By: Gracyn Stroman, Student Reporter*

In the GA First Committee session of November 18th, Representative Ethan Bohnert of Samoa appeared to surprise representatives in response to a previous statement from Türkiye regarding biological weaponry. After stating opposition towards biological and chemical weapons, Representative Bohnert escalated the discussion as he accused Türkiye of historically using biological weapons in the Armenian Genocide, stating they should have no place in taking such a strong position against the prohibition of biological weapons. This resulted in an immediate diplomatic courtesy announcement from the chair as well as a general unrest among the other delegates. Representative Bohnert apologized for the lack of courtesy, but did not retract the statement. 

Representative Bonhert provided the following comment in a later, follow-up interview. He stated, “Samoa believes that the structure of the UN is prohibitive from pointing out real world issues on the basis of supposed neutrality. Samoa has been the target of ecological and humanitarian catastrophes that it has been silenced against. We firmly believe in a moral compass, and addressing real world issues and cutting through the bureaucracy of modern democracy.” Going forward, we can expect to see the Representatives of Samoa further engaging in conversations designed to call out the UN and its Member for action.

_{The views and opinions expressed in this article were part of simulation of the United Nations held from 18 to 21 November 2023 and do not reflect the views and opinions of the American Model United Nations Conference, American Model United Nations International, LLC., the *East Texas Baptist University or the governing bodies of the states mentioned in the article.}