By Johanna Rai and Anasuya Rijal, TES NEWS

14 August 2024

The second day of the first session at United Nations Environmental Problems (UNEP) was more dynamic and heated compared to the first day. The committee began with General Speakers' List (GSL) speeches, with the delegate of North Korea(Prajjwal Raj Shakya) being the first to present, followed by India, Iraq, the Philippines, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Canada.

The committee was soon filled with curiosity and astonishing questions when the delegate of Afghanistan(Nishchit Shrestha)  stated, “Afghanistan has contributed inactive environmental laws and resolutions. Furthermore, the Taliban has created policies to address the problems of e-waste.”

However, China was not happy with Afghanistan’s statement. The delegate of China argued, “The policies were regulated by the government and were definitely not created by the Taliban.”, which earned the delegate a good point from the dais panel.

Due to time constraints, the committee proceeded to a moderated caucus. By majority vote, the agenda proposed by the delegate of the USA received the most votes among the three delegates (Norway, Iraq). The topic which was proposed for the moderated caucus was “Chemical Pollution and Public Health Risks.”

Starting with this agenda, the delegate of France(Aryana Ranjeet) was the first speaker and engaged in a heated argument with the delegate of Indonesia(Prenshu Khadka). The delegate of France(Aryana Ranjeet)  faced accusations from the delegate of Indonesia(Prenshu Khadka) regarding the increase in the percentage of PFAS in France.

In defense of the accusation,the delegate of  France(Aryana Ranjeet)(Aryana Ranjeet) stated, “If Indonesia is so proficient at managing pollution, does that imply a lack of education in Indonesia?” This bold statement surprised all the delegates.

With the moderated caucus coming to an end, the committee is now looking forward to drafting a resolution.