Study Guide 2015 28 – 31 May United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Chair: Biondi Sima CO-Chair: Jessica Ghazaouir Rapporteur: Veronika Toth http://pimun.epanu.org/ Disclaimer and additional information: The guides supplied in no way represent conclusive research. Thus In the interest of a fruitful debate all delegates are invited to look to the sources for further research supplied in the guides, just like own sources. Further all information placed in the guides was gathered by the respective Dais teams. In the light of this, PIMUN 2015 renounces all responsibility for the content of these “study guides”. The deadline for the Position Papers is the 22th of May 23:59 (UTC+01:00). If submitted after this date the Position Paper will NOT be eligible for Position Paper awards. In order to make sure a Position Paper will be considered the document name should be: “Country Name”_”committee abbreviation as seen on the Study Guides”_PositionPaper_PIMUN2015 An example would be: FRANCE_UNESCO_POSITIONPAPER_PIMUN2015 The Position Papers can be uploaded to: http://pimun.epanu.org/ For further questions please contact: committees@PIMUN.fr Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMITTEE ................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMITTEE STAFF........................................................................ 1 Topic A: The Question Of Women Quota In The United Nations Is The Direct Consequence Of The UN’s Prominent Issue, Namely Gender Equality ........................................................... 6 I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 6 II. History and Background Information ..................................................................................................... 7 III. Previous Actions of the UN Bodies and Current Situation .................................................................... 8 IV. Case Study: Argentina ............................................................................................................................ 9 V. Role of the Committee regarding the Subject ........................................................................................ 9 VI. Recommended Reading List ................................................................................................................ 10 VII. Questions a Resolution Must answer………………………………………………………………………………..…………...10 I. Topic B: The Questions Of Adding More Working Languages To The United Nations Body ...... 11 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………….........11 II. The UN as a Language Employer………………………………………………………………………………..……........……12 III. Will there ever be more than six languages of the UN? ……………………………………………….....…........…12 IV. What about Hindi?................................................................................................................................ 14 V. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………....…...14 VI. Questions a Resolution Must Answer……………………………………………………………………………………..........14 V. Recommended Reading List…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15 INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMITTEE United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Committee (UNESCO) The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency that works with the coordination of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).1 Formed in 1945, UNESCO was created in order to respond to the firm belief of nations, forged by two world wars in less than a generation, that political and economic agreements are not enough to build a lasting peace.2 Today, UNESCO's message has never been more important. We must create holistic policies that are capable of addressing the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainable development.3 UNESCO is known as the "intellectual" agency of the United Nations.4 At a time when the world is looking for new ways to build peace and sustainable development, people must rely on the power of intelligence to innovate, expand their horizons and sustain the hope of a new humanism.5 UNESCO exists to bring this creative intelligence to life; for it is in the minds of men and women that the defenses of peace and the conditions for sustainable development must be built.6 UNESCO’s current programs are set out in its medium-term strategy, currently stretched to the year 2021. Its global priorities covers Africa and Gender Equality, with youth, small island developing states, and least-developed countries as its priority groups. The overarching objectives, include culture of peace and sustainable development, will be the guiding principles in contextualizing discussion within UNESCO committee. The structure of UNESCO is mainly divided into three parts: General Conference, Executive Board, and Secretariat. It currently constitutes of 195 Member States and 9 Associate Members.7 In regards to mandate, The General Conference that meets every two years, may establish special and technical committees, create subsidiary organs, and invite observers on the recommendation of the Executive Board.8 On the other hand, the Executive Board is responsible to prepare the biennial agenda for the General Conference, to submit recommendations to the General Conference, to implement decisions adopted by the Conference, to recommend the admission of new Members, to nominate the Director-General, to review the budget, and to provide advisory functions to other UN bodies and NGOs on issues pertaining to its mandate.9 1 United Nations Handbook 2013-14, 2013, p. 306. UNESCO, Introducing UNESCO, http://en.unesco.org/about-us/introducing-unesco. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 UNESCO, Members, 2014 8 UNESCO, Constitution, 1945, art. IV, paras. 11-14. 9 UNESCO Executive Board, Mandate and Functions, 2014; UNESCO, Constitution, 1945, art. V 2 1 The mandate for UNESCO is established in Article 1, paragraph 3 of the United Nations Charter, and Article 1 of the UNESCO Constitution.10 UNESCO aims at promoting collaboration among Member States in the fields of education, science, and culture in order to develop and maintain peace, rule of law, and mutual respect among the states.11 UNESCO is also responsible for coordinating and supporting the development of knowledge and culture for “economic stability, political security, and general well-being of the peoples of the world.”12 To support its mandate and extend its working coverage with amplified impacts, UNESCO works with Member States, UN organs, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to support peace through the collaborative exchange of knowledge, culture, and sustainable development strategies.13 In a nutshell, UNESCO plays a prime role in bringing together international conventions and setting standards on topics of education, culture, and science.14 10 United Nations Handbook 2013-14, 2013, p. 306. UNESCO, Constitution, 1945, art I, para 1. 12 Conference of Allied Ministers of Education, Conference for the establishment of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ECO/CONF./29), 1945, p. 1 13 UNESCO, Constitution, 1945, arts. X-XI 14 UNESCO, General introduction to the standard-setting instruments of UNESCO 11 2 INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMITTEE STAFFS CHAIR: BIONDI SIMA Distinguished delegates, It is my pleasure to host you in UNESCO committee in this year's edition of PIMUN as the incoming chair. My name is Biondi Sima, I am a Double Master's Degree candidate in SciencesPo Paris and Peking University Beijing. I take international economic policy as my major and diplomacy as my concentration in my first year with PSIA SciencesPo. Prior to moving to Paris, I worked as a Communication Specialist in Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team in Jakarta, an International NGO aimed at utilising open-source digital mapping for contingency planning and economic development. I have been an avid MUN enthusiast for a number of years. This includes co-founding a student MUN club in Makassar, and directing Diplomacy Royale in Jakarta, dubbed as the toughest and finest MUN in Indonesia. I was awarded as Best Delegate in Bandung and Beijing and was an international director of ASEAN Regional Forum simulation in Melbourne. I have also been traveling to a dozen of conferences, including Harvard National in Boston, Harvard World in Singapore, Global MUN in Seoul, and OGP Annual Summit in London. Today, aside from my stretched-out academic routines, I also serve as part of training management for SciencesPo's delegation to NMUN New York City where I also become a delegate in UNESCO committee to which we won an the Outstanding Position Paper Award, I am part of Indonesian delegation to 2015 Y20-G20 Summit Turkey, and a finance team member for Indonesian Student Association in Paris. During my weekend, one can find me broadcasted worldwide as a Radio Announcer in OISA Radio, where I host Inspirational Figure and World Facts programme—every Saturday-Sunday, 12.00-15.00 WIB—live from Paris! UNESCO features issues pertaining to Education, Sciences, and Cultures; things that are closely attached to everyday's interests of youth. In this year's PIMUN, delegates are invited to discuss and debate the questions on expanding women quota in the United Nations and the working languages of the United Nations' bodies. Delegates are requested to conduct ample research on the topics and beyond and are expected to offer refined resolution that can showcase the quality of UNESCO committee as the "intellectual" agency of the United Nations. 3 CO-CHAIR - JESSICA GHAZAOUIR My name is Jessica Ghazaouir and I will be co-chairing the UNESCO committee at PIMUN 2015. I have been born and raised in Lyon, France and I am currently pursuing a law and political science double degree at the University Jean Moulin Lyon III, where I am a second year student. I have been involved in MUNs as a delegate for 2 years now and PIMUN 2015 will officially be my first time as a chair. PIMUN 2014 was a great experience to me and the reason why I decided to attend PIMUN this year. My choice has been directed to the UNESCO committee because it is related to the social and cultural part of the United Nations, which is the one I am most interested in. Indeed, being in committees such as UNICEF, UNESCO or UN-Women in my previous MUN experiences led me to turn myself to the topics considering human and social protection or culture in general. I consider that it gives us a chance to open ourselves to the world in all its sides. I also deeply believe that in order to be a good and efficient co-chair, it is important to choose committees we are interested in. I cannot wait to see which way will take the debates on these key topics that are The question of a women quota in the United Nations and The question of adding more working languages to the United Nations body. Attending PIMUN 2015 is a real chance and opportunity for all of us: debating in the wonderful city of Paris and in the UNESCO headquarters, experiencing the art of diplomacy, meeting people from all over the world, having fun at the socials and much more. I am really looking forward to what already seeming to appear as an amazing MUN! RAPPORTEUR: VERONIKA TÓTH 4 Dear PIMUN Delegates, My name is Veronika Tóth and I am from Budapest, Hungary. I will be in the position of Rapporteur in the UNESCO Committee at PIMUN 2015. I am pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations in Budapest. I consider myself multilingual: besides Hungarian, I use English, French and Russian almost every day, and I have also studied some Spanish and German. For all my life I have been living in a multilingual environment, UNESCO is the relevant committee for me. So the question of adding more working languages to the United Nations body should be an interesting challenge, in addition to expanding women quota in the UN bodies. I look forward to meeting you all and to have very interesting and fruitful discussions on the topic! I already have professional experience working in various international and national organizations. I completed an internship at the American Embassy in Budapest, I did some translation for the Hungarian Human Rights Magazine, and I taught English as a foreign language in Thailand for two months. Currently I am doing an internship in Washington, DC. During my work experiences I realized that I love to work alone, as well as in team, especially in an international one. I am deeply interested in the UN politics and its international relations, so I can’t wait to work with all of you, young professionals from both EU and worldwide. Exchanging different ideas, meeting different cultures and languages, learning about how the UN really functions, meeting new friends, and discovering Paris, these are the main reasons that I would like to be part of the PIMUN. In my opinion, it is very important that young people make their voice heard in the MUN processes, as the UN is one of the most complex and important actors in the international arena today. I am confident that the PIMUN will be extremely exciting, and I can’t wait to see all of You! See you soon in the magical city of Paris, UNESCO Committee is already excited, and you? TOPIC A: THE QUESTION OF WOMEN QUOTA IN THE UNITED NATIONS 5 “Now it is clear that achieving gender equality will require the concerted efforts of all actors. […] Removing the barriers that keep women and girls on the margins of economic, social, cultural and political life must be a top priority for us all – businesses, Governments, the United Nations and civil society.” – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon I. Introduction The question of women quota in the United Nations is the direct consequence of the UN’s prominent issue, namely gender equality. Indeed, this principle is one of the fundamental rights enshrined in the preamble of United Nations Charter (UN Charter), which defines the very first aims and objectives of the United Nations Organization itself: “We the peoples of the United Nations determined […] to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small […]” Furthermore, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) makes gender equality, and more largely of the simple principle of equality, an undeniable fundamental right by using it as its framework. In addition, this principle is reaffirmed several times in the UDHR: Preamble: • • “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” “Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom” Article 1: • “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights […]” Article 2.1: • “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” The following articles of the UDHR proclaim human rights, with absolutely no distinction of any kind (including gender). As a result, gender equality (in the perspective of general equality) is one of the main guidelines of the United Nations, along with its specialized bodies and agencies, its various programs and its entire work. 6 II. History and Background Information The idea of Gender Equality first emerged centuries ago, in 1622, when Marie de Gournay (Montaigne’s niece) published her treaty of Equality between men and women. However, the concept materialized later, in the United States Declaration of Independence (1776) which declares “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal […]”. The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen reaffirmed the principle of equality in its Article 1: “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.” These declarations and conventions established solid basis for equality, but it took hundreds of years and a long and slow evolution to observe a real progress regarding gender equality. The question of women involvement in national or multilateral institutions is a much more recent question, mentioned and encouraged successively by the following conventions: • • • • The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), especially the article 7 which reaffirms the importance of women’s representation in the political life of their countries; The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted during the 4th World Conference on Women in September 1995; The Creation of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in 2010, which aims : “the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, the empowerment of women and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.” The UNGA 2011 resolution on women’s political participation (A/RES/66/130) which underlines the role of women in democratic processes: “Reaffirming that the active participation of women, on equal terms with men, at all levels of decision-making is essential to the achievement of equality, sustainable development, peace and democracy.” As a result, the question of a women quota in politics has emerged in Europe and spread worldwide. 7 III. Previous Actions of the UN Bodies and Current Situation The issue of women quotas in politics is very recent and still subject to debate. The United Nations Organization has worked for the amelioration of the condition of women and provided help for quotas to be implemented in several countries. Here are two examples: • Morocco: UN Women helped the Movement for Parity, which lead to a new constitution enshrining the principle of gender equality. A number of seats in Parliament are now reserved for women. During the last national elections, the number of women in Parliament increased from 10% to 17%. • Colombia: UN Women worked for the adoption of a quota of 30% of women candidates for national elections. They raised an awareness campaign, with the catch phrase: “Democracy without women is incomplete.” The UN Women body and different peacekeeping missions also successfully helped strengthening women’s participation in politics without establishing quotas, especially in El Salvador, Kenya, Egypt, Albania, Ivory Coast, Haiti or Timor-Leste. The current situation of the United Nations could be defined as paradoxical: while the different bodies and agencies of the United Nations work on empowering women, the organization itself has to deal with the issue of gender equality. Indeed, most representatives, ambassadors, diplomats and simple workers in the United Nations are men. As the figures below testify, there is still progress to make to achieve gender equality in the United Nations, especially regarding high graded offices. 8 IV. Case Study: Argentina After a long struggle of Argentinian women from various political parties and after deep debates between women and the Argentinian society for years, women quotas were established for national elections in 1991. This modification of the article 60 of the Argentinian electoral code was accepted by more than half of voices of the Senate in September 1990, and was approved by the House of Representatives on November 6th, 1991. The article 60 now provides that: “The electoral lists of the party are required to have a minimum of 30% women among their candidates for all national elections with real chances of being elected.” The electoral law also declares that any list which would not respect the 30% quota would not be admitted for elections. Moreover, parties which have to renew more than two seats must have a woman in the three first candidates of their list. The establishment of a 30% women quota for national elections proved its efficiency over the years in Argentina: the proportion of women in Parliament raised from 8,7% to 37,4% in 2013, which is an undeniable progress. The number of women involved in politics in Argentina keeps growing up at every election and lets hope for an even better evolution in the next years. Role of the Committee regarding the Subject The UNESCO committee must focus on strengthening women’s role and participation in the United Nations by debating the implementation of a women quota. Arguments in favor and against quotas in the United Nations should be raised, as well as positive and negative consequences of such an implementation. The committee’s work also has to be in accordance with the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, in the UDHR and in all previous declarations and resolutions of the United Nations. Discussing the question of a women quota in the United Nations implies a necessary debate of the following points: • • • • • • Aims targeted by the establishment of a women quota; Efficiency of a women quota; Definition of the quota itself and its level; Control of the respect of such a quota; Collaboration with other UN bodies and agencies; Alternative ways to achieve gender equality in the United Nations. This is a non-exhaustive, which must be completed and debates shall not be limited to the previous points. 9 V. Questions a Resolution Must Answer (QARMAs) 1. Although the rights of women is undeniably a part of fundamental rights, must women quota still be protected trough quota and other means of affirmative action? 2. What would be the main objectives of the implementation of women quota in the United Nations? 3. How would a women quota be established? How would the UN set its agenda to achieve it? 4. What would be the ideal ratio for a women quota? Should it evolve according to the different offices of the United Nations? 5. How would the respect of this quota be controlled? 6. Which other ways of improving women’s role and participation should come along with the introduction of a women quota? VI. Recommended Reading List United Nations website: http://www.un.org/en/home/index.html UNESCO website: http://en.unesco.org/ UN Women website: http://www.unwomen.org/en ‘Democracy and Gender Equality’, 2011, UN Women : http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2011/5/democracy-and-gender-equality Overview on the Convention of Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, UN Women: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/ ‘Democracy and Women’, UN website: http://www.un.org/fr/globalissues/democracy/democracy_and_women.shtml# ‘UNESCO promotes Gender Equality’, UNESCO: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/gender-equality/ Quota Project, Global Database of Quotas for Women: http://www.quotaproject.org/en/aboutQuotas.cfm ‘Influencing policy is ‘not a numbers game’’, Jocelyn Sambira, August 2013, Africa Renewal: http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/august-2013/influencing-policy-%E2%80%98notnumbers-game%E2%80%99 ‘Increasing Women’s Political Representation: New Trends in Gender Quotas’, Drude Dahlerup: http://www.idea.int/publications/wip2/upload/4._Increasing_Women%27s_Political_Representatio n.pdf ‘Gender Definitions and Mandates’, OCHA Gender Toolkit, 2012 : https://docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/Documents/GenderToolkit1_2_GenderDefinitionsandMandates.pdf ‘Gender Equality in Education: Looking Beyond Parity’, an IIEP evidence-based Policy Forum, 3-4 October 2011, Paris, ‘Gender Equality in Educational planning and Management – Case study : Argentina’, Natalia Gherardi : http://doc.iiep.unesco.org/wwwisis/repdoc/SEM313/SEM313_15_eng.pdf 10 TOPIC B: THE QUESTIONS OF ADDING MORE WORKING LANGUAGES TO THE UNITED NATIONS BODY "Languages are indeed essential to the identity of groups and individuals and to their peaceful coexistence. They constitute a strategic factor of progress towards sustainable development and a harmonious relationship between the global and the local context.... UNESCO therefore invites governments, United Nations organizations, civil society organizations, educational institutions, professional associations and all other stakeholders to increase their own activities to foster respect for, and the promotion and protection of all languages, particularly endangered languages, in all individual and collective contexts." Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura, former DirectorGeneral of UNESCO I. Introduction Of the hundreds of languages in the world, only six have been recognized as official UN languages. The first five — English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Russian — were part of the UN’s charter and selected mainly for political reasons. Arabic, was not part of the original charter, it was added after lobbying by Arabic-speaking member nations. They are the mother tongue or second language of 2.8 billion people, which represents almost the half of the world population.15 The correct interpretation and translation of these six languages, in both spoken and written form, is very important to the work of the UN. UNESCO’s mandate is to promote an interdisciplinary approach to multilingualism and linguistic diversity involving all different sectors: education, culture, science, communication and information and social and human sciences. From 1946 to the present, numerous activities have been undertaken to promote the use of the official languages to ensure that the UN, its goals and actions are understood by the widest possible public. Is it already time for the UN to revisit its own calculations, as it has just six official and two working languages? Should the organization change its language policy, a 7th language needed to be added? 15 http://www.un.org/Depts/DGACM/faqs.shtml 11 II. The UN as Language Employer The United Nations is one of the world’s largest employers of language professionals, several hundred of interpreters, translators, and editors are working for the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi. UN Regional Commissions in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut and Santiago hire even more language professionals.16 While a part of the UN’s budget of language services is covered, sometimes the governments of the countries speaking the particular language fall upon to fund the interpreting and translation costs. III.Will there ever be more than six languages of the UN? French has remained as a working language of diplomacy for at least a century; French-language diplomatic education is excellent. But the balance of power today is different from a century ago. There are yet 4 European official languages, and should the 7th be Asian or African? • • • • • 16 Bengali or Bangla is the sixth largest language in the world in terms of native speakers. About 300 million people across the world speak the language. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, with almost 100% of its population speaking Indonesian. Another 1.5 million people speak Indonesian worldwide, though mostly in the Netherlands, the Philippines, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Portuguese is not just spoken in Portugal, but in Brazil as well. The total population in Brazil was last recorded at 202.8 million people in 2014. Portuguese is also spoken is several African nations including Mozambique and Angola. German is spoken by an estimated 126 million people. German is becoming a regional language of speakers of three leading European nations: Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. It is the most spoken language in the European Union and is the tenth most spoken language in the world. Urdu is spoken by close to 100 million people around the world. It is the official language of Pakistan and it is also spoken and understood in parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Middle East. http://www.unlanguage.org/default.aspx 12 13 "The introduction of Hindi as one of the official languages of the UN has several financial and procedural implications, which require to be met before a formal proposal can be tabled in the UN," Central Public Information Officer of MEA, S Gopalakrishnan said it in May 2014. IV. What about Hindi? Hindi is one of the many official languages of the Republic of India, and is spoken by more than 500 million people worldwide. India has been making efforts to make Hindi the next official language of the UN. However, before Hindi can be adopted as an official language of the UN, a majority of the 193 UN member countries must agree to make the language official. India would "Hindi has not only become a world language, but it has also become eligible to be registered in the United Nations," Nepal's Vice President Parmananda Jha said it in January, 2015. then need to provide financial support for the translation and interpreting services. 14 V. Conclusion With 6 official languages, today the UN can not equally represent the interest of the speakers of the rest of the languages. Being the largest humanitarian organization, the UN should rather give all the major languages room for global recognition. A number of languages like Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Hindi and Urdu are waiting in eager anticipation of being included in the UN official language list. Which alternative do you think will be the cheapest and be the best one to promote international dialogue? VI. Questions a Resolution Must Answer (QARMAs) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. What would be the consequences of using only one official language of the UN? If a 7th official language would be added to the list, which language do you think would most likely be a strong candidate? What should be the maximum number of official languages? What would it cost the UN to add another working language? How would the scenario look like in the case of adopting Hindi as an official language of the UN? How could it provide translation and interpreting services? What is your country’s relationship with UN language policy? What are some facts, figures, and statistics regarding the issue? VII. Recommended Reading List Official and working languages of the http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001613/161344eb.pdf UN – 1948 15 Official languages http://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/official-languages/index.html Historical Development of United Nations Languages http://ask.un.org/faq/14463 Rules of procedure http://www.un.org/en/ga/about/ropga/lang.shtml Language and the UN: A Preliminary Review http://esperanto-un.org/images/languages-untonkin-draft-dec2011.pdf Multilingualism in the United Nations system organizations: Status of implementation https://www.unjiu.org/en/reports-notes/JIU%20Products/JIU_REP_2011_4_English.pdf Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002262/226238e.pdf Languages Matter! XozG0RSCo https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Q- 16
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