2-Sample+Journal

A journal written by Mr. Robinson of Hangzhou International School.
The journal on this page is a model for those students who are applying to serve as debate chairs at West Lake MUN 2009.

Each student applying for the position of debate chair is required to maintain a journal on a separate page in the wiki. Each applicant's journal must outline a unique current event that has the potential to become an issue for debate at West Lake MUN 2009. Over the course of February and March, applicants should collect a minimum of two articles or websites based on the issue. Each new article or website is considered a new entry. Applicants are free to organize their journal entries according to their own format. The essential elements of each entry are
 * the date of the entry,
 * a citation (the easiest way to do this is to create a link to the particular news item or website), and
 * two paragraphs of text; a summary paragraph presenting the most important information in the article or website and a paragraph of analysis and reflection which helps the reader understand the role of the United Nations in solving this issue (sample paragraphs are shown below).

Mr. Robinson likes to write, so his journal entries are long. Yours are not required to be as long. However, a good journal entry will prove that you have read, understood, and analyzed the news item or website. The journal entries will also demonstrate your understanding of today's world and the role of the United Nations in that world.

The following document gives instructions for creating a new page on the wiki and more detailed information about the purpose of the journal.

February 8, 2009
If you have ever bought an illegal copy of a DVD, you have participated in the worldwide trade in illicit goods. According to one estimate, as much as 10% of the trade in today's world is in illicit goods. Some of it seems harmless, like buying fake designer clothes or DVD copies. However, the same people who move fake jeans across borders might also be trading in much more dangerous items, like drugs, guns or even people. I became interested in this topic because I saw a show entitled [|Illicit: The Dark Trade on National Geographic TV]. The [|website of the Public Broadcasting System] has a good summary of the NGTV show. //**[This paragraph is a brief description of the issue. This type of introductory paragraph is not required in your journal. The next two paragraphs are required. Keep reading.]**//

In a [|New York Times article from March 17, 2008,] the trade of fake medicines is discussed. Last year, hundreds of people in America became sick and nineteen people died because they took a blood-thinning drug which had been contaminated. The article does not describe the exact type of contamination found in the drug. Instead, the article mainly discusses how America can protect itself from poor-quality medicines. The USA imports 85% of its medicine, and 40% of its medicine comes from China. The government agency in America which regulates medicine is called the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA must approve all medicines that are sold in the United States. As part of this approval process, the FDA inspects the factories that make the medicine which America imports. The article reports that the FDA has recently opened an office in China. However, the agency does not have the money or the ability to inspect every drug maker in China. So, the problem remains unsolved. It is very difficult for the United States to protect itself from fake pharmaceuticals. **//[This paragraph is a brief summary of the article. Every journal entry should include a summary of the news item you found.]//**

The goal of my journal will be to determine if the United Nations has discussed this issue and passed any resolutions. I will also try to find more examples of the problem so that I know which countries are affected. Finally, I will try to discover what tools are available to governments so they can solve the problem. Perhaps some governments have already had some success battling this issue. In a globalized world, every country is threatened by problems associated with trade. No country has the ability to manufacture all the goods it uses. Since trade is so important, countries must make sure that only high-quality and legal goods are traded. Especially in the case of medicine, it is just too dangerous for countries to buy and sell a product that has not been inspected carefully. //**[This paragraph is an analysis that ties the various articles together and develops the author's own thoughts about the journal topic. Every journal entry should include one paragraph of analysis.]**//

March 31, 2009
The World Health Organization’s efforts to fight counterfeit medicines are explained at its website. In February, 2006, the WHO held a meeting in Rome on the theme “Combating Counterfeit Drugs: Building Effective International Collaboration.” A declaration (see below) passed by conference called for the WHO to take the lead in the creation of a taskforce to address the issue. As a result, IMPACT was established – the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce – which has met three times annually and developed five working groups. IMPACT’s work is published at its [|website]. A thorough information pamphlet defines the issue of counterfeit medicines quite clearly, complete with anecdotal reports from several countries and recommendations for member states (see below). Much more detailed information can be found in the summary documents from the various [|meetings] organized by IMPACT. //**[ In this, the second entry of my journal, I have given a brief summary of a website that I discovered. The purpose of giving a good summary is to save my readers' time. Those people who have read the journal carefully will know what is available at the website without having to explore the website themselves. Also, a good summary helps me remember the website quickly when I re-read my own journal.]**//

After this discovery of the information at the WHO website, the issue of counterfeit medicines has been clarified. I am much closer to reaching one of the main goals of my journal. Both the scope of the problem and the plan of action have been described very clearly. In fact, governments, NGOs, and international organizations have been working together for the last three years. Armed with this information, any delegate would have no difficulty understanding the issue. However, I can identify two areas which need to be explored further. First of all, how can a delegate find out country-specific information? If this issue were to be debated at an MUN conference, I would like to be able to tell delegates some sources of information about counterfeit drugs in their country. Perhaps a website maintains a set of country reports. The second and bigger question is “What remains to be done?” It appears as if the WHO has already determined the best way to address the presence of counterfeit medicines. Further reading is needed to determine the best way to frame this topic for debate at an MUN conference. **//[In this analysis paragraph, I reflected on my goals for the journal and analyzed my progress towards those goals. While the issue is clear to me now, I am still uncertain how this issue could be debated at an MUN conference. After thinking about the issue some more, I realize what I must search for now.]//**

The Declaration of Rome, February, 2006

The Brochure describing IMPACT

//Young people should not be taken lightly. How do you know that they will not one day be better than you are now? - Confucius//