Director:
Naomika Raveendran
Under-Secretary-General:
Mary Konstorum
May 2nd, 2008 marked the beginning of Myanmar’s Miserable May. From the 2nd to 3rd, Cyclone Nargis, the second-largest cyclone event in history, caused turmoil along the coast of the Irrawaddy Delta. Winds exceeded 130 mph, though citizens were told that they would reach a maximum of 50 mph, and a storm surge devastated the Delta’s communities. Its wake left the country reeling, with widespread destruction of all facets of life.
Millions of people have been displaced, as a result of the destruction of 90-95% of infrastructure in the delta, and over 138,000 reported fatalities have been reported. Agriculture, an industry that accounted for 22% of the country’s GDP in 2008, has been devastated due to burst sewage mains and widespread waste contamination. Further, the cyclone caused saltwater intrusion on a massive scale, compromising the country’s natural freshwater resources and threatening drinking water access. Myanmar’s barrier to coastal erosion had been its dense mangrove habitats, however, the cyclone ripped through these, leaving the country more vulnerable to future natural disasters.
Public outcry against Myanmar’s government has never been higher. The State Peace and Development Council must coordinate rescue operations, provide emergency relief, and determine how to prioritize and dole out resources to the decimated Delta region. Further, they have to consider the foreign governments and aid organizations that are pressing for immediate access to the Delta, decisions that carry significant implications for national sovereignty and the political standing of the SPDC.
In this crisis committee, delegates will serve as senior members of Myanmar’s State Peace and Development Council, tasked with directing the government’s response to Cyclone Nargis. Delegates must weigh the urgency of humanitarian need against questions of sovereignty and international pressure, allocate scarce national resources across a devastated region, manage the flow of information to the public and the outside world, and chart a path toward national recovery.