1. Chair: Benjamín Espinosa y Santiago Blanes

Welcome to the Crisis Committee! My name is Benjamin Espinosa, and on this occasion, I’ll be your chair. Before boring you with committee-related affairs, let me tell you some things about myself. I’m currently 20 years old and a fourth-year law student at Universidad de Lima. My experience in MUN goes back to 2019, when I started debating in the high-school circuit. After I graduated I became a member of Peruvian Debate Society (PDS), a team with whom I’ve gotten the chance to debate twice in Harvard National Model UN - Latin America (HNMUN-LA) and three times in Harvard National Model UN (HNMUN). In my free time, I am usually buried in work, reading articles I find on the Internet, or binge-watching my favorite series for hours.

Diving into the committee itself, take into consideration that I chose this topic and committee for a reason. Crisis committees have been one of my favorites because of the always-changing environment, the plot-twists and the intense nature of the debate, so please bear that in mind while preparing for the conference.

Now I would like to talk a little about what I want to see in your performance during committee sessions. First, I cannot stress enough that the most important thing in MUN is to have fun, and I sincerely look forward to you having fun in this debate. This being a fictional committee, how you act will be crucial for the molding of the committee’s storyline, either it is through crisis notes, directives or something as simple as a speech. Crisis elements in this committee will play a major part in your evaluation (and thus the awards), so I’d really smile upon seeing directives and crisis notes prioritize quality over quantity (just don’t send one or two for the whole weekend). Inside the debate I’ll be looking for delegates that contribute to the flow of debate, mainly through good argumentation. Outside the committee I value delegates that can think outside of the box while negotiations are in place, so feel at liberty to be as creative as possible to get to your goals. I have a zero-tolerance policy towards any type of disrespectful or discriminatory conduct, if any of you are a victim or witness to them I’m asking you to please come forward and inform me.

You’ll also read it at the end of the study guide, but if you have any doubt regarding the story or any committee-related affair feel free to contact me through the committee’s e-mail. Looking forward to meeting you!

Benjamin Espinosa