Debate Format: WSDC

The first Online WSDC, organised to fill the gap created by the postponement of WSDC 2020 in Mexico, was won by Canada who defeated Sri Lanka 8-1 in the Grand Final.

Grand Final

Semi-final: Canada v Singapore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx28K-AH3OY

Closing Ceremony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3PNV15Mug0

Motions

Prepared motions for both divisions (prelims):

• Round 1: This House would designate specific non-residential areas in which drug users and dealers are legally allowed to buy, use, and sell drugs
• Round 3: This House would replace human judgment with computer algorithms in criminal sentencing decisions
• Round 5: This House prefers a world where all land was held in government trust and leased out on limited-term contracts

Impromptu motions (prelims):

• Round 2 (Maya): THW pay additional benefits to families on welfare according to their child’s performance in school
• Round 2 (Aztec): THBT opposition political parties should boycott elections, rather than contest them, when the electoral process is believed not to be free and fair
• Round 4 (Maya): THW ban political parties and require all candidates for national public office to seek election as independents
• Round 4 (Aztec): THBT multinational companies should be liable for human rights abuses that occur anywhere in their supply chains
  Definition: A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in supplying a product or service to a consumer. Supply chain activities involve the transformation of natural resources, raw materials, and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer.
• Round 6 (Maya): THBT mainstream search engines should refuse to list results with sexist, racist or otherwise offensive content
• Round 6 (one rescheduled match in Maya): THW ban job applicants from disclosing the name of the university that issued any degrees they may hold
• Round 6 (Aztec): THW ban corporate* sponsorship of research within academic or educational institutions
  *for this debate, “corporate” means for-profit companies

Elimination rounds (all impromptu):

Partial double-octofinals

• Motion 1: TH opposes the narrative of sacrifice as a description of the work performed by essential workers during a pandemic
• Motion 2: THBT large international institutions (e.g. UN & World Bank) should only accept female country delegates
• Motion 3: THW allocate the majority of government sports funding to encourage grassroots participation (e.g.: amateur community clubs, after school sports clubs, etc.) rather than invest in achieving success in prestigious competitions (e.g.: intensive coaching academies, player and personnel salaries, etc.)

Octofinals:

• Motion 1: This House prefers a world where each believer established their own connection to God, rather than establishing one through organised religion
• Motion 2: THBT social movements should actively use anger to mobalise support for their cause
• Motion 3: THW impose criminal liability on individuals who fail to assist a person in danger, when doing so would not place them at serious risk.

Quarterfinals:

• Motion 1: THW not distributed emergency and humanitarian aid through non-state groups linked to terrorism
• Motion 2: THBT the West should withdraw their military cooperation from India until they restore special privileges to Kashmiris in the J&K region

Info-slide: There is an ongoing dispute between India, Pakistan, and China over territory in the former federal unit of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

J&K was the only state in India to have a majority Muslim population, and there has been a longstanding secessionist movement in this state. The Government of India has consistently responded to this with brutal military repression.

Formerly, J&K also enjoyed ‘special status’. They had a separate constitution, flag, and autonomy over internal administration of the state. Only designated permanent residents of J&K could own property, obtain government jobs in the state, receive govt. scholarships, etc.

In late 2019, the Government of India placed major political leaders under house arrest, revoked its special status, and partitioned the state into two territories that the Government of India has direct and complete control over. Non Kashmiris now can buy land and own property, access government positions, etc, effectively ending any special protections for Kashmiris.

Semifinals:

• THBT states should reclaim a large proportion of all donations to charities and redistribute it across charities on the basis of their effectiveness

Grand final:

Context: You are a talented, middle-class person in your early twenties about to start your career. You have the choice between a job in which you will make a lot of money and work long hours (e.g., investment banker, corporate lawyer, etc.) and a job which pays less but that you are more passionate about (e.g.: social worker, chef, teacher, small business owner, etc).

• Motion: THW choose the job they are passionate about