that an alternative to these resources were the need of the hour. Russia had been surprisingly quiet during this discussion. I wondered why, especially because Russia is the world?s leading nation of gas supplies. My question was answered when SINOPEC CHINA entered the fray with an attack on Russia saying Russia?s unchecked expansion had led to the 1989 oil spill in Alaska. Russia looked sheepish and did not answer that question. In the end, the council was divided into two sides; on one hand were the president of E.U, The German chancellor and the chairperson of the UNICEF stating how it would be detrimental to their global objectives if there was a divide in the arctic. On the other hand were Henry Kissinger, Russia and Lord Nicolas Stern who felt the need for the divide keeping in view of the monetary assets it would provide for all of their economies. On that note, the session was adjourned for the next day.

The first day was a success in many ways. We, as hosts were immensely satisfied to be able to deliver to the cause of HYLC on such a great scale. I use this platform to thank the management for the wonderful initiative taken and I have an inkling that this would be the first day of many more spectacular events to come!!

HYLC Day-2

Boosted by the success of day one, the second leg of HYLC started with a cheery breakfast in the morning with everyone .In my interactions with a few of the participants I found that many of them who had been reluctant to socialize were doing so with gusto, all inhibhitions shed. The delegate of Russia in the G20 council was talking animatedly to his counterparts from France and the U.S. Karthik (U.S delegate) was being his usual bubbly self talking to everybody within ten metres around him. Nia Sam ,one of our chief organizers said ?It?s the first time for everyone and it will take time to get along. Even I am a first-timer here, I have no idea what?s going on?. For somebody who has been on stage half her college life doing a social event or the cultural fest she was being really modest, I thought. Nia saying she didn?t know the way things worked at conference was like a fish saying it couldn?t swim anymore.

The first session commenced at 10:00 a.m., The G20 had a sense of calm as I entered the room and took my place. It was a little too calm,like the calm before a storm and I gathered that Karan (chair) was going to give the delegates a situation to deal with. He then got up and announced that they were in the face of crisis.The undersecretary of state (U.S.A ) Hillary Clinton had been kidnapped by a German anti-semite nationalist group along with her 6-member convoy.Her last place of visit was a university in South Africa,where she had been lecturing college-goers on the importance of foreign ties.The group had put forth certain claims that they needed done in the next 48 hours:

 

All world bank undertaken projects in Israel should be stopped immediately.The other claim was aimed at crippling the Israeli economy.Israel?s loan of $3.31 billion was to be returned to the IMF within the next 48hours failing which,they would put the U.S convoy in mortal peril. All communication lines were jammed from that moment forth.

The house was in uproar.The first delegate allowed to speak was the U.S. delegate who said that his country was shocked to hear that their second most powerful politician had been abducted and that the only action that they would be taking henceforth would be military action.The German delegate was second to speak,he condemned the actions of the anti-semite group and said his government was doing all it can to help battle the hostage situation.The G20 then got the information that ,of the seven American citizens,three of them were of Indian, Japanese and Iranian origin. Mexico suggested that the U.S should handle the situation with calm.U.S was obviously in no position to act calm.Japan shared U.S? view of sending in a rescue team while the chairman of the IMF deemed it too risky and suggested that he was ready to incur a loss of half of $3.31 billion dollars if the house would be willing to pay the rest.

 

Meanwhile at Bilderberg ,the issue of possessing arms and nuclear warheads was being discussed. An informal caucus was underway where the chairman of U.N and Henry Kissinger were having a difference of opinion in the possession of firearms, with the former saying that it would pose a threat to world peace while the latter said it was fine for a nation to be in possession of warheads as long as they didn?t use it.The representative of Russia seconded U.S on that matter and a heated formal caucus ensued.

 

Wipo-Icann was not the same council I had attended 24 hours ago. Harish (chair) beamed at me as I walked in to take my place at the back row. Evidently,the delegates had done their homework and I was seeing a full- fledged council of delegates pondering over the implementation and ratification of ACTA. Germany was in no position to be able to make council ammends regarding ACTA as they had already made their populist statement of supporting their people over ACTA. The issue at hand was the in-sensitivities of the Bush administration and its global effects today. An open condemnation of Bush?s foreign policy violations by all delegates put that matter to rest.Austria stole the show when it came to why implementation of ACTA would help in keeping international crime at bay. The session ended with a unanimous vote to set a governing body in motion that may be able to monitor crime at a global level.

The Indian council was discussing how women empowerment should be made a national concern.Rape was one of the most pressing issues at hand.One of the delegates was of the view that moral policing could curb such incidents from happening in the future. Devanshree objected by saying moral policing was the death of the right to privacy.This drew appreciation from many other delegates in the house.Prateek did a quick wrap up on the issue by saying safety and policing are two different things.The government would not encroach upon one?s privacy if there is no need for it. It was one of the most heated discussions I had seen in a council meet.The council was then adjourned for lunch.

After lunch I proceeded to the UNSC council where the main topic of discussion was the debate of why the Palestinian liberation organization (PLO) had been denied membership by the UN security council.The session was spiked with tongue-in-cheek humour, with the formal caucus sounding more like a discussion on the weather report but really funny and informative at the same time. It was evident that I was sitting at a council of delegates who were conventional MUN?ers.There was not the slightest glitch in proceedings.The dispute over the Ghaza strip was deliberated next. Hamas, though not the national army of Palestine had contended elections and had taken power in the Ghaza strip.The Iranian delegate felt that conflicts between Israel and Palestine could be solved by the intervention of the arab league.He felt so because the league was in closer proximity to the two states compared to the E.U or the west.It amazed me how ?in character? the Iranian delegate was. Before he made a statement he started with ?I speak with the blessings of Allah,the merciful? in true Islamic style Towards the end of the session the chair requested an official statement in writing from all the delegates and then the session was adjourned for dinner.

 

Social dinner was the highlight of the day.It gave the hosts to get better acquainted with our guests.We proceeded to ?Green meadows? restaurant where we had two bands playing for us.I have posted the pictures and videos here somewhere,do take a look or a listen. It gave us all an excuse to head-bang together to the tune of ?cruel hour?,a catchy number from the band ?Ghost node?.Dinner was traditional Indian cuisine .I especially loved Desssert.Finally, we decided to hit the sack by 11:00 p.m. If yesterday was fun it was nothing compared to tonight?s madness. We left only because we had a big day tomorrow.

 

HYLC DAY-3

On the morning of the third leg of the conference,I found myself walking down the road to the college cafeteria with a lump in my throat. I couldn?t help digesting the fact that today would be the last session of the conference, the last time I would be sitting at a council meeting for the year. I realized that everybody  around me must be sharing my train of thought and made a mental note to stay in touch with them long after this was over.
After a lot of exhanges with my new- found friends,I made my way to the  WIPO-ICANN.

The  WIPO ICANN council was in order and all the delegates were making their final statements regarding ACTA. The  point made by the Indian delegate that ACTA was a treaty that benefited only MPA and RIA and that was the reason it was kept secret was appreciated by all. The chair finally rose and said that ACTA would formally be announced by may,2013 in Tokyo,Japan and that their session was only a build up to it.
RIO+20  and U.N security councils had wrapped up their final reports on the crisis situation that had been their  topic of discussion yesterday. I found that they were very subtle in their report, though extremely relevant to current state of affairs.
Bilderberg saw the unanimous voting of delegates to pass a motion to reduce tension in the arctic region. Based on their comments,I deciphered that after several hours of deliberance on the issue a balance had been struck between those who were of the opinion that possession of warheads was fine as long as  it is not used in acts of terrorism and those who felt it hindered world peace.The chair had played his role well in initiating the balance,I must admit.

The Indian council was stressing on resolving issues in the country on an open platform. Technology was to be tapped to its maximum potential especially in the aspect of women empowerment.
The G 20 council had formulated a long list of political reforms that needed  to be enforced without discrepancies in all nations of the G20.there were about forty clauses that needed to be passed or deleted by the council.  This  would mean that the session would cut well into lunchtime.But everybody was so floored by the intense energy emanating from Karan(the chair), so we didn?t actually mind.

 

After lunch,everybody proceeded to the valedictory  function. Mrs.Sheela Rani was the guest of honour there. she was all praises for the organizing committee for putting up a good show.The chief guest, Mr.Gopalkrishna Gandhi  enlightened us with his wisdom. I counted myself fortunate to have been able to listen to anecdotes of his days as Governor of Bengal. The organizing committee of  HYLC was applauded by every body for their hospitality and keen sense of commitment. Mrs.Anita,in her vote of thanks speech said?I will not thank you as this was your show to put up but I will congratulate you on a job well done?. This one statement put a smile on  every face  in  the organizing committee. The prizes were given away to the best delegates  in each council  and finally it was time to say goodbye .After many a handshake-hug and exchanging of phone numbers later, we bid them farewell-until next year?