Pranit Gupta
Chairperson
Janhavi Shah
Vice Chairperson
Maansi Goyal
Rapporteur
Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
Rapporteur
It is an occasion of pride that the Shishukunj MUN is on the cards again. On behalf of the entire Executive Board, welcome to the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly at Shishukunj MUN 2016. My name is Pranit Gupta and I will have the distinct honor of serving as your chair in the Legal committee this year.
A little more about myself: I am an 11th grader, studying commerce and political science. I have been associated with this exciting domain of Model United Nations since over a year and have made my mark at several national and international conferences till date. MUNing, public speaking, quizzing, economics and current affairs are some of my strong suits. I enjoy travelling, wildlife photography, writing blogs and playing squash.
As for the committee, this year Legal's topic looks to the future. We will be discussing legislation of two new realms of warfare, clubbed 'Fourth Generation Warfare in the Fifth Domain'. Cyberspace is the new frontier for international warfare and non-state actors are the winning forces. In this warfare agenda, questions of legality arise because these attacks often cross the boundaries of national borders. I strongly believe that good MUNners should go beyond hurling Reuter's reports or UN documents at each other and focus more on solutions, than allegations. The world needs more of that.
Right now, you are a group of high school students with a common interest in politics- In July, you will be transformed into government officials facing some of the most complex issues in our world today. Have fun with your role and leave your own beliefs behind for three days as you represent some of the most interesting and vocal diplomats in the world. I am very excited for the discussions and deliberations that will arise from this fantastic committee. I encourage each and every one of you to not only be diligent in your research and your professionalism during the conference, but also, most importantly, enjoy your time here in the company of many other talented, thoughtful, and amazing people. Please feel free to reach out to me for any questions or your introduction at unga6@shishukunjmun.com.
I look forward to meeting all of you in the fall! Until then, best wishes!
Pranit Gupta
Chairperson
GA6- Legal
Shishukunj MUN 2016
War always changes. Our enemies learn and adapt, and we must do the same or lose. Not only is the world facing a change in the method of war, it is facing radical changes in who fights the war and what they are fighting for. All over the world, state militaries, find themselves fighting non- state opponents. Historians have termed this new realm as Fourth Generation Warfare. As the 21st century has dawned, nearly every aspect of human activity has become irrevocably intertwined with cyber space. So has warfare. Cyberspace is the new frontier for international warfare, and developing cyber security capabilities is, therefore, essential for every nation. And with the evolution of Fourth Generation Warfare, cyberspace has become more hostile. The likes of al-Qaeda have mostly used the Internet for propaganda and communication. A culture of hacking and cyber terrorism has emerged and expansion of cyberspace has increased areas for non-state actors to interfere with highly classified government information. With cyberspace all set to become the fifth domain of warfare, countries around the world are busy preparing to face the threat of cyber war where attackers remain incognito. Questions of legality arise because these attacks often cross the boundaries of national borders. Who gets to determine the fate of those who perpetrate the attacks, the nation of the attacker or the nation who was attacked? Who has jurisdiction over cyber space? Do the laws of war apply to cyber attacks? How are non-state actors covered under International Law? These are among the numerous questions that the committee should look forward to answering when dealing with conduct of non-state actors in cyberspace.