By Johanna Rai and Anasuya Rijal for TES News

15 August 2024

The third day of the first session in the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) committee  started with aggression, as the committee continued with the moderated caucus. The agenda that the committee was discussing was from the delegate of France (Aryana Rangeet) on “Enhancing Global Security by Regulating Hazardous Chemical Materials and E-waste” which was passed by a full majority.

The moderated caucus started with the delegate of Canada (Ron Shah), followed by the delegate of Pakistan (Sanskar Maharjan).Immediately, the delegates raised their placards, showcasing their agreements and disagreements with enthusiasm. The delegate of Indonesia (Prenshu Khadka) had objections towards the delegate of the USA (Nilima Khadka), which resulted in a fiery argument between the two delegates.

The atmosphere at UNEP turned intense, leaving all the delegates and the witnesses alarmed. The delegate of North Korea (Prajwol Raj Shakya) was skeptical about the bold statements of the delegate of the USA (Nilima Khadka).They argued, “Raising your voice doesn't change the fact that the USA is the second most polluted country worldwide; a country that couldn't save two towers should focus more on saving their own country.”

The delegate of Iran (Niken Maharjan) stunned the delegate of Afghanistan (Nischit Shrestha) by saying, “The delegate of Afghanistan should shut their trap because the delegate of Afghanistan keeps raising their voice like the Taliban raised their guns.”

However, the main highlight of the day was the delegate of Russia (Riva Mainali) declaring that the USA is “full of blonde heads” and has “73 Pokémon genders,” which caused a roar among delegates from different countries due to the offensive nature of the remarks. This led to a suspension for 8 minutes and disrupted the flow of the committee.

In addition, the delegate of Ukraine (Prasiddha Thapa) expressed rage, saying, “How can Iran, of all countries, blame other countries for waste management when the country can't even manage their president's safety from a helicopter crash?”

With those as the main highlights for the day the committee decided to move onto a resolution due to the restriction formed by time.After some discussion on the resolution they were ready at last to begin it.

Countries cooperated to find a reliable and peaceful resolution. The committee ended with a resolution on the topic “Relevant and Practical Solutions to Solve E-waste and Chemical Pollution,” which passed with a majority of votes.

There will be more to come in the second and third session of the TESMUN with stringer points and more interactive committees.