BMUN 72 ECOFIN

  Hi delegates! As BMUN grows nearer, I wanted to offer some advice on your solutions and what our dais expects for committee!  Before diving into the different types of solutions we are hoping to see in committee, I wanted to take this opportunity to revisit our learning goals and expectations for research in hopes that your solutions end up addressing these key points: The Venezuelan economic crisis has been caused by a variety of factors rather than just one The primary victims of the Venezuelan crisis have been already impoverished citizens Globalization affects different countries in different ways, it isn't necessarily an entirely good or bad concept The global economy is incredibly volatile, and a priority should be increasing stability Please keep these learning goals in mind when forming solutions! They are key points we want you to address!  Need stepping-off points to start thinking about solutions? Start at the synopsis! As you read, highlight key issues that...

Hello Delegates! This is Zak; I’m excited to see you soon. Before BMUN starts, we thought it would be helpful to provide an update on Topic A: The Venezuelan Economic crisis.  Venezuela has experienced some marginal improvements since the topic synopsis was written. The Council on Foreign Relations (https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/instability-venezuela) reports that support for the Maduro regime has strengthened recently. Importantly, the Biden administration has retracted US recognition of Juan Guadió as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. While retaining the support of countries like Russia, China, Cuba and Turkey, Maduro has also found new friends in the recently elected leaders of Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil.  The Council on Foreign Relations also describes how there has been some stabilization in Venezuelan inflation in 2022; inflation rates hovered at above 50%. However, in 2023, inflation rates began rapidly increasing once more. The 2022 improvements w...

  Hi delegates! BMUN is just around the corner, so we wanted to revisit the pinnacle document of the committee: your resolutions! Before we even get into the details of your resolutions, we understand that the format and jargon about resolutions can be quite confusing, but not to worry! BMUN has a Resolution Structure document, linked here , that covers all the details of these papers.  When turning your solutions into operative format, we want you to keep the SMART goals in mind: S - Specific , what exactly is this operative trying to achieve?  Delegates should be as specific as possible while writing the resolutions. Clearly define the problem or issue that the resolution is intended to address. Use precise language to express desired outcomes and actions to be taken. M - Measurable , how will you know when this operative is successful? Are there any specific points that will make this solution more quantifiable?  The resolution should involve measurable metrics o...

The trend of deglobalization has persisted into 2024, as seen in updates regarding Brexit, the American-Chinese trade war, and the Russia-Ukraine war. As of 2024, the United Kingdom remains a non-member of the European Union, and as a result of its departure, the UK has dealt with rising consumer prices, high inflation, and delayed/reduced imports. Brexit has isolated and restricted the UK from outside markets, accounting for the above consequences, as noted by the CNN article  The UK economy still can’t cope with the consequences of Brexit. In regards to the American-Chinese trade war, despite there being attempts at diplomacy between the Biden administration and Xi Jinping, high levels of tariffs still remain and there are attempts to raise these tariffs even higher. Former president Trump recently affirmed how he'd enforce tariffs of 60% or higher on China if he won the 2024 presidency, as discussed in the CNBC article Trump floats 'more than' 60% tariffs on Chinese impo...

Hi everyone! If you have any questions about anything committee or conference related (topics, procedure, position papers, etc) or just want to get to know us better, feel free to sign up to join our office hours on Zoom. We'll be having 2 sessions: 3:30-5 PM on Monday 3/4 and 5-6:30 PM on Wednesday 3/6.  Sign up for a 15 minute slot here: https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/mkrms Can't wait to talk to you all! 

 Hello Delegates, I wanted to check in with you all to provide a couple of tips regarding public speaking and the content of speaking during committee.  We are all here with varying degrees of experience with MUN, but what matters the most is being able to participate during conference. One of the tips that I have with regards to public speaking would be to try and remain calm. For some of us this may be our first time in MUN and some may have been in MUN for a while, but it is important for all of you to remain calm and focused on what it is that you will talk about. We understand that it may not be easy to speak in front of others and if there may be a moment where you may need to pause. If in that situation, just remember to take a couple of deep breaths. Our job is to give you all a chance to speak, but we are also here to support you. In those cases, you will always have a chance of either restarting your speech, speak at a later time, or put a pin on it for the time bein...

  Procedure and Committee Flow Hi Delegates! I wanted to check in with you to provide some more insight to how our committee is going to work at BMUN 72. ECOFIN will be using Standard BMUN procedure .  Our committee will begin by opening a running Speaker’s List (standard speaking time is 1 minute, 30 seconds) and those speeches will be followed by 2 30-second comments by other delegates. This is the default timing for the Speaker’s List and can be amended if the committee agrees. The Speaker’s List can also be interrupted by Moderated Caucuses and Informal Caucuses that allow delegates to exchange opinions on policy, solutions, and more specific aspects of the topics at hand. In our committee, our dais plans on leaving the flow of committee up to you delegates, so we suggest you come prepared with specific subtopics and policies you hope to discuss! During Informal Caucus time, delegates are expected to draft and write Resolutions which will then be presented to the committee...

Hey Everyone! I'm Matthew Skaist (he/him/his) and I'll be one of your Vice Chairs for ECOFIN at BMUN 72!  I'm a junior majoring in political science and minoring in public policy. It's my first year chairing at BMUN, and I'm so excited to be your vice chair and hear from all of you! My main academic interests are public policy, international affairs, and American activism, and I intend on getting my masters and then getting involved in non-profit work and other forms of activism once finished. And, outside of school, I like to explore new places, go to the beach, try new restaurants, and hang out with friends.  Anyways, I can't wait to be your vice chair and I hope you all have an amazing time at BMUN! Best, Matthew In the Hills Above Berkeley Climbing the Most Active Volcano in Europe (Mount Etna)  Football Season BMUN Headshot

 Hi everyone :)  My name is Jocelyn Gao (she/her) and I'm so excited to be one of your Vice Chairs for ECOFIN this year. I'm in my fourth and final year at UC Berkeley studying Business Administration and Political Economy, and this is my fourth year in BMUN. I also attended BMUN as a delegate all four years of high school, so this is really my eighth year involved in BMUN. ECOFIN is the perfect committee to finish off my BMUN career, and I'm super thrilled to see what solutions you all come up with this year. Outside of BMUN, I'm involved in the Berkeley Forum, a club that brings speakers to campus, and work at the ASUC Student Union. I also love trying new restaurants and cafes, going to concerts, and watching films. After graduating, I'll be in New York City working at a consulting firm, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions about that or anything else! I've learned so much about international relations, public speaking, and collaboration from ...

Hi Everyone! My name is Bebby Liu (she/her/hers) and I will be one of the Vice Chairs for ECOFIN at BMUN 72! I cannot wait to see y'all during this upcoming conference! Are you guys excited as well? I am from China and South Korea, and this is my 5th year studying in the US.  I am currently a first year student at Berkeley studying Economics and am also interested in studying Business and International Relations. I am still in the process of exploring different majors on campus!  In BMUN, I am also part of BMUN's Organization and Philanthropy staff. Along with other members, we help to arrange details such as selecting catering services and securing hotel partnerships for the conference. We also work to support our partner, City of Dream, which is an organization aims to support youth from underserved communities in San Francisco.  Apart from BMUN, I'm also a part of Berkeley International Consulting community. In my spare time, I like to cook, dance, watch movies an...

What's up y'all!  I'm Zacharia (Zak) Willoughby (he/him/his) and I'm one of the vice chairs for ECOFIN at BMUN 72. I'm a second-year double majoring in political science (subfield: international relations) and global studies (subfield: Peace and Conflict/Europe and Russia). This is my first BMUN conference so I'm super excited to share with y'all my passion for global affairs during conference. Apart from being in ECOFIN, I'm also a part of BMUN's Organizations and Philanthropy staff, where I work to support our partner organization, City of Dreams, and try to figure things out like catering and hotel partners for the conference. I've also been a part of MUN since my first year of high school, and was the Secretary-General of my high school's MUN program in my senior year. Outside of BMUN, I'm a member of Paws For Mental Health and the Berkeley Political Review. In my free time, I like to go on long walks and also play some video games. H...

 Hello everyone! My name is Jan De Leon and I will be one of the vice chairs for ECOFIN at BMUN 72. I can not wait until conference in just a few weeks, and I am very excited to be able to meet all of you.  I am currently a sophomore here at Berkeley studying Political Science and potentially Public Policy. Both areas interest me a lot in the sense that looking at politics not just here in the U.S, but also around the world, can be really complex when you start to break it all down and try to find reasons as to why certain things do and do not happen in the political stage. I have just recently been involved in MUN with having only having experience last year as a vice chair. BMUN has taught me a lot in regard to speaking in public, interacting with all kinds of people, and much more. Apart from MUN, I tend to spend my time interning for the Chicanx Latinx Student Development Center here at Berkeley. In my spare time, I like to read, listen to music, go out on different advent...

Hi Delegates! We are so excited to welcome you to BMUN 72 and the ECOFIN committee. In this committee, you will be discussion two very pressing yet often neglected topics in global economics discourse . Our first topic addresses the Venezuelan Economic Crisis . Our second topic addresses Deglobalization and Trends Towards Economic Isolationism . This blog will act as our committee’s more informal avenue for discussion and communication before the conference– and we’d love to see you interact with it! The purpose of this blog is to (1) allow you to actively engage with the content of this committee and (2) give you all the opportunity to learn about other countries’ policies before the debate actually starts. You can post comments on posts that we make and write about literally anything relevant to the topics at hand! For example, if you’ve found follow-up content or research you’d like to share, would like to discuss your country’s opinion on the topic, or have other ideas in mind, thi...

 Hi everyone! My name is Shaan Pathak, and I will be your head chair for ECOFIN at BMUN 72!!! I can't wait until BMUN in just over 3 weeks or so, and am super excited to meet everyone! This post is just going to be an introductory one so you all can get to know me a bit before conference. The vice chairs will be doing the same! I am currently a sophomore at Berkeley studying Business and Legal Studies. Generally, I am interested in both the business and legal worlds, and how the development of new technologies impact both! I have been involved in Model UN since I started high school (so about 6 years at this point), and have loved my time both as a delegate as a chair. MUN has taught me so much about public speaking and learning how to interact with different people, while also teaching me a ton about international relations. Outside of MUN, I am involved in an education based consulting club on campus called Delta Consulting, in which we work for education related companies every ...