SOCHUM Feature Interview - Ștefania Nițu

Note: You can watch the interview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge6leQEP2gg

The SOCHUM committee is one of the most omnipresent committees at MUN conferences, as it deals with human rights issues and violations, representing both a great starting opportunity for newer delegates and an interesting challenge for the more experienced ones. It holds a dear place in many delegate’s hearts, and that is the case as well for Ștefania Nițu, an experienced delegate who has kindly agreed to offer us some insight into her MUN experience.

Q: Thank you, Ștefania, for being here. It’s great to see you.

Ștefania: And thank you for having me.

Q: So, exactly how many MUNs have you attended?

Ștefania: I have attended about six MUNs, I believe, and three of them have been in the SOCHUM committee, but one of them was also chairing the HRC committee, which is kind of on the same wave-length as the SOCHUM committee.

Q: That’s a lot of MUN conferences. Could you tell me a little bit about your SOCHUM experience and also the chairing one that you just told me about?

Ștefania: I have loved MUNs since my first MUN conference and I kinda myself through them and found that I’m passionate about international law and that I’m passionate about it. Through those conferences, I started trusting myself and I started speaking more clearly and being more coherent in my speeches so I deeply recommend MUNs to anyone who has problems speaking in front of a public.

Q: That’s great to hear. So, what initially attracted you to the SOCHUM committee?

Ștefania: My best friend first attend her MUN conferences in the SOCHUM committee and she told me a lot of things about it, such as the people were more friendly. My first ever experience was in the Security Council and it was quite aggressive. I was an inexperienced delegate and I did not know even what a motion was - it was a foreign language to me. So, when I heard about the SOCHUM committee and how welcoming the chairpersons were and how all of the delegates were passionate about the topic they were discussing, I knew that I had to try it out for myself.

Q: That sounds incredible and, also, congratulations for surviving the Security Council as a first-timer, that’s a really hard committee. And now, you may know that many delegates may consider SOCHUM to be not as entertaining as you said the Security Council, where there are international crises being discussed and civil wars. However, you have attended half of your conferences in the SOCHUM committee. Why do you think that is and what do you find so interesting about this committee?

Ștefania: Well, personally, I have chosen some of the SOCHUM committees because some of the topics really attracted me, such as the first-ever SOCHUM committee that I attended. I represented China and I had to defend myself when speaking about the Chinese concentration camps with the Uyghur population. It was quite difficult, but the fact that I only had time to write out bullet points for my future speeches was very entertaining. It kept me going. It was very engaging overall.

Q: That sounds amazing and especially being a powerful delegate in the SOCHUM committee may be a great experience. However, do you think that for a first-timer SOCHUM may be a great choice or do you think that they should opt for, let’s say a Security Council or a Crisis Committee?

Ștefania: Honestly, for me, the Security Council was like my third option for a committee, the SOCHUM committee was actually my first. Not knowing what a MUN was, I had chosen a P5 country to represent and, of course, they did not give me it. But, I was assigned to the Security Council and I don’t regret it, because it was one of my favourite committees. However, I do recommend a SOCHUM committee for a beginner because you can get the chance to find out what a MUN actually is and how the procedure actually works, because, for the Security Council, you have some more guidelines that you actually have to follow.

Q: That’s certainly a good point. Like, you talked about the atmosphere in the SOCHUM committee, how it’s very friendly and welcoming and I think that’s great for any first-timer who is just starting out on their MUN journey. Given the context of the pandemic right now, I think that human rights have taken more of a step back currently. How important do you think it is right now for human rights to be implemented all around the world, especially keeping in mind the pandemic restrictions?

Ștefania: It’s quite important to implement and actually respect human rights, as there have been a lot of crises and movements that have happened all around the world, especially given the pandemic. You can take the Black Lives Matter movement for example because it has captured the public eye, even though this movement has been around for quite a while, starting years ago actually and I really believe that the UN and all of the NGOs that are actually activating in this domain should try and aid the people that are in need right now.

Q: I fully agree with you, it is really important given how many people have suffered, some have lost their jobs, so definitely human rights should be a priority. I actually want to hear more about your first SOCHUM experience, being China, honestly, I could have never done that.

Ștefania: It was quite scary, given how people could just stand up and start accusing me. Especially not having the time to think up an excuse and just having to stand up and defend myself, and say things like “That’s not quite true, it’s actually the other way around” or “Look, you’re calling us out on this subject but you are doing this thing that is quite similar at the same time”.

Q: Do you think it was quite engaging as well given the fact that you had to defend yourself in a short matter of time, maybe just as engaging as a Security Council given your high-level position and the topic as well?

Ștefania: Yeah, it definitely was. And it kept you going because you had to pay a lot of attention. You know how some power delegates can be and they just end up saying their speech and then sit down, and they just end up working on their working paper or not really paying attention to a lot of people, but, when you are in the centre of attention, you just have to pay attention to all of the other’s speeches so you can know how to defend yourself and whether you have to or not.

Q: I think that’s a very important thing in all committees actually, to really pay attention to what everybody’s saying. Aside from this experience, what other SOCHUM experience have you enjoyed most?

Ștefania: Honestly, it was the place where we’ve met. The UN Youth x MUN Club had a simulation at the end of the training. There, I was selected to represent the United States of America on the topic of arbitrary killings. I remember not doing that much research on it, which I totally do not recommend, I fully recommend reading the Study Guide and doing your comprehensive research after. However, I remember some countries throwing accusations at me from some actions that the USA had taken many years back and that were not really relevant to the topic. Since I had to look them up on the spot and have to defend myself, having to simply engage in the debate, even though I was not at my most prepared state. I really enjoyed that committee and the people I met there.

Q: You were really incredible then. I still remember the mock session and you were truly a powerful delegate. I could not have guessed that you were underprepared like you’re saying. Another question for you was addressing the fact that you know, in the Security Council, the resolutions are actually implemented if they pass. However, in the General Assembly, the resolutions, even if they pass, can only be suggestions. Has that ever bothered you in the SOCHUM committee?

Ștefania: Yes, it was quite frustrating because having had a resolution pass through the committee and into the General Assembly it was quite stressful. It was obvious that the other countries that had worked on it had put a lot of time and effort into it, but having seen it and debating upon it in the General Assembly and having seen it fail was annoying, even though it could not have been implemented. I believe that a lot of effort goes into these resolutions only to see them be applied as simply advice and being left to the latitude of the country when they decide whether to implement it or not.

Q: It’s quite frustrating because there are so many issues that are addressed in this committee that are overlooked in the Security Council. It’s not the best thing ever to see your resolution as only advice as well.

Ștefania: It’s honestly very annoying and frustrating because I believe that the Security Council, while it does concentrate on maintaining peace between other countries, it does not necessarily address human rights violations, because, at the end of the day, it has its own thing that it concentrates on and other bodies have the other sides of the issue. But, it’s quite difficult to implement those measures having this situation.

Q: Definitely, you’ve made a great point with this. There’s slightly a displace of power, which is certainly not the best situation ever, however, we can only hope that will solve in time. Could you also tell me about a lesson you learned or a story that you have from the SOCHUM committee?

Ștefania: Well, the first thing that pops in my mind is the LazarMUN from 2020. I was representing the United States of America in the SOCHUM committee, obviously, and a friend of mine who I met at VianuMUN 2019 was representing China. She and I had such great chemistry during the committee, the debate and the breaks as well, hence, there were quite some gossips talking about a coalition and a resolution happening between the USA and China. I certainly remember the moment one of our chairpersons was reading the first gossip about it and they were like: “Oh, is there a resolution between the USA and China happening?” and then he looked up at the committee and said, “No, there is none.” I think a lot back at this moment.

Q: I think we all miss physical MUN conferences, but we have to keep safe in this period. Thankfully, there are a lot of conferences coming up, especially for those who want to start attending MUN conferences or have just gone to a few until the pandemic hit us. What advice do you have for them?

Ștefania: I would simply advise them to sign up for a conference. Do their research beforehand and before choosing a country that they wish to represent. I fully encourage them to sign up for a MUN conference because they might get to the point where they find out they enjoy these debates and international relations, because, for example, I discovered that I enjoyed international law and I am now studying to get admitted into the law school of Bucharest, so I simply wish them the best of luck during these conferences.

Q: That was quite nicely summed up and I completely and wholeheartedly agree with the fact that everybody should try out MUN conferences. Thank you a lot for having this conversation with me, it was great having you here.

Ștefania: Thank you for having me.

Q: And, to everyone watching or reading, this was Delegate Snapshots.