My MUN Policy Statement - Alessandra Cestaro

 

Delegation: Kuwait.

General Assembly,6th Committee,Legal.

Question of: ‘Compensation to civilian victims, or their surviving heir, of armed conflict.’

Article 91 of the First Protocol to the Geneva Conventions 1949 provides that a party to an international armed conflict which violates the provisions of the Conventions or the Protocol ‘shall, if the case demands, be liable to pay compensation’. This Protocol is to be protected and respected by the parties to the conflict.

Subsequently, in 1991 the United Nations Compensation Commission was created as an sub-organ of the UN’s Security Council. The direct purpose to its establishment was that of processing claims to pay compensation for losses and damage (suffered under all forms) as an immediate result of Iraq’s 1990-1991 invasion and occupation of Kuwait. The Kuwaiti population suffered loss of property, of business, pain and anguish, disruption of families and so the development of a high rate of orphanage. Kuwaitis are still suffering now, due to long-term effects of the Iraqi faulting actions such as neurotoxic driven-diseases due to the exposure to drugs and chemicals. Children are frequently found to have forms of cancer unknown in Kuwait before the war, such as bone cancer in small infants and breast cancer in twelve-year olds; who were not even alive at the time of war. These are civilian victims: people constituting an innocent third party but living others’ faults on their own skin.

Kuwait, being the direct interest of the UNCC’s instalment totally agrees with its action and is committed to enhancing it. On the other hand, our delegation believes that the compensation to Kuwaitis is not sufficient. The country counts 5000 deaths of civilians caused by the Gulf War and its post-effects, together with other 1000 predicted deaths due to the incredible crisis in public health, caused by environmental damage and climatic alteration of the Iraqi attack. 87% of the war veterans’deaths is attributed to post-war diseases, showing that most probably not all damage of the Gulf war has died out still.

However, it is by no means incomprehensible that Iraqi civilian victims possess equal innocence to Kuwaitis and as such have to be compensated in an identical manner. The UNCC never lacked this understanding and so facilitated Iraq’s compensation debts by proposing and promoting the ‘Oil-For-Food Program’ enabling a humanitarian aid after the indefinable destructivity of the war. The Security Council Resolution 1330 of 4 December 2000 achieved a formalized compromise and reduced the percentage of revenue from the program that would be allocated for compensation to 25%. No matter the smoothening of the fee: it was not respected. 

Kuwaitis claiming compensation gave a total of 2’686’131 requests for a cost of 350 $ billion. The UNCC awarded Iraq a compensation fee of only 52 $ billion which would have satisfied 1.543.619 claims. Iraq only paid 22.5$ billion not respecting the UNCC’s amendment and failing to fulfil the compensation of innocent Kuwaiti victims. Moreover, if the level of awards for claims increases at the present rate, Iraq will eventually own about 117.7$ billion in compensation and will not have paid off its debt even by 2070. (according to ‘Le Monde’ newspaper.)

Kuwait, overall, is enthusiast about the proclamation of the sub-order UNCC and the action it has taken. However, this delegation feels more pressure should be put on the faulting nations condemned to resolve victim’s deprivations and agonies. Otherwise the victim’s stolen and offended lives will not get justice in change of their infringed human rights.

This dispute regards our country very closely but our awareness of the centrality of this issue throughout our international community is extremely high. Armed conflicts are increasing nowadays, examples are world-wide Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan and right now Gaza, Palestine and Israel. Because the frequency of them taking place is rising rapidly, the gravity, the weight of this problem must not diminish in the nations’ conscience. As many already do, all should install NGO’s and create tangents for the International Committee of the Red Cross, both essential participants in the protection of civilians during armed conflict.  

My experience of the Ladakh 2008 expedition - article for the high school magazine

Ladakh 2008. – Alessandra Cestaro

Everyone who experienced this unique, eye-opening and unforgettable expedition will agree in saying that Ladakh is another world to ours. It is impossible to describe what this trip enriched us with through the use of words alone. Anyhow, I will do the best I can to share thirty ISM’s students’ experiences with other members of our school community.

Every year the ISM organizes an expedition to an ‘unusual’ country, somewhere in the world you would not usually visit with your parents. This year, Ladakh (Northern Indian Region) was re-proposed after its success two years ago. Many wished to attend the expedition, but only the first twenty-six managed to become protagonists of this amazing experience, accompanied by the courageous triplet of teachers: Mrs. Allmann, Mrs. Barton and a tribute to Mr.Hambo (who is now long-gone but always in our hearts).

Delhi was special to us. We were thrown into Delhi’s chaotic reality, so different and at the same time so similar to our own, at the very beginning and at the very end of our 3-week Indian experience. Delhi’s airport welcomed us after 15 hours travelling. We immediately noticed the gaps in the airport’s roof as well as too many mosquitoes sneaking through these and cramming around light. That was when every one of us thirty grabbed the repellent and covered himself all over with it. What a fuss we made right from the start! However, this first “traumatizing experience” was the beginning of an amazing experience. We grabbed our luggage and entered cosmopolitan Delhi searching for our bus.

We were welcomed by our guides who gave each of us an orange flower-necklace and how did every one of us look good with them on! We took a very brief tour of the city’s central area with the bus and it was enough to understand that Delhi had something magic about it as well as some other characteristics scaring us. We saw dozens and dozens of people sleeping on the street, at bus stops, at the entrance of public gardens, trying to fight the night as best as they could. We drove beside cows and a couple of elephants which were common parts of the every-day life there. We saw the Indian Gate and the railway station diffracted by the day’s first rays of light – infinite shades of colour mingling with each other, lighting up every hidden corner of the city.

4.00 am local time: Delhi was already awake and this Indian dawn was sharing all of the city’s secrets with our  sixty European eyes.

We reached the station to catch the train and it looked nothing like Milano Centrale: men sweating to carry tons of luggage, the smell of curry and spices filling our nostrils, but most shocking of all: the number of people on the platforms – too many! As I first reached the station I really thought I was in the middle of a civil protest or manifestation, it was incredible to see so many people simply walking down the street. Workers sleeping on their trucks for the last five minutes before starting a new working day.

We were so excited we couldn’t wait any longer for our journey to start.

Soon enough we left India’s capital city with a 7-hour-train-journey (-20° C on the train thanks to the ‘moderate’ air conditioning) and headed to Amritsar. This sacred city was followed by visits to the cities of Dharamsala, Manali and Leh with two rounds of 5000-metres-height-trekking, in the Himalayas’ heart, in between. We found ourselves sneaking into a completely different culture, full of mysticism, mistery, fascinating scenes and beliefs so essentially different to those of our society.

The Indian sky covered itself with magic as this culture continuously unfolded itself to us, sharing more and more of its unique secrets. We did feel a bit out of place and invasive at times: especially when we were sneaking into underground candle-light monasteries in Manali to see monks writing or orating religious texts in Indi. We also felt invasive when crawling silently into Buddhist monasteries with our unsatisfiable cameras (Franchi’s and Bianchi’s especially) at 5.30 in the morning after having taken a wash in a river near Tsomoriri.

Other times we were scared by enormous white-haired and red-eyed rabbits or gigantic yaks and cows which walked around villages and cities uncaringly. We experienced fear the first night in camp when we thought we would have died of hypothermia during the night - but that same night we fought the cold and the darkness thanks to Hambo’s physics lessons in front our self-made fireplace and our singing all together on the rocks. Nobody will ever forget cramming thirty people in one tent to play cards and squeeze all together to fight the cold air creeping in our bones.

All together we managed to overcome fear and we became confident we could make it through four days, without bathing nor having a shower  - although someone thought she’d take a wash by falling into the river (activity which Elena clearly found entertaining!). Our team spirit allowed us to challenge ourselves further and discover the Indian culture and way of life more and more in depth as time went by: we almost even gave up on being disgusted by chicken tandoori (which only Achille and Ricky would eat sickening amounts of) and chicken curry.

Treks and alterned monasteries visits allowed us to remain astonished by such a difference in culture from ours. I remember all of us being astonished by the poverty, the population density, the streets so dirty, but at the same time amazed by the charm brought by the simplicity of people’s lives mixed to the colours of the dawns and six-pm-sunsets high up in the Himalayas, near Stok Kangrila. These amazing colours painting the massive mountains were our reward (together with the tea and biscuits at the camps) for our 5-hour-treks under an extremely strong sun to reach the different camping locations guided by the Sherpas (of whom we remember Topgas being the best.)  The trekking was extremely tiring as Chicco (Mattia) would surely be able to confirm (Chicco fainted after a long trek. We soon found out this happened due to his lack of enthusiasm towards the boiled egg, baked potato, mango juice and Indian-style-panino making up his packed-lunch.)

Amazement in front of such religious devotion and in front of the breath-taking beauty of the Buddha’s gigantic gold-tinged statues in the monasteries and the unique experiences of camping in the Himalayas (including the sky full of stars, no one will never ever forget) were frame to our discovery of a magic world: a place, a culture to which we would all jealously want to belong to (without giving up pizza and pasta for curry however!).

We would never classify curry as being better than pizza, but as milanese teens and fashion-experts, we can surely say that Indian clothes are stylish! It was not only women who became obsessed with shopping: Achille, Morten, Giaxy, Archie and Bisi were also running frenetically about city centres from shop to shop enriching themselves with new-bought traditional items. We ran around from street to street, each road full with unrolling bazaars selling everything of anything (: typical incense, medicines, natural herb-based local products, gadgets, books, carpets, shoes, jewellery and postcards). We moved back and forth from the city centre and the hotel with the tuc-tucs: a sort of three-wheeled vehicle that substitutes our traditional less-amusing taxi.

            Our shopping sessions were everlasting. Only one thing was able to stop us, or rather two things: Mr Hambleton’s requests for company at McDonald’s and the heat. Humidity and heat were killing us. I remember myself seriously melting on those Indian pathways! Curiosity was too much, so I went to look back for the humidity degree in New Delhi on July 29^th and found out it was in fact 89%, 41°C. Thank us well now you know we were around buying souvenirs for you all in those climatic conditions!

Then came our last day in Delhi. The most curious of us left the hotel early in the morning to visit the Red Fort and in the afternoon Humayun’s tomb. Our last night in Delhi, we all dressed up with our new purchases: everyone looked more Indian than the local people, I swear! And as a group we went to celebrate Cri’s birthday at an Indian restaurant, where the food for once was have to say, delicious!

Looking back to the different steps of our wonderful experience, it is inevitable to admit that it was the best journey of my whole life! However, we are all totally aware that India has so much more to offer -  an entire life wouldn’t be enough to accomplish the challenges offered by its mountains, it wouldn’t be enough to see all the beautiful landscapes (or better – moonscapes!) Ladakh offers. India’s beauty lies in its cities, in its people and in their lifestyles, in its history, within its mountains and behind every hidden corner, which is home to something magic. 

DRAMA PLOT: Romance in Black and White - drama plot based on the Apartheid theme by Alessandra Cestaro

Romance in Black and White.

Frozen scene (table and chairs already set up and characters already in) : Ale+Ale stand up and speak (whilst lights are still down).

Ale C.:

Romance in Black

Aondio:

and White

(left light on (on Morten) )

Scene 1:

Morten: (on the left of the stage)

It’s 1976, in South Africa. (writing: 1976, Johannesburg) The Apartheid system is on. South African blacks have been deprived of all of their rights from the government and fought to get them back again. We are going to act about how they fought for their RIGHT TO LOVE.

[Morten sits down , 2 seconds and Daniel starts speaking while Sara and Ale are eating]

(Ale holds her head down, Sara worries about what is wrong with her daughter)

Daniel:

‘I can’t believe how these dirty blacks do not really understand that they cannot access my same public facilities because it’s just the way it has to be, and today once again I saw a couple of them on the WHITES ONLY BEACH. I was astonished, don’t they understand? Besides, they were a couple… and I thought to myself ‘Blacks are not able of loving and especially there is NO WAY you can love someone who is black.

Ale:

I really don’t understand why you say that… (low tone of voice to herself)

Sara:

(looks at Ale) ‘shhhh’.

Daniel:

‘Would you get a move on John!’

Ale:

‘His name is not John, father.’

Daniel:

‘Why should I care? And… all blacks are named John, they are all the same, he won’t care either.’

[Aondio enters with the food and serves Sara first, Ale next]

[Aondio+Cestaro hands meet, freeze:]

Martina:

Ella’s and Georges’ hands meet while he, being the servant, serves the white family the meal. Ella’s father notices and can’t resist being disgusted of that minimal gesture. One look is enough for Ella and George to unconsciously understand that they are in love one with the other. There are no differences between them to their eyes, unlike what many thought at the time. However, their love will be difficult, almost impossible because of Apartheid and the Immorality Act which prohibited relations between different ethnic group members.

[The scene continues, out of freeze, Aondio serves meal to Daniel next and drops the food]

Daniel:
’You useless Blackman! What did you just do? Did you see that?!’

Aondio:
I am extremely sorry sir, I didn’t mean to stain your clothes. Sorry, sorry!”

Daniel:
”I am not listening to any of your filthy excuses. Clean up quickly or you will force me to beat you up AGAIN!

Aondio:

“No no sir, please be kind, I will clean up immediately.”

[Aondio cleans up extremely quickly and leaves.]

Ale:

Father you cannot speak to him that way!

Daniel:

Sure I can, he is black!

Ale:

What does that mean? You shouldn’t loose respect for someone just because his colour of skin is different from your own!

Daniel:

What are you saying Ella? Are you crazy!? Obviously I can! I beg your pardon, I must loose every type of respect for a Blackman, he deserves none! What’s up with you and that Blackman? I hope you have nothing to do with him!

Sara:

What are you saying ?Obviously Ella would never mix up with that kind of person…

Ale:

I am sorry, I lost my appetite.

[Ale leaves for ‘her room’ but goes to the kitchen to go back to Aondio]

[Meanwhile Sara and Daniel are still in the back, they move their chairs and themselves more towards the sides, so that Ale and Aondio are forwards at centre stage in the middle, but Sara and Daniel are not blocked however.]

[light in the middle on Alessandra and Alessandro.]

[Ale comes and hugs Aondio from the back]

Ale:

‘Listen I am extremely sorry for what happened beforehand, my father is just like that…it is just the way he is. I do not think the same way however, I hope you know that.’

Aondio:

‘Your father is just right. I am black, I am inferior and I deserve no respect from someone like him. No respect at all.’

Ale:

It’s absurd you think that! You shouldn’t do, you have to fight! Or else, you will get nowhere! There is no difference if you are black or white…DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS?!

[hits plates because mad, the plates fall…]

[left light goes on, Daniel rushes in followed by Elizabeth]

Sara:

What is happening dear?

Daniel:

What are you doing here with HIM?

Ale:

‘Why can’t I stay with him? Why do we have to maintain the rules of that horrible system in our house as well? WHY IS APARTHEID HAPPENING? WHY SHOULD SOMETHING SO ATROCIOUS BE RIGHT?

Sara:

Ella, stop it…come with me NOW. [quite calm but showing signs she is worried in fact]

[Ale runs crying on Saras’ shoulder]

Daniel fires Aondio:

Daniel:

I have no intention to keep paying you, you can keep this money but STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER. She has got nothing to do with you, nothing at all and for the sake of every person, stay away from anyone who is not as disgusting as YOU ARE. (slow pace and clear: I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN ANYWHERE NEAR MY HOUSE AND MY DAUGHTER!) IS THAT CLEAR? (screaming kicks him and beats him a couple of times).

[Aondio is leaving…]

Daniel shouts as if Aondio was quite far: ‘You belong in chains!’.

[Blackout…]

(lights back on: only middle light on Aondio)

Scene 2: Ale’s Monologue: Ale is on the streets. Ale will then meet him and they will stay together the night.

[Aondio is kneeling to the floor looking up, beating fists against the floor, – some water on his face- seems as if he was crying] and almost lying on the  floor:

“They’ll start surrounding me at night. I am afraid to fall asleep, although thanks to the colour of my skin I am well hidden in the darkness of the night…. And then some of my friends will be caught by stray bullets. I will be caught without my passbook and I will be kicked out of Johannesburg. Oh yes, I will be kicked , once again, I will be beaten up. But, I don’t care, they can rip this BLACK SKIN Off me…I don’t care, the only thing I do not want, and that I will not be kicked out because of…is because I must stay here in Johannesburg..I must see Ella again, I love that woman, I wish to give my life to show her all of my love. To spare some of the hate of this country from her by giving her my love. But what I have to hope for, is for me to have a life…I cannot call THIS …A LIFE…but at least..  I   AM ALIVE.. (look around as if to see dead bodies)..unlike them…”

(my life be like… ) or (dear mr. President). (piece only obviously)

Morten:

It is night. The police is alert. Numerous homeless black people die on the streets. Starvation, the hot temperature… George Rosesbagina is one of them..and Ella is looking for him, escaped in the night from her house…

Martina:

Ella cannot resist going to look for George. She cannot suffocate her love.

Ale:

[walking on the streets]

“I pass people who sit in the dust and beg for work that will buy them bread. And on the other side I see people who are living in gold and glass (looking around with her head) and whose rubbish bins are loaded with food for a thousand mouths.”

[If Dear mr. President still on as background and stops NOW.]

(ale stands up and starts walking opposite. Back towards ale)

Aondio:

‘I see families from apart, I see…”

Morten and Martina (takes over Aondios’ thinking):

“ mothers without sons, children without fathers, and wives who have no men..and I see

Aondio:

‘myself without the woman..

Ale:

“ myself without the man…

Ale+Ale:

I love..”

[love will find a way..music..try to cut chorus or piece I need]

(walking back to back they meet…turn around and hug..)

Scene 3:

Martina+Morten:

‘I do not care about the police, I do not care about this system. APARTHEID MEANS NOTHING IF I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU)

[Ale+Ale hugging].. turn around.. (almost kiss…lips near)..

[blackout]

[Ale lying on Ales’ lap at centre stage]

[middle light on]

Aondio:

‘I am frightened of …

Morten (takes over thought):

‘…everything..Me, you, them..’

Ale:

No vestige of a beginning and no prospect of an end.

Aondio:

My adultery? And yours?..

Morten: (takes over):

..’ If that’s true of me because of you and my wife, then just as much for you because of me and your white skin..”

Ale + Ale (one line each):

What if they find us?

“They put on the light.

They take the picture.

They take our names.

And they take you.

And they take your belt and your tie and your shoe laces.

They beat you up.

They will ask us questions.

They will try us.

And then at the end as at the beginning, they will find us again.

Guilty.

Martina:

“If they take away your eyes, you can’t see.

If they take away your tongue you can’t taste.

If they take away your hands you can’t feel.

If they take away your nose you can’t smell.

If they take away your ears you can’t hear.

Ale:

I can see.

I can tase.

I can fell

I can smell

I can hear.

Ale+Ale:

I CAN’T LOVE.

Morten:

“If they take away my legs I can’t walk. If they take away my arms I can’t work. If they take away my head I can’t think…

Aondio:

I can walk

I can work

I can think

Ale+Ale:

I can’t love.

Martina:

When you are hungry you eat.

When you are thirsty you drink.

When you are tired you sleep.

Ale:

I will eat

I will drink

I will sleep

[Daniel and Sara  with white masks hold these phrases  (or hold up only Blacks can’t love/Blacks can’t be loved/ Immorality Act/Apartheid alternated)..(at the two sides…holding the things up in turn). – be careful of them being in the light anyway (although if not on stage)]

Ale+Ale:

I won’t love.

[always in background love will find a way, very soft . very very soft.]

Ale:

..If they take your soul, you can’t go to heaven.

Aondio:

I can go to heaven…

[Blackout] – music kept on low… (stop music when lights go back on)

Scene 4 (last): police, gunshot.

[Morten and Martina grab hats and white masks]

[lights on..ALL LIGHTS ON] – music stops…

Martina+ Morten (policemen):

..BUT YOU CAN’T LOVE…!

Morten:

You are under arrest because of the Immorality Act stating that there must not be any kind of relationship between blacks and whites!

Martina:

Girl, you should feel ashamed and you make us feel ALL ashamed!

[Ale and Ale obviously react by shouting… Ale C. cries.. Aondio: let me go, leave me,…]

Morten:

‘Hold the girl. Tight!’

[Morten grabs Aondio. Stops his hands. ‘Bangs his head to the floor’.Points gun at his head standing behind him..aondio is kneeling .head down..]

[Martina holds Ale down on the right side of the stage. Both of the women are looking at the scene.]

Morten:

Your time is over, say goodbye to your chick now…Bye bye…wave your black hand…

Aondio:

I loved you….I love YOUU…

Ale:

NOOOOOOOOOO (shrieks, crying…)

[Blackout and shotgun (track 27- high volume pero’…]

Scene 5: Last phrase, Conclusion all together.

[music starts again.. ]

[music starts again…Morten and Martina take hats of policemen off and guns away but keep masks on. Daniel and Sara take masks off…]

[WE ALL LINE UP. HOLDING HANDS]..

Ale:

Remember this, remember the victims that were…

Aondio:

Remember the love that was not able to be…

Martina:

Remember , help not to forget…

Morten:

Remember not to make it happen again..

Sara:

Remember we are all different, but it is not the colour of our skin…

Daniel:

That makes us unequal …different …

[People with masks lift masks, people with paint take paint off…all from the same side]

All together:

Because remember.. INSIDE…WE ARE ALL THE SAME.

(everyone very little bow)