Introduction to The Agenda Items

GA 1-The World Body Role in preventing war from affecting natural resources

2008-06-13T05:55:00.000-07:00

Natural resources of a country are naturally occurring substances in that region that are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified form. Even though a Natural Resource alone cannot be the soul reason for Domestic conflict, it definitely either aggravates a pre-existing conflict or plays a pivotal role among factors which lead to one. There are four major underlying problems to consider:
Firstly, vast wealth in natural resources creates dependence, known as the “oil curse.” Secondly, the existence of vast mineral wealth will tend to weaken government institutions and their public credibility. Perhaps most clearly, the existence of vast mineral resources in one particular area of a country will make that area especially prone to secessionist movements. Finally, the existence of large stores of natural resources will provide a quick and easy financing tool for domestic violence.
The main question is how to prevent nations from using mineral and natural resources as a financial supply for civil conflicts. The UN has worked extensively in certain countries to ensure this, but this has had mixed results. More importantly, there are no mechanisms in place for controlling trade of other natural resources, particularly oil, coal, or other minerals, which are becoming increasingly important to the finance of illegal operations. Similarly, it is vital to discuss how restrictions could be placed on third-party nations neighbouring conflict states in order to prevent those states from being used as a loop-hole to evade sanctions. Finally, what are the main steps that can be taken by the conflict nations in order to ensure peace and prevent similar conflicts in future.

GA1-The Role of Private Military and Security Companies in Conflict

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The emergence and rapid growth of private military companies (PMCs) and private security companies (PSCs) in the 1990s followed from the downsizing of the armed forces in many countries in the aftermath of the Cold War and from the development of many new conflicts which increased the demand for military manpower and expertise. The redefinition of security strategies and the restructuring of armed forces by Western governments resulted in the elimination of non-core activities from many armed forces. These have increasingly been filled through various forms of alternative service delivery, in particular outsourcing to PMCs and PSCs.

PSCs are companies that specialize in providing security and protection of personnel and property, including humanitarian and industrial assets. PMCs are private companies that specialize in military skills, including combat operations, strategic planning, intelligence collection, operational support, logistics, training, procurement and maintenance of arms and equipment. Most PMCs and PSCs serve governments and the armed forces, working for dictators, regimes of failing states, organized crime, drug cartels, and terrorist-linked groups but also for the UN, NGOs, and even environmental groups.

In recent years, such specialized private companies have dramatically changed the role of the state by ending the longstanding state monopoly in the application of force. However questions over the legal status of such companies and issues surrounding civil-military relations have arisen, in addition to other problems. It is important to address the role played by these companies. Currently, the United Nations has done little to tackle these issues, which makes it all the more important to address them.

GA 3-Assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa

2008-06-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

A refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail him/herself of the protection of that country" (according to all the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees).

Every person has the right to live free from persecution, or the fear of persecution, based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Though every government is obligated to provide this right, many fail. Every year millions of people face persecution for traits they cannot control or exercising their religious or political beliefs. When governments fail to protect these rights, people have the right to move to a country that will protect them. This is the right to asylum. People who seek to exercise this right are called "asylum seekers" or, in some cases, "refugees." In 1951, the formal basis for exercising the right to asylum was established by an international treaty, the Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Countries signing that Convention have an obligation to provide asylum or refuge to people fleeing persecution.

Africa is home to a staggering number of refugees, returnees and displaced persons. There has been a lot of activity in Africa over the recent years, most of which related to the problem of refugees, raising problems of security.
The Darfur conflict for instance has caused to a lot of violence in the area which has thrown the rehabilitation efforts off track.

The General Assembly established the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on 14 December 1950. The UNHCR mandate is to lead and coordinate international action for the world-wide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems.

Human Rights Watch believes the right to asylum is a matter of life and death and cannot be compromised. “In our work to stop human rights abuses in countries around the world, we seek to address the root causes that force people to flee. We also advocate for greater protection for refugees and IDPs and for an end to the abuses they suffer when they reach supposed safety. Human Rights Watch calls on the United Nations and on governments everywhere to uphold their obligations to protect refugees and to respect their rights - regardless of where they are from or where they seek refuge.”

There is need to protect and assist refugees and returnees in Africa and a lot of inter-related issues need to be addressed. The international community and development agencies must come together to address the broader issues of development relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons.

GA 3- Preservation of World Heritage Sites

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Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritages are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world’s heritage. What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that is on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by the United Nations General Assembly for a four-year term.

The programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. Under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund. The programme was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (http://whc.unesco.org/archive/convention-en.pdf), which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on November 16, 1972. Since then, 185 states have ratified the convention.

As of 2008, 851 sites are listed: 660 cultural, 166 natural, and 25 mixed properties, in 141 states. Italy is home to the greatest number of world heritage sites (41) to date. UNESCO references each World Heritage Site with a identification number; but new inscriptions often include previous sites now listed as part of larger descriptions. As a result, the identification numbers exceed 1200 even though there are fewer on the list.

Each World Heritage Site is the property of the state on whose territory the site is located, but it is considered in the interest of the international community to preserve each site.

Today, a number of World Heritage Sites are in danger. Climate change coupled with neglect and lack of resources poses a great threat. These issues must be identified and the international community must join hands to preserve these priceless World Heritage Sites.

The World Heritage Committee meets several times a year to discuss the management of existing World Heritage Sites, and accept the nominations from countries. A session, known as the World Heritage Committee Session, takes place annually where sites are inscribed on the World Heritage List, after presentations made by the IUCN and/or ICOMOS, and deliberations made among the state parties.

Delegates may use the link below as a reference point for all research.

http://whc.unesco.org/

ECOSOC-Social & Cultural Impact of Terrorist Attacks on Civilian Life

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“Although much of the world’s attention was focused on Iraq, Sudan and Darfur the plight of civilians in armed conflict remains a considerable and grave problem in many other parts of the world”, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Kenzo Oshima told the Security Council. He said the past year had witnessed some of the more horrendous acts of violence carried out against civilians.

The terrorist attacks that have occurred in the last few years around the world has raised the international awareness of the danger of terrorism and the complex repercussions on the financial, social and psychological aspects of human life. While well functioning, stable economies are better equipped to absorb the shocks international terrorism brings the developing economies are often thrown by the smallest tremor.
Economies are forced to tackle a wide plethora of problems including casualties, destroyed buildings and a myriad of economic costs. The cumulative costs of 9/11 was a small percentage of US gross domestic product (GDP), which exceeded $10 trillion. The United States was able to quickly recover from that attack and quickly took on the controversial “War on Terror.” Economists question whether a developing country would be able to take such swift and admittedly bold measures.

Terrorist attacks have shifted their concentration from the Government’s of various countries to the civilian life of those countries. This has caused social and cultural damage that supercedes the political damage these attacks have caused in the past. The economic repercussions as well as the social changes witnessed as a result of terrorism must be keenly noted. The United Nations “urges us to put the individuals in need of protection at the centre of our efforts. It is the millions of voiceless that require our attention and commitment”
In his address Past Sec Gen Kofi Annan noted
the “five D’s” for the UN to fight terrorism:
dissuading the disaffected from choosing the tactic
denying terrorists the means to carry out attacks,
deterring state support,
developing state preventive capacity and
defending human rights in the struggle against the scourge.

The ECOSOC will focus on global terrorism as well as internal insurgencies which are detrimental to the quality of civilian life. Biological and chemical warfare are threats looming large and cannot be ignored by the United Nations committee. While keeping in mind the sociological changes faced by civilians in war ravaged countries the committee must take into consideration the question of terrorism versus revolutionaries and debate the cause, effect and prolonged repercussions of the attacks as well as the motive.

“A true weapon of mass destruction can be distinguished by its potential effect on the fate of humanity, rather than its immediate impact”

ECOSOC-The Importance of Education of the Youth in Promoting Economic Sustainability

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Economic sustainability should be the goal of every economy of the world. Unfortunately, it is something that is very hard to maintain. There are various components that lead to Economic Sustainability.

Perhaps the most important of them all is that of the education of the youth of a certain economy. Promoting youth education has a direct relationship with the promotion of economic sustainability. This is the component of this integral economic phenomenon that will be discussed. The possible methods of establishing a solid youth education system is key to achieving the final objective.

The efficient and responsible use of resources, usually discussed in monetary terms, is what economic sustainability refers to. Economic sustainability can be applied to individuals, families, small and large businesses, communities, governments or world wide organizations. However achieving and maintaining sustainability is not possible without ensuring that the current and future generations are adequately educated.

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As a founding member of the Global Task Force on Child Labor and Education for All, UNESCO is firmly committed to combating child labor. Along with helping its Member States formulate policies to achieve EFA, the Organization monitors the implementation of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. These measures aim to find tailored responses to child labor through education, as do UNESCO’s education programmes targeting excluded and vulnerable groups.

Literacy is a human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development. Educational opportunities depend on literacy. Literacy is at the heart of basic education for all, and essential for eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy. UN agencies, NGOs and media experts focus on improving advocacy for early childhood education and drawing global attention to the critical role of early childhood education in helping children reach their full potential. In fact , promoting an achieving universal primary education is one of the Millennium Development Goals set by the UN.
There are good reasons why literacy is at the core of Education for All (EFA). A good quality basic education equips pupils with literacy skills for life and further learning; literate parents are more likely to send their children to school; literate people are better able to access continuing educational opportunities; and literate societies are better geared to meet pressing development challenges.
The deliberation in the ECOSOC will focus on how inter governmental co operation , development of inter governmental channels coupled with the assistance of the UN and multinational and translational agencies and organizations can solve or alleviate the problems of illiteracy, eradicate child labor, promote employment and thus achieve and maintain sustainability.

Delegates may visit www.rotomun.blogspot.com to view a list of agenda specific links and resources to aid their research.

Security Council-UN Role in stabilizing the current Socio-Political Situation in Sudan

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The War in Darfur is a military conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Unlike the Second Sudanese Civil War, the current lines of conflict are seen to be ethnic and tribal, rather than religious.
One side of the armed conflict is composed mainly of the Sudanese military and the Janjaweed, a militia group recruited mostly from the Arab Baggara tribes of the northern Rizeigat, camel-herding nomads. The other side comprises a variety of rebel groups, notably the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement, recruited primarily from the land-tilling non-Arab Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit ethnic groups. The Sudanese government, while publicly denying that it supports the Janjaweed, has provided money and assistance to the militia and has participated in joint attacks targeting the tribes from which the rebels draw support. The conflict began in February of 2003.
The combination of decades of drought, desertification, and overpopulation are among the causes of the Darfur conflict, because the Baggara nomads searching for water have to take their livestock further south, to land mainly occupied by non-Arab farming communities.
The United Nations (UN) estimates that the conflict has left as many as 200,000 dead from violence and disease.
After fighting worsened in July and August, on August 31, 2006, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 1706 which called for a new 17,300-troop UN peacekeeping force called UNAMID to supplant or supplement a poorly funded, ill-equipped 7,000-troop African Union Mission in Sudan peacekeeping force. Sudan strongly objected to the resolution and said that it would see the UN forces in the region as foreign invaders. The next day, the Sudanese military launched a major offensive in the region.
Background
The conflict taking place in Darfur has many interwoven causes. While rooted in structural inequality between the center of the country around the Nile and the 'peripheral' areas such as Darfur, tensions were exacerbated in the last two decades of the twentieth century by a combination of environmental calamity, non-sustainable fast population growth, desertification, political opportunism and regional politics. On June 16, 2007, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released a statement in which he proposed that the slaughter in Darfur was caused "at least in part from climate change", and that it "derives, to some degree, from man-made global warming".
"The scale of historical climate change, as recorded in Northern Darfur, is almost unprecedented: the reduction in rainfall has turned millions of hectares of already marginal semi-desert grazing land into desert. The impact of climate change is considered to be directly related to the conflict in the region, as desertification has added significantly to the stress on the livelihoods of pastoralist societies, forcing them to move south to find pasture," the UNEP report states.
A point of particular confusion has been the characterization of the conflict as one between 'Arab' and 'African' populations, a dichotomy that one historian describes as "both true and false".
International Response
In May 2006, the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur organized by United Nations "concluded that the Government of the Sudan has not pursued a policy of genocide ... [though] international offences such as the crimes against humanity and war crimes that have been committed in Darfur may be no less serious and heinous than genocide." Eric Reeves, a researcher and frequent commentator on Darfur, has questioned the methodology of the commission's report.
From the Sudanese government's point of view, the conflict is simply a skirmish. The Sudanese president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, said, "The international concern over Darfur is actually a targeting of the Islamic state in Sudan." Sudan has warned Britain and the United States not to interfere in the internal affairs of the East African country saying it will reject any military aid, while asking for logistic support.
The delegates in the security council will deliberate on the measures and steps needed to resolve the crisis in Sudan. The delegates are encouraged to come up with suggestions and ideas whose implementation would result in:
The removal of administrative obstructions to the delivery of humanitarian relief
Better security and the protection of civilians
Possible disarmament of the Janjaweed militias
the safe and voluntary return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their original homes
The Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement reaching a comprehensive peace accord expeditiously as a critical step towards the development of a peaceful and prosperous Sudan.

Security Council- Responsibility of Military Personnel towards Civilians, during Armed Conflict

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"We want a society where people are more important than things, where children are precious; a world where people can be more human, caring and gentle." Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the meeting of the Eminent Persons Group on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, Tarrytown, New York, 9 May 1995.
It is a basic need of children to be protected when conflicts threaten, and such protection requires the fulfillment of their rights through the implementation of international human rights and humanitarian law. Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, United Nations, 1996. For more information on the above, visit:
http://www.un.org/rights/concerns.htm
http://www.un.org/rights/h_rights.htm

The Security Council express deepest concern at continued civilian suffering during conflict, condemns all violations of humanitarian law threatening non-combatants
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/MUMA-7F34Q3?OpenDocument

Australia-ARMED CONFLICT, THE MILITARY AND THE ENVIRONMENT- (although a part of GA1, this topic is of high importance within the Security Council.)
“There are no ultimate winners in war - neither people, nations nor the planetary ecosystem. War is indiscriminate and can bring harm or destruction to life anywhere. Damaging national and global ecosystems also damages the people living within them.” http://www.acfonline.org.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=466&c=9158

Brazil- It is worth recalling – as stressed by the Secretary-General in his report on Africa – that stopping the flow of arms to areas of chronic instability is an essential ingredient of any strategy for lowering the levels of brutality against civilians and humanitarian workers.
http://www.un.int/brazil/speech/99d-hv-csnu-protecao-civil.htm
In recent years, the Security Council has increasingly directed its attention to the plight of civilians in situations of armed conflict, recognizing that this is an important dimension of its responsibility to maintain peace and security. One of the ways in which it has done so is by expressly incorporating measures aimed at enhancing the protection of civilians in the mandates of peacekeeping missions.
International humanitarian law binds all parties to an armed conflict. The principle that civilians must be spared from the effects of hostilities is articulated and developed in numerous clear and categorical prohibitions. Prohibitions that are all too frequently willfully violated. It is often in these situations of widespread attacks against the civilian population that peacekeeping forces are deployed to prevent further violations.
As long as the peacekeeping forces are not drawn into the fighting, they too are protected and should not be targeted. In its dialogue with warring parties the ICRC regularly recalls the protections to which civilians and peacekeepers are entitled. http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/6BNADG