Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC)

Frameworks to decrease dependence on international loans
Setting social frameworks to strengthen global resilience against virus outbreaks and health pandemics
Regulating use of cryptocurrency

Head Chair

Duc Anh Nguyen (UNIS Hanoi)

Deputy Chair

Didi (Tra Mi) Bullard (UNIS Hanoi)

Procedural Chair

Chae Na Kim (St. Pauls)

Hi everyone! My name is Duc Anh Nguyen; I'm a senior at the United Nations International School of Hanoi, and I will be serving as Head Chair for the Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC) in the upcoming November MUN conference. This is my third year participating in MUN, and first time being chair. As an economics student in the IB curriculum, I hope to bring my knowledge and experience of this field into our fruitful debates. Though I intend to host a mostly-professional experience within my committee, having fun and promoting invigorating debates is also one of my main priorities. Previously, during my experience as a delegate, there have been several occasions where I couldn't state my POI or submit my amendment due to TIME CONSTRAINTS. As this can be extremely frustrating, which I assume many of you will agree, I will do my best to time manage the debates - so that, everyone delegates will receive an equal chance of expressing their exalting ideas. Thank you to all delegates joining my committee this year, and I hope to make unforgettable memories with you all.

Greetings all, My name is Didi, and I will be serving as the Deputy Chair for the Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC). I am currently in 11th grade, with 2 years of past experience in MUN. During this upcoming November conference, our council will tackle relevant and engaging global issues, in relation to International Economics. I hope that you will indulge yourselves in meaningful debates, conversations, and collaborate to create exceptional resolutions and amendments. I believe that by the end of the conference, you will have a deeper understanding of our council topics, improved your MUN debate skills, and met new individuals with shared interests. I encourage you to take risks, challenge yourselves, and help others. Please feel free to ask me questions and/or for guidance in relation to the procedures/ topics at any point. I am looking forward to working with you!

Greetings! My name is Chae Na. I am currently a senior at St. Paul American School Hanoi.

I have been honorably offered my first procedural chair position in the November UNIS MUN. This is my second year in the world of MUN. During the two years, I have participated in international MUNs hosted by Yale in Taiwan and Korea. In these respective conferences, I have engaged in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC). From my experiences, I have learned to engage myself with the art of debate and meeting new people from all over the world with shared interest. In addition to MUN, I also play leadership roles in my school’s business club, science club, and concert band.

I am very excited to oversee this year’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). I believe that the issues on the agenda are of the utmost importance and relevance in today’s world, and I have every reason to hope that we, as a council, will engage in fruitful discussions, heated debate, productive exchanges of ideas, and most importantly, have fun while doing so. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any of my fellow chairs or myself, and if not, I look forward to working with you all at the conference.

Faculty mentor

Mr. Faraz Kiyani Mirza has been an IB Economics, Business & Management Teacher teacher at UNIS Hanoi, Vietnam for 5 years. Previous highschools that he has taught at include the American School of Barcelona and American International School in Abu Dhabi. Outside the academic environment, Mr. Mirza has also participated in various volunteer experiences: Habitat for Humanity International (Nepal), RCDP Volunteer (Nepal), and Volunteer Teacher International (Morocco). After graduating from Leeds University with a Bachelor's degree in Economics, Mr. Mirza continued his economics journey working in the corporate world. His favorite part of being an educator is the opportunity to share his profound knowledge and wisdom with the future generations, and also, to build close friendships with his students. Not only are his classrooms consistently filled with a myriad of informative economics posters, but his charismatic personality and highly-praised style of teaching inspires all of his students to always give maximum effort.

Issue: Frameworks to decrease dependence on international loans - Mr. Mirza supports the idea of dependence on international loans. He believes that the financial reliance of one nation on another nation could lead to global debt crisis, whilst also claiming that international loans can be ineffective—for reasons as, but not limited to:

Concerns regarding the behaviors of the leaders who make the negotiation and the debt.
Concerns regarding the limited effects of these loans—solving short-term economic problems instead of focusing on the long-term: providing these struggling nations with the necessary resources to become financially independent.
Concerns of monopolization: demolition of competition.

Issue: Setting social frameworks to strengthen global resilience against virus outbreaks and health pandemics -

Mr. Mirza considers the recent COVID-19 virus to be one of the most economically-threatening occurrences in the history of the developing world—even more dangerous than the 2008 house crisis. He expects this recession (depression in some countries) to extend for at least a couple more years, especially if countries around the world are not enforcing proper frameworks to prevent the widespread coronavirus, so that their economies can begin the process of rebuilding. The lack of domestic financial resources, high debt levels and fragile health systems presents an urgent challenge: areas that Mr. Mirza encourages all MUN delegates to focus their attention around when constructing their resolution(s).

Issue: The regulation of cryptocurrency- a topic that Mr. Mirza is especially fond of. What peaks his interest about this form of currency is that it is (generally) not issued by any central authority, rendering them theoretically immune to government interference or manipulation. Due to the unpredictability of cryptocurrency however, Mr. Mirza doesn't believe that it will be sustainable in the long-run, which could possibly harm citizens who invest heavily into such current. He believes that there should be, to some extent, government interventions or a regulatory body in the trade of cryptocurrency—to help create efficient and simplified transactions, but also, monitor, identify and tax transactions with cryptocurrency.

Being part of MUN, Mr. Mirza wants all MUN members to understand the various implications of the debated issues on economies across the world. The MUN experience allows students to dive deep into prevalent issues of today’s society: an exploration that they can then apply to their own learning outside of MUN—whether it be in academic subjects (Mr. Mirza’s economics class), other debate conferences, or simply when reading the news. He also encourages all MUN members to take advantage of the MUN experience to listen and take in the opinions / perspectives of their colleagues, as it will widen the individual’s understanding of the topic, and also, encourage the individual to look at global issues from a variety of points of views. Finally, Mr. Mirza encourages all MUN members to have fun, and make new friends from interacting with students from different grade levels and other schools.