TCMUN
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations founded in November 1945. UNESCO seeks to promote world peace and human rights through international cooperation in education, science, and culture. Addressing an array of issues from artificial intelligence to protecting cultural heritage, UNESCO plays a key role in ensuring and preserving human rights and cultural diversity. It is composed of 54 nation states, elected by the UN General Assembly, with 18 members elected each year to ensure each nation's equity. ECOSOC’s global priorities include guiding sustainable development, coordinating economic and social work, and promoting international cooperation. ECOSOC serves as a gateway for UN partnerships and participation by civil society. The committee is responsible for the followup of major United Nations conferences and meets biannually at its headquarters in Paris, France.
Chairs
Callum Kuszak
This is my third year doing MUN, and I’ve been to TCMUN as a delegate and co-chair as well at BOSMUN25 and MITMUNC26. I’m looking forward to seeing my committee play out and especially the crisis session!I love to climb, ski, and be outside. I can do a backflip.
Tia DesLauriers
I've been doing MUN since my sophomore year. I've gone to TCMUN, BosMUN, and MITMUNI'm looking forward to reading some awesome position papers! I love to ski and compete in Freeride competitions, climb, and hike! I've been skiing since I was two!
Topic 1:
Combating the Politicization of the Education Curriculum
Originating in Ancient Rome, the practice of censorship has continued throughout the centuries since. In Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler used censorship to great effect to brainwash German citizens. It was also the first prominent time in modern history that the government would manipulate the educational curriculum by banning books and requiring teachers to teach pro Nazi views. Even today, some governments try to regulate what can be taught in schools around the world, using book banning and religious beliefs to influence the younger generation. Many different countries have different policies on things such as book banning and propaganda. In Russia for example, while they have legislation implemented to ban censorship, Putin has still made an effort to ban LGBTQ+ and Ukraine War books, claiming they are extremist movements. In the US, there is no federal law addressing book banning, but individual states have different policies on the matter. Even so, the practice has seen a rebirth, likely due to the increasing polarization of US politics and the heavy involvement of religion in government. The different situations in every country combined with global tensions create a dangerous environment for the future of the world. In anti-American countries, children are being taught to hate and fear the US, while in the US itself, we are educated to distrust and attempt to control countries that don't follow our ideologies of the American Dream. These and many more create even more tension, which is bound to erupt into a global crisis eventually.
Topic 2:
Addressing the Global Literacy Crisis in the Digital Age
Historically speaking, global literacy has increased across the second half of the 20th century. Despite these improvements, with the COVID-19 pandemic, global literacy severely disrupted reading instruction, leaving an estimated 100+ million children unable to read basic text by the age of 10. Out of this 100 million, nearly ⅔ of the affected population are women, and girls are historically more likely to remain excluded from education than boys. While digitization and increase in technology offer extensive opportunities to increase literacy rates, it widens literacy inequality in socioeconomically disadvantaged nation states. The issues of poverty and literacy are interlinked. Regions facing issues such as poverty and violent conflict are often disproportionately affected by the crisis, specifically sub-saharan Africa, south Asia, west Asia, and Afghanistan. In the United States, illiteracy rates have risen, with an estimated 130 million adults unable to read at all. Additionally, 54% of adults in the US read below a 6th grade level. The global literacy crisis creates an international ripple effect of negative outcomes. Economically, the global economy has lost over $1 trillion, gender inequality has deepened and generational poverty has been reinforced. Additionally, economic disparity between nation states has been sustained. Obviously, the UN SDG 4 has been established to ensure inclusive and equitable education for all. To achieve SDG 4, the UN has created the Commitment to Action of Foundational Learning to ensure all children, regardless of economic status, develop foundational learning to realize their full potential in society. Next, the RAPID Framework was adapted to advise member states on five specific actions to assess and address literacy rates.