Flagrant hypocrisy and unpreparedness clear in UN Women after press conference goes silent.

The UN Women council is supposed to be a space where all delegates are active, truthful and faithful to their country’s stance. The press conference was expected to be a platform for relevant responses and significant progress in discussing more about their council’s topic about the struggle for legal recognition of transgender and non-binary identities.

What unfolded, however, was a disappointing showcase. What should have been an energetic exchange of questions and answers turned into an event marked by silence and lack of preparation from the delegates with very few who were willing to answer. Overall, their performance fell short of expectations, especially for the experienced delegates.

The Daily Telegraph and Bangkok Post were assigned to this press conference, as The Daily Telegraph’s questions explored different perspectives about transgender and non-binary rights and legal recognition while focusing on how structural systems and political beliefs influence access to rights. The Bangkok Post focused more on legal and cultural challenges while emphasizing how societal norms impact access to basic rights like education, healthcare and employment.

While the recap of what they did during the previous committee sessions gave hope that the conference would be full of energy, what followed was mundane, with the delegates of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom notably active, attempting to answer all of the questions asked to them or on the floor to the best of their ability.

A particular example of hypocrisy in the supposedly honest and trustworthy sanction of UN Women was Tanzania. During the council recap, it seemed as though Tanzania was truthful in their words yet, what lied beneath those was a disgusting truth.

As they were questioned by the editors of the Press Corps, contrary to what they stated in previous committee sessions that they support the transgender and non-binary individuals and their rights, most of the population strongly disagrees with deep cultural and Christian beliefs fueling discrimination and even violence against gender-diverse people, forcing many to hide whom they are.

Despite the fact that the situation in Tanzania is not at all positive, that does not give the delegate the right to lie about their country’s situation yet, they chose to project themselves as a nation that supports trans and non-binary people, showcasing blatant hypocrisy that is unacceptable within a council such as UN Women.

Croatia faced two direct questions during the conference from the editors as well. On both occasions, the delegate was unable to provide a coherent or relevant answer when questioned about his true stance on transgender and non-binary identities, instead deciding to deflect the questions, not even attempting to answer one, saying, quote, “Sadly, I cannot answer the question right now.”

While not every single delegate is expected to have exhaustive knowledge on every issue, a basic level of response with substance is crucial in diplomatic settings such as JOINMUN, especially when one is representing their nation.

What is shocking is that right after the press conference, even after all the questions, the council moved on as if nothing happened with none of the hypocrisy addressed or even spoken of once more, acting as though they did not disappoint not just the people from Press Corps, but their chairs as well.

Despite the fact that most of the delegates who have joined UN Women are new, veteran MUNers should have taken the chance to elaborate further about their country’s agenda and frameworks while newcomers could have seized the opportunity to stand out.

Ultimately, what was revealed from the UN Women press conference was hypocrisy and a lack of readiness to engage meaningfully. While silence in diplomacy may be strategic, in cases such as this one, it was a silence that spoke volumes about negligence and lack of commitment. The goal of conferences is to give delegates a chance to speak up and demonstrate devotion to their country and topic and they must remember that participation is not optional, rather, it is their duty, not just to themselves but their country as well.