The Mondial is the official newspaper of DurMUN. Starting out as a blog, The Mondial has developed as a platform to address those issues impacting the UN and the international community through journalism.
Now, DurMUN 2020 offers an opportunity to take MUN writing to another level: a dedicated student press corps. Model United Nations, as the name states, is a place to model, to experiment, to challenge yourself in new ways. We want to expand on this idea and make the conference a space for the simulation of policy-making as well as the simulation of journalistic environments.
What does that looks like? A team of engaged writers, photographers, and graphic designers, reporting on the DurMUN conference – its themes, its committees, and its debates – with a print edition for each day of the conference, and keeping The Mondial connected to its blog roots with website articles throughout the year.
Applications to be a part of DurMUN 2020’s press team will open on 26th October 2019. If you would like to write for our blog, request to join our group here.
Articles:
DurMUN 2020: Pre-Conference Edition
25th June, 2020. Check out our Pre-Conference edition of The Mondial, released at the commencement of DurMUN 2020.
Hong Kong in Protest: what is happening and where do we go from here?
27th November 2019. The ongoing Hong Kong protests began in opposition to the Fugitive Offenders (Amendment) Bill – known informally as the Extradition Bill, which was first proposed on 29 March 2019. The protests have raised international concern, turning violent after beginning peacefully on 31 March and eventually evolving into a pro-democracy movement. Purported use … Continue reading Hong Kong in Protest: what is happening and where do we go from here?
What Role Should the Royals Play in Politics Today?
20th November 2019. Given the proroguing of Parliament in late August of this year, the role of the monarch in modern British governance and politics has again become subject to debate and scrutiny. The constitutional role of the royals in politics appears to contradict the democratic model Britain has adopted, as several technicalities of the … Continue reading What Role Should the Royals Play in Politics Today?
The Writer’s Choice: The Dilemma of Statehood
5th November 2019. Law student Kieran Sewell writes on the legal complications surrounding statehood on the international stage and the problems facing unrecognised states. The United Nations Security Council ‘Resolution 1244’, adopted on the 10 June 1999, aimed to promote ‘the establishment of substantial autonomy and self-government in Kosovo’. On the basis of this, international … Continue reading The Writer’s Choice: The Dilemma of Statehood
Impeaching Trump: What it Could Mean for 2020.
2nd November 2019 At the most recent debate to decide the next Democratic nominee for the 2020 US election, the top twelve candidates were asked whether they supported the impeachment of Donald Trump. The answer was unanimous; even previous sceptics such as Tulsi Gabbard stated that they now believed there was enough evidence to open … Continue reading Impeaching Trump: What it Could Mean for 2020.
The Writer’s Choice: Urbanisation’s Conflict with Youth Surge In Sub-Saharan Africa
10th October 2019 Quinn Higgins writes about UN Habitats legislation in Sub-Saharan Africa, based on her ongoing research into Kigali, Rwanda’s urban development and the place of youth in city planning. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is experiencing two developments simultaneously: rapid-paced urbanisation and a growing youth bulge. The area has an annual urban population growth rate … Continue reading The Writer’s Choice: Urbanisation’s Conflict with Youth Surge In Sub-Saharan Africa
The United States and the Criminalisation of Migration
6th October 2019 On the 8th July 2019, Michelle Bachelett, the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the UN, stated that “according to several human rights bodies, detaining migrant children may constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment that is prohibited under international law”. This was in response to the decision by the Trump administration to … Continue reading The United States and the Criminalisation of Migration
How do we make Further Strides for LGBT+ Rights?
5th October 2019 Massive strides have been made in LGBT+ rights over the course of the 21st Century. Same-sex marriage is now legal in 29 out of 195 countries , and this progress is not limited to the western hemisphere, with Taiwan becoming the first parliament in Asia to legalise gay marriage this year. In … Continue reading How do we make Further Strides for LGBT+ Rights?
‘Not My Prime Minister’: Do our Electoral Systems Fit Popular Opinion?
1st October 2019 Just 92,153 voters elected the current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Standing at approximately 0.13 percent of the British population, this result cannot be claimed to reflect popular opinion, only that of roughly two thirds of the Conservative Party. In an understandable backlash, this has led to many a cry of ‘not my … Continue reading ‘Not My Prime Minister’: Do our Electoral Systems Fit Popular Opinion?
The Greta Thunberg Effect: why Young People are Essential in the Fight Against Climate Change
30th September 2019 As Greta Thunberg’s words stood defiantly on the inescapably large screens at Reading Festival, one couldn’t help but feel a devastating urgency. It was Thunberg’s essay set to the ambient music of the band, The 1975. The crowd was waiting with bated breath for every word. When the final words flashed in … Continue reading The Greta Thunberg Effect: why Young People are Essential in the Fight Against Climate Change
A Warm Durham University United Nations Society Welcome
Joseph Beaden, the President of Durham University United Nations Society, welcomes new members to the society and looks forward to the exciting events in the year to come.
Does Eliminating Statelessness Put the World in a Better State?
March 21, 2019 Shamima Begum is a 19-year-old British woman who joined the Islamic State (IS) as a schoolgirl and was promptly married. When she became pregnant, she requested to return to the United Kingdom to have her baby. For evident reasons – chief among them her lack of regret for joining IS – many members of … Continue reading Does Eliminating Statelessness Put the World in a Better State?
The Re-education of Xinjiang: Religious contention in China
March 9, 2019 Since 2016, China has expanded its ‘Vocational Skills Training Centers’ in Xinjiang by over 465%. Despite the best efforts of the Chinese government to hide the true purpose of these camps, the experiences of local people and information gathered by reporters and governments attest to the terrible conditions within them. These are … Continue reading The Re-education of Xinjiang: Religious contention in China
Crisis in Yemen: Re-examining international involvement
March 8, 2019 At a High-Level UN Pledging Event this past February, donors promised $2.6 billion to support humanitarian efforts in Yemen. Wracked by civil war, famine and disease, the country has been struggling with a humanitarian crisis that the UN has called ‘the worst in the world’. The main donors at the event were … Continue reading Crisis in Yemen: Re-examining international involvement
DurMUN 2019: Conference Edition
It’s been a month since DurMUN 2019, and we already find ourselves reminiscing about the conference! ICYM or you’re feeling the post-DurMUN blues, here’s the 2019 conference edition of The Mondial. This edition includes live coverage of the opening ceremony and committee debates. It also offers beat reporting on topics such as strong-arm politics and … Continue reading DurMUN 2019: Conference Edition
DurMUN 2019: Pre-Edition
It’s been a month since the DurMUN 2019, and we already find ourselves reminiscing about the conference! ICYM or you’re feeling the post-DurMUN blues, here’s the 2019 pre-conference edition of The Mondial. The pre-edition includes beat coverage on the topics that were discussed by the different committees. It also features an interview with DurMUN 2019’s … Continue reading DurMUN 2019: Pre-Edition
Lethal Autonomous Weaponry: Fulfilment of Pop Culture Prophesies?
December 6, 2018 ‘I can’t fight this brain conditioning Our freedom’s just a loan Run by machines and drones They’ve got us locked into their sights Soon they’ll control what’s left inside’ Muse – ‘Revolt’, Drones From the above passage, it is clear that Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) have made their mark on popular … Continue reading Lethal Autonomous Weaponry: Fulfilment of Pop Culture Prophesies?
Why Austerity Doesn’t Work: Great Britain and Poverty
December 5, 2018 When you think poverty, you think malnourished African children with no water. When you think poverty, you think people living without electricity in a ‘backwards’ social system. When you think poverty, you do not think Great Britain. And in a country where 1/5 of the population lives in poverty, this is a … Continue reading Why Austerity Doesn’t Work: Great Britain and Poverty
One Hundred Years Since World War One: Modern Trench Warfare?
December 4, 2018 A few weeks after the centenary of the Armistice which ended World War One, it seems a reasonable time to ask just how much the world has changed since. With the outbreak of the Second World War taking place only twenty-one years after the conclusion of the ‘war to end all wars’, … Continue reading One Hundred Years Since World War One: Modern Trench Warfare?
Sir John Holmes Address: Communication in Humanitarian Efforts
December 3, 2018 On the 22nd November, the Durham University United Nations Society had the honour of hosting Sir John Holmes, former British diplomat and current head of the Electoral Commission. Mr. Holmes also worked at the UN as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs from 2007 to 2010, and it was this work that was the … Continue reading Sir John Holmes Address: Communication in Humanitarian Efforts
Eliminating Child Labor Through the Internet
November 2, 2018 Around 150 million children from the ages of five to seventeen are currently in child labour. 73 million of those children work in hazardous jobs. Needless to say, child labour is still a pertinent issue in our world today, and yet it is easy to ignore or even forget about this violation … Continue reading Eliminating Child Labor Through the Internet
Making Politics Ethical Again: The Issue of Foreign Election Interference
November 2, 2018 The 2016 US presidential election was a political nightmare that started in comedy and ended in tragedy, leaving an ongoing investigation into Russian election meddling in its wake. With the midterm elections fast approaching and accusations against the Trump administration piling high, the matter of protecting free elections from foreign interference surfaces once … Continue reading Making Politics Ethical Again: The Issue of Foreign Election Interference
Revisiting the Paris Agreement: United or Divided Nations?
November 1, 2018 A foundational tenet of the current international system is the morality of self-determination: the idea that the highest moral good for a nation state is the ability to control all affairs within its borders, without the interference of outside powers. Developed from the religious and political conditions of Europe during the Middle … Continue reading Revisiting the Paris Agreement: United or Divided Nations?
Expecting the Unexpected: Disease X
October 31, 2018 Disease X has recently been brought to the attention of global leaders, and, more importantly, global medical security following the 2018 Research and Development (R&D) Blueprint. Released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the annual R&D Blueprint states which dangerous diseases most urgently need to be researched in search of a cure … Continue reading Expecting the Unexpected: Disease X
Mightier Than The Sword: Safeguarding Press Freedoms
October 30, 2018 The world was stunned this month following the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A critic of Saudi Arabia and its impulsive autocrat Mohammad Bin Salman, he was last seen entering the Saudi embassy to complete some paperwork, where Turkish investigators allege he was murdered by the order of Saudi Arabia’s … Continue reading Mightier Than The Sword: Safeguarding Press Freedoms
DURMUN DIGEST 2018
ICYMI: Here is the low-down on DURMUN 2018! Whether you’re dealing with post-conference blues and you miss delegating, or you simply didn’t get a chance to grab a copy, the DURMUN Digest is now online to help you look back at the past weekend. This year’s digest features opening words from the DURMUN 2018’s Secretary-General … Continue reading DURMUN DIGEST 2018
Climate Change: Are We Causing World Hunger?
November 2, 2017 On the 16th October in Rome, Pope Francis addressed the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) highlighting the two obstacles to overcome world hunger: conflicts and climate change. The UN states that, globally, one in nine people (795 million) are undernourished, with malnutrition claiming 45% of deaths of children under five. Whilst … Continue reading Climate Change: Are We Causing World Hunger?
Blood, Sex and Money: Patriarchy and The Drugs Trade
December 20, 2016 In a turn described by the latest UN World Drug Report as “a landmark moment in global drug policy”, 2016 saw the General Assembly hold the third session in its history in which all Member States agreed to continue countering the illegal narcotics trade. Considering the scale and severity of the crisis, … Continue reading Blood, Sex and Money: Patriarchy and The Drugs Trade
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