Greetings and welcome to the Third Annual Middle School Taiwan Model United Nations Conference held at Taipei American School! It is both an honor and privilege to lead this conference alongside our Deputy Secretary Generals, Trillium C and Nick Y. With our joint experiences encompassing 5 different conferences including IASAS MUN and TAIMUN, we have found that an understanding of current events, global issues, and concrete solutions to the global issues, crucial in becoming a world citizen and informed individual. Thus the Deputy Secretary Generals and I would like to congratulate all participants on taking the first steps in becoming the forefront of this generation and proud delegates of the respective nations in this conference.

This April, in Taipei, we will have five committees for the conference. They are the Security Council (SC), Committee for Disarmament and International Security (CDIS), Human Rights Committee (HR), Environmental Committee (EC), and Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM). This year in the Security Council, delegates will be grappling and debating the issues of territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea and finding solutions for the situation in Syria. CDIS will scrutinize the issues of drone warfare and monitor the continued naval buildup of BRIC nations. In the Human Rights Committee, delegates will be faced with the task of finding solutions for combating human trafficking and achieving freedom of expression. At the same time, the Environment Committee will be debating and discussing the uses of seas as an alternative energy source and finding the balance between food and biofuel production. Finally in SOCHUM, we are debating two topics with that require our immediate attention; preventing the exploitation of migrant workers and creating a joint-framework for humanitarian assistance after disasters which will streamline assistance from governments, non-governmental organizations, and private individuals to achieve maximum effect.

We urge all delegates to participate and contribute as much as possible to this conference. Whether delegates are co-submitting resolutions or speaking on the floor, delegates are encouraged to seize this chance to perfect their oratory, composition, and analytical skills. This exchange of intelligence and the culmination of weeks of research through debate in the small-sized committee rooms should provide ample opportunities to speak and participate in the conference.

On behalf of the Deputy Secretary Generals, Chairs, and the rest of the Administrative and Leadership Team, I wish to welcome all of the delegates and participants to MS TAIMUN III of 2012! We look forward to a lively conference filled with brilliant debate and many memorable moments!

Timothy Y.

Secretary General