General Assembly
GA1 DISEC -(Disarmament & International Security) :
Controlling illicit arms smuggling in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region :
The United Nations seized smuggled weapons in transit in the arabian sea, weapons were traced back to a port in iran, evidence tehran is exporting weapons to Yemen and elsewhere has caught the attention of the authorities, The militia’s deputy information minister denied Iran was smuggling weapons into Yemen, according to sources, Tehran stated the weapons were not sold or transported to the country. Sources state that Iranian arms were smuggled across the Iraqi-Iranian borders to militias and groups resisting the US occupation. In addition, arms and fighters smuggled into Iraq under the Assad regime were spotted; Iran and Syria collaborated in efforts to enhance the Lebanese Hezbollah's strategic arsenal and to support Hamas in its several military confrontations with Israel.The Middle East and China are gradually increasing their military-security cooperation and arms trade as China's standing as one of the major global arms exporters rises. Intercontinental smuggling of weapons has sprouted inner conflicts and violence within countries. This holds a big threat to international security as the possession of illicit arms might flower into chaos as tensions rise in the region. Many Nations however, benefit from this crisis economically and repeatedly allow the smuggling to happen.
Council Role:
Weapon smuggling worldwide has become a norm today, after seizing contraband in transit across the arabian sea, the UN has gone into action, Delegates of DISEC must come up with resolutions discussing ways to mitigate the spread of arms smuggling throughout the region and elsewhere , in addition to laws preventing the spread of this issue outside of MENA.
Controlling the usage of AI in the Military :
Artificial intelligence is not without risk, especially when it comes to the national military. The public is interested in lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) because they are easily imaginable and create significant security, legal, philosophical, and ethical issues. There are further dangers from AI's military applications that threaten global peace and security. AI will probably be used by militaries to aid in decision-making. This might be accomplished by supplying facts to guide human decision-making or even by taking over the entire process entirely. This might be accomplished by supplying facts to guide human decision-making or even by taking over the entire process entirely. This might occur, for instance, in places where communication is impossible or in places like cyberspace where things move too fast for people to comprehend. Even though it might make it easier for a human operator or commander to exert direct command and control over military systems, it might also have the opposite effect.
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the backdrop, the United Nations recently held a meeting to discuss the use of autonomous weapons systems, commonly referred to as killer robots. These are essentially weapons that are programmed to find a class of targets, then select and attack a specific person or object within that class, with little human control over the decisions that are made.
Russia took center stage in this discussion, in part because of its potential capabilities in this space, but also because its diplomats thwarted the effort to discuss these weapons, saying sanctions made it impossible to properly participate. For a discussion that to date had been far too slow, Russia’s spoiling slowed it down even further.The technology behind some of these weapons systems is immature and error-prone, and there is little clarity on how the systems function and make decisions. Majority of these weapons will invariably hit the wrong targets, and competitive pressures might result in deployment of more systems that are not ready for the battlefield.
Council role: Artificial intelligence is not without risk, especially when it comes to the national military. The public is interested in lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) because they are easily imaginable and create significant security, legal, philosophical, and ethical issues.With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the backdrop, the United Nations recently held a meeting to discuss the use of autonomous weapons systems, Delegates of DISEC must work together to formulate resolutions regarding the developing of these tools worldwide, as well as operatives directed towards controlling the use of these weapons on and off the battlefield. Delegates must consider the ethical questions that come into place, is pushing for military AI really worth it?
GA2 :SOCHUM Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee :
Combatting Neo-Nazism and extremist tendencies :
Extremism (also known as fanaticism) has been a phenomenon in human history since as early as Ancient Rome. It tended to refer to both violent and non-violent forms of political expression. To be an extremist could mean anything from being a nationalist, a communist, to being an animal rights activist – as long as this ideology is regarded as extreme relative to the government’s position. This form of expression of opinion, however, is extremely harmful to human rights and people’s lives.
Because of right-wing extremist views, international movements formed such as the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan, after 1945, the revival of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party called neo-Nazism and its sub-group, the hate movement known as “skinheads”. From above-mentioned groups, neo-Nazism is becoming the most threatening one. With the COVID-19 pandemic giving neo-Nazis more opportunity to target minorities, based on religion, race, ethnicity, nationality,disability and immigration status, the number of victims and human rights violations of the violent neo-Nazi movement’s programme highly increased over the last year.
Since 2012, the General Assembly has mandated the Special Rapporteur to submit annual reports, to both the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, on the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The reports address the manifestation in many parts of the world of various extremist political parties, movements, ideologies, and groups of a racist or xenophobic character, including neo-Nazis and skinhead groups and examine the implementation of discriminatory measures and policies at the local or national levels, triggered by this trend.
Council role:
Delegates of SOCHUM must discuss the gravity of this crisis as well as determining whether the organizations represent a threat worthy of being acted on. Delegates must form resolutions either for or against combating right wing extremists such as the KKK and the Skinheads. If acting upon this issue delegates of SOCHUM must also include the measure they wish to put in place to combat Right-wing extremist ect.
Humanitarian Risks Associated With Chemical and Biological Weapons :
Chemical weapons are defined as "munitions and devices, specifically designed to cause death or other harm through the toxic properties of those toxic chemicals, which would be released as a result of the employment of such munitions and devices'' by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of the United Nations. These weapons were most frequently employed during World War II and include mustard gas, chlorine gas, and phosgene. In recent years, XV, a synthetic nerve agent, and sarin, a tasteless deadly liquid that may evaporate into gas, have grown in popularity as preferred agents. On and off the battlefield, where they have resulted in more than 1 million fatalities worldwide, chemical weapons are renowned for their effectiveness and timeliness. The Halabja Attack, which took place in the Kurdish city of Halabja during the closing stages of the Iran-Iraq War, is one of the largest chemical weapons assaults in history. The attack, which left over 10,000 people injured and nearly 5,000 dead, is still one of the most well-known examples of chemical warfare. Even though the Geneva Protocol from 1925 and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) from 1992 forbade the use, production, and stockpiling of chemical weapons, some nations, including UN member states, have continued to stockpile and occasionally use these weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the years since.
Even though the use and stockpiling of chemicals have been banned by the Geneva Conventions, it is obvious that they still exist in some capacity today. North Korea has been the latest perpetrator of chemical weapon use. In addition to causing mass catastrophes, chemical weapons can also be used in individual attacks. This has been recently demonstrated when the VX nerve agent was used to assassinate Kim Jong Nam, the brother of Kim Jong Un. North Korea is now believed to maintain a large stockpile of chemical weapons.
In 2013, Syria launched an attack on its own people using Sarin Gas. Over 3,600 people experienced symptoms of nerve gas exposure and over 350 people died.
Although it cannot be completely confirmed that it was government forces that launched the weapons, it can be confirmed to a very high certainty due to other evidence collected such as trajectory measurements, satellite data, type of ordinance, and intercepted pro-government personnel who were worried that UN investigators would find evidence that it was the government. As a result, a deal brokered by the US and Russia with Syria to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile. In 2017, Syria once again used chemical weapons on its citizens. Over 500 people were injured and almost 100 people were killed as a result. Witnesses state that they saw Syrian warplanes drop bombs in the town early morning before being enveloped in a cloud of gas. Russia reports that Syrian fighter jets destroyed a chemical weapons depot which then led to the surrounding area being exposed to the Sarin gas. However, the craters left by the projectiles were consistent with sarin gas bombs that were made during the Soviet Era.
chemical weapons still exist in many of the countries that signed the original CWC. For example, the United States of America still possesses chemical weapons that date back to WWI, which the government reports are in the process of being destroyed. This is the case in many other countries that recently dismantled their chemical weapons program or have been ravaged by war and have chemical weapons that have been abandoned (such as the case with China after the Japanese occupation during WWII where the Japanese left a large amount of weapons behind). Despite many countries being in the process of eliminating their chemical weapons stockpiles, it is impossible to tell which countries still maintain an offensive chemical weapons program
Although the last attack using biological weapons was more than a decade ago, there is still a grave threat of an upcoming attack. The last large use of biological weapons was in 2001, when letters laced with anthrax were sent to news agencies and senators in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States. This resulted in 5 deaths, 17 infections, and mass hysteria due to the nature of how simple the delivery system was . Before that in 1994, a Japanese “cult”, Aum Shinrikyo, released sarin gas into the Tokyo Subway system. This led to an investigation which unearthed that Aum Shinrikyo had also attempted attacks using botulinum toxin and anthrax. . The attack proved that just a simple subway system was all that was needed to deploy a deadly biological toxin attack.
In our current state, it is impossible to know exactly which countries have biological weapon programs, as they can be made covertly and have both civilian and military use. This is known as "dual-use". For example, botulinum toxin is commonly used in a medical setting under the name "Botox" to induce flaccid paralysis in muscles and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Dangerous biological substances can also have a use in biological defense research so that countries can counter the medical and ecological damage caused by biological weapons if they were deployed. This is problematic because biological defense research programs that are legal, can be covertly used to create biological weapons or knowledge gained from the research programs can be used to engineer a better biological weapon. Currently, it is estimated that 16 countries possess a biological weapons program to some capacity whether that be biological defense, defense research, or is suspected to have an offensive weapons program . Without more transparency, it is impossible to estimate the true capabilities of each country due to the seemingly innocuous nature of the biological material around us.
Council role:Chemical weapons are defined as "munitions and devices, specifically designed to cause death or other harm through the toxic properties of those toxic chemicals,Even though the use and stockpiling of chemicals have been banned by the Geneva Conventions and the CWC, it is quite obvious that multiple nations still make stockpile these weapons, it is estimated that around 16 countries still poses this type of weaponry which poses a global threat. Delegates must investigate the Humanitarian threat that these weapons pose, delegates must then work together to form resolutions targeting the abolishment or restoration of the use or stockpiling of these weapons.
GA3 ECOFIN- (Economic & Financial)
Market Manipulation
The apparently defunct firm GameStop makes a surprise rebirth in January 2021. The American video game retailer recovered from a stock selling price of $3 to its all-time high of $483 in the course of a few months. 3 Not only did GameStop make news all over the world, but also Reddit, WallStreetBets, and Robinhood. The short version of the tale is that utilizing Reddit and Robinhood, a small handful of lone traders were able to destabilize the market, resulting in huge losses for hedge fund businesses. This background guide will attempt to convey the long story, which is a classic illustration of actor-driven market volatility, a persistent and unpredictably difficult problem that has wreaked havoc on the world's economies.
How then did the price of GameStop's (GME) stock rise so sharply? GameStop had long been a struggling business. It became more difficult to sustain physical GameStop sites as international shipping became more accessible, leading the firm to close 783 stores in the period from 2019 to 2020 alone. 4 The closing of GameStop locations around the nation was partly a response to the burden operations were placing on the business, which would have over $300 million in short-term debt by the end of 2020. 5 All indications pointed to the business's deteriorating health, which was demonstrated by the stock price, which fell from $50 per share in 2014 to $3 per share in 2019.
The majority of hedge funds believed that GameStop's future was optimistic. In other words, the majority of analysts anticipated that its stock price would keep declining. On Reddit, a group of novice traders presented evidence to the contrary. In a manifesto titled "Bankrupting Institutional Investors for Dummies, ft. GameStop" that was uploaded by a user on WSB, the company's future was defended and a short-squeeze was anticipated. 9 The user specifically delved into the company's balance sheet, the console cycle, its transition to a digital market, and other topics. The manifesto stated that the percentage of short holders at the company was so high that even an increase in the stock price to $15 would result in a significant short-squeeze.
Compared to its success in prior years, the company's trading price had increased significantly by this point. This attracted the attention of numerous profit-driven hedge funds. They predicted that GameStop's stock price would eventually fall because it was overvalued. They started selling their GameStop stock in the hope that the price would drop and they would be able to buy it back at a reduced price in the near future. In reaction, Reddit members made the decision to buy and hold a large amount of GME shares.
The events involving GameStop this year have answered many questions. It raises concerns about the overall system's stability (or fragility), what this means for future short-selling and market volatility, whether there are any repercussions for group action or colluding to influence stock prices via online fora, and how much the system is rigged against the smaller players. These issues and the effects of GameStop's short-squeeze are of utmost importance. It becomes more and more obvious that the involvement of people and organizations in their attempts to influence the market are a contentious subject as billions of dollars are lost and the entire market system is thrown into chaos.
Council role: The events involving GameStop this year have answered many questions. It raises concerns about the overall system's stability (or fragility), what this means for future short-selling and market volatility, whether there are any repercussions for group action or colluding to influence stock prices via online fora, and how much the system is rigged against the smaller players. Will this develop into a large-scale crisis? Are global economic powerhouses to blame? Delegates of ECOFIN must further investigate this issue, and come up with resolutions directed towards resolving this conflict.
Discussing the question of Scarcity, how should resources be distributed ?
One of the major problems in global economics is scarcity. Limited resources with unlimited demand/needs causes a problem in distribution. How can we ensure society gets a fair share of resources? And how can we ensure that the distribution follows ethical and lawful regulations?
The most common method for redistribution of goods and services is through the price mechanism, unlimited demand/need with limited resources causes a rise in scarcity rates which allocates the price range. This method has been used throughout society in the 20-21st century and is the leading method of distributing resources. The mentioned method is reliable in the ways that it has been working for generations and has been the leading theory in distribution of goods and services. It is extremely practical and has multiple theories attached to it.
The free market price mechanism has been called inefficient due to raising prices at an insane length. An example, oil prices increased “In the year 2021, the average closing price for crude oil was 68.17$ which significantly rose in the year 2022 to a high 98.43$.” As well as that the free-market price mechanism does not ensure an equitable distribution of resources and can lead to market failure. In other words the free market price mechanism does not distribute goods and resources based on principles like equality but purely on economic theory, this can lead to destructive problems such as economic disparity, a massive wealth gap and resources unavailable to the people who need it the most. This system also incentives monopolies and ignores social benefits (such as housing, water) This can lead to a much harder life for new businesses and low paid workers who could suffer at the hands of rising oil prices, rent, insurance, clothes, food etc.
LDCs suffer the most from this issue, the abundance of resources in their lands is unbelievable, however poor management of resources and colonization of these lands make making good use of them almost impossible. This is also a result of the poor market system on a global scale.
Council role: One of the major problems in global economics is scarcity. Limited resources with unlimited demand/needs causes a problem in distribution. How can we ensure society gets a fair share of resources? And how can we ensure that the distribution follows ethical and lawful regulations? Delegates of ECOFIN must come up with resolutions to manage this issue, as well as creating laws to ensure the world won't suffer from this again.
GA4 SPECPOL Special Political and Decolonization Committee :
The Destabilization of Mali :
Multiple facets of Mali's daily life have been impacted by the country's destabilization, as well as the regions around it. Recent separatist and extremist activities in the North have had a huge negative influence on Mali's ability to maintain a secure and peaceful environment. Due to the lack of government supervision, the destabilization also serves to strengthen other extreme organizations.
The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a Tuareg separatist group in the north, rebelled for the fourth time in early 2012, sparking the start of the present Mali conflict. A coalition of Islamist militant organizations, including Ansar Dine, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA), supported the MNLA as they advanced to annex territory in the north. A military coup led by the Malian army removed then-President Amadou Toumani Toure in March 2012 as resentment over the administration's handling of the uprising grew. The authority vacuum in the capital city of Bamako led to confusion and infighting, which made it easier for the MNLA and Islamist organizations to quickly gain territory.
Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups may develop a new safe haven and destabilize the area through militancy and terrorism if militant groups in Mali continue to grow and extend to nearby nations. Additionally, young migrants from all over western Africa who are traveling to Algeria or Libya with the ultimate goal of arriving in Europe continue to transit through northern Mali. Many people in northern Mali have turned to the trafficking and smuggling of migrants and drugs as their main source of revenue due to the region's poor economy and lack of work opportunities. As extremist groups in the Sahel region frequently charge trafficking and smuggling routes to fund their operations, this situation is both a humanitarian and a security concern.
Mali had an uptick in violent assaults and retaliation killings last year, and major terrorist networks and other militant groups continue to pose a threat there despite the deployment of numerous counterterrorism forces and internationally supported military operations. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), one of the UN's riskiest operations, seeks to safeguard people while fostering stability and supporting security procedures. The mission aims to provide the government the ability it once had to keep the peace, but more assistance from the Special Political and Decolonization Committee is required.
Council role: Multiple facets of Mali's daily life have been impacted by the country's destabilization, as well as the regions around it. Recent separatist and extremist activities in the North have had a huge negative influence on Mali's ability to maintain a secure and peaceful environment. Due to the lack of government supervision, the destabilization also serves to strengthen other extreme organizations. The UN has launched missions like the MINUSMA in order to mitigate the conflict, however more assistance is required from the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. Delegates of SPECPOL must form resourceful resolutions in order to solve rather than mitigate this issue, while considering exterior influences like the USA?
Outer space cooperation
This world has been able to change from one age to another thanks to extraterrestrial activity. For instance, the moon landing in 1969 was breaking news. It was a brand-new world to explore. Politics' significant influence on space exploration is not surprising. The UN General Assembly established The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in 1959, ten years before the US moon landing, to ensure that space exploration was carried out for the benefit of all humanity.
Space is thought to contain a million times as many resources as Earth. Due to this, multibillion dollar organizations like Amazon have started investing in the concept of space mining and looking to the future of space exploitation. This raised the question of whether businesses could profit from locations in outer space when multibillion dollar firms started their development into space. Yes, is the quick response to this.
To prevent disagreements and conflict, there should be parties involved in the legislation of space mining before it becomes a reality. The parties should be thoroughly aware of whatever restrictions this activity may have, and they should also develop a set of rules to emphasize the need of protecting wilderness areas so as to avoid repeating the mistakes made when utilizing resources on Earth. Evidently, drafting such multinational treaties involves several challenges. Although the US and Luxembourg have already started to establish space mining legislation, it must first be approved on a global scale in order to become a permanent element of space law.
Council role: With the recent upbringing of interest in Outer space resource and land collection, dormant tension between nations has awoken. To prevent disagreements and conflict, there should be parties involved in the legislation of space mining before it becomes a reality. The parties should be thoroughly aware of whatever restrictions this activity may have, and they should also develop a set of rules to emphasize the need of protecting wilderness areas so as to avoid repeating the mistakes made when utilizing resources on Earth. Evidently, drafting such multinational treaties involves several challenges and calls for immediate decision making. Delegates of SPECPOL must work together to form resolutions outlining their countries position regarding outer space cooperation, Delegates must include laws to manage the soon coming war for outer space.
GA5 UNWOMEN (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women)
Addressing Iran's war on women
Iran is ranked seventh-worst in the world for gender equality, including equal participation in the economy, Political factors, protesting, inheritance, Judicial punishment and many more, and it lives up to its ranking extraordinarily well.
Women who fail to wear headscarves and other attire covering their bodies in public may be harassed by the morality police, detained, or fined, and/or flogged. Many Iranians have expressed opposition to this policy.Under the Iranian penal code, the age of criminal responsibility for women is just nine lunar years, compared with 15 lunar years for men. Women receive harsher punishments than men for several crimes, including adultery (which is liable to the death penalty). Most sentences of death by stoning for adultery are leveled against women. Iranian family law also increases women’s exposure to prosecution for adultery. Men are allowed to have up to four wives and an unlimited number of “temporary wives,” while a woman is limited to one husband, and divorces are far easier to obtain for men than for women. Husbands need not cite a reason for divorce, while wives are only entitled to divorces if their husbands sign contracts to that effect; cannot provide for their families, have otherwise violated their marriage contracts; or are impotent, insane, or addicted to drugs.
The discrimination goes even further, Iranian law requires women and men to sit in separate areas in public transportation, at public weddings, and in university classes; to attend separate schools (even preschools); and to use separate entrances to some airports, universities, and public buildings. Women generally may not attend men’s sporting events, such as soccer matches, in public stadiums.
When it comes to activists, Iranian authorities continue to harass, interrogate, detain, and imprison women’s rights activists, sometimes accusing them of national-security crimes like espionage and collaboration with foreign powers to overthrow the regime. The government prohibits some women’s rights activists from traveling abroad.The authorities have cracked down on activists protesting “acid attacks,” in which acid is thrown on women who purportedly engaged in “immoral” behavior. One such activist, Alieh Motalebzadeh was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on October 11, 2020, for “conspiracy against state security” through her advocacy. The regime also arrested and prosecuted Negar Masoudi, a photographer and documentary filmmaker, for holding an exhibition of photos of acid attack victims and urging that the purchase and sale of acid be prohibited. She was tried for “propaganda against the regime” and “conspiring against national security.”
Since 2018, the regime has detained dozens of individuals for protesting mandatory head-covering. The activists have faced charges that include “inciting prostitution and corruption.” One of the activists, Shaparak Shajarizadeh, was sentenced to two years in prison and an 18-year suspended sentence after prolonged detention in which she was reportedly tortured and beaten and put in solitary confinement. Shajarizadeh, who fled Iran after her sentencing, claims she was told that she would serve her entire 20-year sentence if she engaged in further activism. In August 2019, a revolutionary court sentenced another hijab-protester, Saba Kordafshari, to 24 years’ imprisonment.
In June 2018, the regime arrested prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who had represented Shajarizadeh, reportedly telling her that she had been sentenced in absentia to a five year prison sentence for espionage and endangering Iranian national security. Critics of the Iranian regime allege that the charges were a pretext and that Iran’s government targeted her for representing political prisoners and women protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab law.
In practice, women are not allowed to serve in the uppermost ranks of Iran’s leadership, including as supreme leader or as members of the Iranian Guardian Council. The Council continues to disqualify women who register as presidential candidates, including all 40 who sought to run in the 2021 elections. Women are also prohibited from serving as judges. No women have served in the cabinet of purportedly moderate President Hassan Rouhani. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, only one woman has served as a cabinet minister. Two of Iran’s 12 vice presidents, who are less powerful than cabinet ministers, are women. Only 17 women serve in Iran’s 290-member parliament, and the Guardian Council disqualifies thousands of prospective candidates from running in legislative elections.
The government frequently censors publications critical of the Islamic Republic and removes material regarding women’s rights. The regime also censors or bans movies that it believes would spread subversive ideas about the rights of women.
Councils role:
The Iranian regime continues to discriminate systematically against women, treating them as second-class citizens. Tehran enables violence against women and sexual exploitation of girls; harasses, jails, fines, and flogs women for crimes like appearing in public without covering their hair and bodies; forcibly segregates women from men; disproportionately punishes women in the judicial system; cracks down on activists for women’s rights; denies women political and economic opportunities; and favors men over women in family and inheritance law. Delegates of UNWOMEN are required to consider all religious, cultural and sociopolitical factors when discussing this issue, and come up with resolutions to end rather than lengthen this issue.
The increase of gender based Violence and inequality during and post COVID-19
One of the greatest impacts of the pandemic has been its regressive effect on gender equality. Pandemic related closures of schools and daycare centers have significantly increased the burden of unpaid care, which disproportionately falls on women. Additionally, some industries that predominantly employ women have been disrupted by the pandemic.
The subsequent reduction of household income has caused tensions within families and has contributed to a spike in domestic violence. As increased calls to domestic violence hotlines during the pandemic indicate, many women find themselves trapped in abusive relationships. Since this violence acts as both a cause and effect of gender inequality, it demands coordinated international attention.
Over the last century, the world has come a long way in terms of gender equality in
the political, social and economic spheres. The efforts made to end the disparity between men and women during the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century has achieved exceptional results. There are more women occupying leadership positions in politics and business than ever. Women hold jobs and are no longer required to stay at home and look after children. Women are politicians, CEOs, professors, judges at the highest levels and are overall encouraged to cultivate their creative and intellectual faculties. Nevertheless, discrimination on the basis of gender and sex continues to be pervasive in all sectors of society, often going unperceived and manifesting in a variety of detrimental consequences for women, ranging from micro-aggression, to the glass-ceiling effect, and even to violence. This is especially true in low and lower-middle income countries where focus on gender equality has not been as strong. As such, true gender equality is something that the world is not projected to achieve any time soon.
Over the last year, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, progress towards gender equality has stalled. In its 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has concluded that the pandemic has had a reversal effect on crucial aspects of the fight for gender equality that has been positively progressing over the last few decades. This stems from the fact that the pandemic has had a more detrimental effect on women than on men. For example, thus far, 5% of all employed women have had their jobs terminated, compared to 3.9% of all employed men. Furthermore, fewer women are being hired for crucial leadership positions, which sets back recent progress by at least one or two years so far. Additionally, A United Nations 2020 study has found that as schools closed and jobs went online in March last year, women have been confronted with the extra burden of childcare and unpaid domestic work. UN Women has warned that ‘a real danger that the pandemic will erase the important but fragile progress that women have made over the past decades’.
Council role: In light of our theme “ Unity in Diversity, Delegates of UNWOMEN are called upon to unite in this prestigious council and stop this issue from prolonging any further. Delegates must form resolutions discussing measures that can be taken to tackle the increased unsafe conditions of women and girls in particularly vulnerable positions during post-Covid times. Delegates must discuss womens fiscal, financial and social independence being affected by the pandemic, and how lockdown has put these women in danger in addition to the issue of present household violence against women worldwide.
GA6 UNHRC ( United Nations Human right councils ) :
Uyghurs Minority In china :
More than a million Muslims have reportedly been unlawfully arrested by the Chinese authorities in reeducation centers since 2017. Uyghurs, a mostly Turkic-speaking ethnic group primarily found in China's northwest region of Xinjiang, make up the majority of those who have been jailed. In addition to the detentions, Uyghurs in the area have experienced additional rights violations including strict surveillance, forced labor, and coerced sterilizations.
The UN human rights office stated that the abuses may be considered crimes against humanity, while the United States and several other foreign nations have called China's activities in Xinjiang genocide. Chinese officials have asserted that they have not violated the rights of Uyghurs and that the reeducation centers were shut down in 2019. However, using satellite imagery, individual testimony, and secret Chinese government records, international journalists and scholars have uncovered a continuous system of mass imprisonment throughout the region.
The majority of those held in the reeducation camps were never accused of any crimes, and thus lacked any legal means of protesting their confinement. According to media reports, the detainees appear to have been singled out for a variety of reasons, including visiting or communicating with individuals from any of the 26 nations China considers sensitive, including Turkey and Afghanistan; attending mosque services; having more than three children; and sending texts containing verses from the Quran. Human rights organizations claim that many Uyghurs have been branded as extremists for no other reason than the fact that they are Muslims.
Chinese officials consider the camps as a means of removing risks to China's territorial integrity, government, and population because they are worried that Uyghurs have radical and separatist views.To combat forced labor in Xinjiang, restrictions have been implemented by foreign governments. Through its Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the United States effectively outlawed all imports from the region, while the United Kingdom has proposed legislation to penalize businesses who do not ensure that no forced labor is used in their supply chains. In the middle of 2022, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution asking EU nations to forbid imports created with forced labor.
Partners of China have been noticeably quiet. Many nations have chosen to ignore the violations of human rights in favor of their strategic alliances and economic links with China. Sixty nations signed a statement in June 2022 urging the UN human rights chair to recognise that matters relating to Xinjiang are "China's internal affairs." as well as declaring their opposition to the "politicization of human rights." Human rights organizations have chastised Muslim-majority nations for tolerating the abuses; among the signatories were Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Council role: More than a million Muslims have reportedly been unlawfully arrested by the Chinese authorities in reeducation centers since 2017. Uyghurs, a mostly Turkic-speaking ethnic group primarily found in China's northwest region of Xinjiang, make up the majority of those who have been jailed. Alarmed by this issue, Delegates of UNHRC must discuss the Human right and Islamophobic violations that the Chinese government has been accused of and determine the relevance of these claims. Delegates of UNHRC must then form resolutions centered around how to salvage the ones affected by the Chinese regiment. Delegates opposing these claims must work together to prove that these alleged actions, if proved to have taken place, are justifiable and were taken to protect national security
Between Secession and Genocide - Investigating Human Rights Violations within Ethiopia, with a Focus on the Tigray Region”
The United Nations (UN) is currently investigating human rights violations in Ethiopia stemming from the war at hand. The war between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front has resulted in the deliberate blocking of humanitarian aid directed to the people of Ethiopia and more specifically the Tigray region, the consequences of which are worsening the already present famine. To add onto this, there have been reports of shootings, murders and acts of sexual violence. Similarly, the situation has escalated by the neighboring country of Eritrea supporting the Ethiopian government and blocking off the region of Tigray further. Due to this, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency.
In December 2021, the UNHRC established the International Commission of Human Rights Experts with the purpose to provide a panel of experts which will look into these human rights violations. The panel was created with 21 States voting in favor, 15 voting against and 11 abstaining from the vote. The panel is made up of three members who will have a full year to gather evidence regarding the responsible persons for committing the human rights violations. The UN has urged all involved parties to cease fire and allow the passage of humanitarian relief, however, this has not been done.The Ethiopian government refused to cooperate with the investigation.
The continuation of human rights violations in Ethiopia requires the UN and the international community to now reassess the grave nature of these crimes and the consequences that derive thereof. The killings, mass shootings, acts of sexual violence and blocking off of aid have put Ethiopia in serious reach of being accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Ethiopian government is claiming their actions are justified because they are fighting the radicals, namely TPLF. However, upon viewing the actions of the Ethiopian government, a different result can be formulated.
The current conflict has led to thousands dying and the displacement of almost two million people. These violations are grave and ongoing which is why there is need for intervention. Ethiopia has failed to block the formulation of a committee that will investigate these violations. The UN Secretary General's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, stressed the importance of investigating human rights violations as this upholds the accountability pillar required under current legislation10 . Due to the severity of the issue, namely the violence upon and the famine of Ethiopian people, there is need for immediate action and solutions as it remains unclear how much longer this can go on.
Council Role: The UN is currently investigating human rights violations in Ethiopia stemming from the war at hand. Reports mention famine, shootings, murders and many more human rights violations have taken place since then. Due to the severity of the issue, namely the violence upon and the famine of Ethiopian people, there is need for immediate action and solutions as it remains unclear how much longer this can go on. Delegates of UNHRC must come up with resolutions directed towards ending these conflicts as it has spiraled out of control, Delegates must act quickly as time is of the essence, every second spared is a life lost in the frontlines.
GA7 ECA ( Economic Commission for Africa )
Addressing the current state of the AfCFTA ( African Continental Free Trade Agreement )
The African Continental Free Trade Agreement is widely regarded as a crucial driver for African economic growth, as well as industrialization and sustainable development in Africa. Despite the opportunities to bring to the table, the many challenges brought along with it must be addressed.
Fears of significant revenue losses and an uneven distribution of costs and benefits are among the main obstacles to the continent's integration. Flanking measures and flexibilities should be discussed in order for a fair sharing of costs and benefits, to reduce adjustment costs and to attain the full long-term benefits of the AfCFTA .
In the long-run, trade liberalization in the AfCFTA lowers trade costs and allows consumers to access a broader variety of products at much lower prices. Lower costs for imported raw materials and intermediate inputs increases competitiveness of downstream producers and promotes the generation of regional value chains. Trade liberalization also allows firms to access a large continental market and gain from economies of scale. In the long run, increased competitive pressures may improve firm efficiency. However, market consolidation may arise when smaller firms are exposed to stiffer competition.
While most of the potential benefits of trade liberalization accrue in the long run, short-run structural change through the relocation of labor, capital and other factors of production entails costs of adjustment which will hit many economies badly.
Although 44 out of 45 African countries have signed the agreement, and 36 African Union member states deposited their instrument of ratification, only Ghana, South Africa, and Egypt have met the custom requirements on infrastructure for trading. This means only these three countries can trade effectively under the AfCFTA agreement. This represents a long shot from the full implementation of the agreement.
International policies, Government bureaucracies, and economic woes resulting from the covid-19 pandemic have further affected the full implementation of the agreement in all African countries. In August 2019, the Nigerian government ordered a partial closure and subsequently, in October 2019, a full closure of all land borders. The closure contravened the AfCFTA agreement in which Nigeria is a signatory, and it halted trade with neighboring countries (Benin, Cameroun, Chad, and Niger).
The government argued that the AfCFTA undermined the country’s food import substitution policy on local production and consumption. The argument is, however, not without basis. A recent study by the World Bank reveals, “Africa’s rising food import bill poses a burden on the external balances and signifies an important missed opportunity for accelerating poverty reduction through food import substitution.”
Therefore, the decision is unilateralist and parochial, with only short-term advantages to it. One cannot argue that the indefinite border closure will only reduce the import rate into the country and further increase illegal routes of smuggling goods into the country.
Council Role: The AfCFTA is Widely viewed as a major factor in boosting Africa's economic growth and development,as well as an increase in industrialization in the continent. However the many challenges it brings with it must be addressed. Delegates of the ECA should discuss the short term and long term outcomes of the trade agreements, Delegates must formulate resolutions directed towards solving the challenges at hand, therefore ensuring a smooth continuation of the Free Trade Agreement .
Combatting post Covid-19 dept : Attracting foreign investment
Government borrowing to finance public investments is an essential part of any country’s macroeconomic toolkit. Over the last two decades, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have used this option often, greatly improving human development outcomes as a result. For example, between 1990 and 2015, average life expectancy increased, infant mortality rates were halved, secondary school enrollment soared, and infrastructure gaps narrowed. These and other gains would have been impossible without pragmatic spending of borrowed resources.
Many African countries are already in debt distress or at high risk of such distress, especially if capital flows to Africa reverse anew. External financing needs are large. According to the IMF, sub-Saharan Africa may need about $290 billion in external financing throughout 2020–23.
Absent new external financing, debt standstills, or reduction, countries may have to sacrifice pandemic response or need public investment to service external debt. It is therefore first necessary to rapidly assess whether a country’s debt is sustainable or not.
In the broadest sense, three factors account for the current debt challenges. For starters, the region’s commodity exporters, and particularly its oil exporters, were hit hard by the 2014-2016 slump in prices. Africa’s lost output and associated debt increases are comparable to the experience of advanced economies following the global financial crisis.Covid-19 was also a major factor when it came to debt increasing in the past 3 years. Today, eight of the region’s fifteen debt-troubled LICs are commodity exporters.Additionally, most countries that have funded development and infrastructure through borrowing have failed to generate sufficient additional tax revenues to repay that debt. In many cases, countries have not been effective at capturing the return on their investments through their tax systems.
If governments stick to their medium-term fiscal-consolidation and reform plans, debt levels should stabilize or decrease, alleviating debt-related challenges. However, the required adjustments have been delayed repeatedly, owing to political constraints, social pressure for much-needed development spending, and favorable external financing conditions. This is a recipe for long-term pain; there is no scope to delay the adjustment any longer. As countries work to meet their development goals, it is essential that they move debt sustainability to the top of the policy agenda. But how?
Council role: Many African countries are already suffering from debt, with sub-saharan countries having $290 million to pay off , African authorities are alarmed. Delegates of the ECA must work together to solve this issue. Paying off those debts while staying sustainable and not ruining any chances for future development is the ECA’s top priority. Delegates must consider the many post Covid and humanitarian expenses that will have to be taken care of simultaneously.
GA8 UNODC ( United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime )
Restrictions of Drug Production and Trafficking: U.S.A
The current of Drug trafficking in the USA has been a persistent problem for decades. In 2020, the CBP seized over 42 thousand pounds of cocaine, 5 thousand pounds of heroin, 324 thousand pounds of marijuana, 156 thousand pounds of methamphetamine, and 3 thousand pounds of fentanyl at the United States border. And drug trafficking has only increased over the years, especially fentanyl. The laws that are currently in place in the United States have different sentences for severity of drug trafficking and usage. For first time drug traffickers there is a prison sentence of minimum a year, however it is possible to get a life sentence if caught with copious amounts of illegal drugs.
Another penalty could be a fine which can go up to 10 million. With a lesser crime regarding drug trafficking it is possible to get off with probation, however this generally only occurs when the defendant agrees to plead guilty to a lesser crime. However, despite the strict ruling and penalties regarding drug trafficking it is still a prominent problem in the United States. This has a very negative effect on the citizens of the US, especially the youth. Drugs can be used as a distraction or an escape from their lives and the problems they are facing. The addiction could consume and destroy their lives and harm their relationships with their friends and family. Also, it very negatively affects their physical and mental health. However these methods have proven Fruitless and the crisis prevails.
Addressing the Methamphetamine dependence issue
Methamphetamine dependence is a growing problem in various areas of the world. The development of effective treatments for methamphetamine dependence has become a pressing concern. Recent improvements in the understanding of the underlying neurobiology of methamphetamine dependence have led to a number of potentially useful pharmacological agents. The general research strategy adopted has to a large extent resembled the approach to research on cocaine dependence pharmacotherapy, and has aimed at similar pharmacological targets and employed similar preclinical and clinical methods.
The development of methamphetamine pharmacotherapies is at an early stage. No substantial evidence for efficacious treatment has yet emerged. Clinical trials using aripiprazole, GABA agents (gabapentin, baclofen, vigabatrin), SSRIs, ondansetron and mirtazapine have failed to show efficacy.
Only three double-blind placebo-controlled trials have shown positive results in reducing methamphetamine or amphetamine use. One clinical trial of naltrexone has shown evidence of efficacy for treatment for amphetamine dependence, and trials involving bupropion and modafinil have demonstrated possible benefit in treating methamphetamine use in selected methamphetamine-dependent patients. The use of agonist replacement medications such as d-amphetamine and modafinil may also hold promise in the treatment of methamphetamine dependence. Despite the lack of clear and robust success to date, increasing efforts are being made to develop medications for the treatment of methamphetamine dependence.
Addicts keep finding creative ways to turn normal not prescribed or prescribed meds into drug content which is slowing down the progress to detox the world. Delegates of UNODC must put an end to this by drafting a resolution directed towards eradicating this crisis.
GA9 WHO ( World Health Organization )
Topic A : Medical Services in places of conflict
Armed conflict and war intensify pervasive violence, destroy infrastructure, and result in massive evictions and poverty. NGOs that offer unbiased medical care in crisis zones include Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross, and the International Rescue Committee. In such humanitarian emergencies, medical services offer the crucial relief that conflict victims need, yet they are either out of reach or the target of looters and air strikes. Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, and Ukraine are particularly affected by a lack of access to medical care. The lack of healthcare resources in these locations makes it difficult for people to receive urgent help for their wounds and denies those with non-commutable diseases access to long-term care, hence reducing total life expectancy.
Topic B : The Protection of healthcare workers
Healthcare employees face a wide range of risks that far transcend those seen in many other occupations. Chemical exposure, physical harm, aggression, and stress are some of these risks. In fact, more workers in the healthcare sector than any other industry experience non-fatal work-related illness and injury. Additionally, the shortage of human resources in healthcare facilities in poor nations puts an undue burden on the limited medical staff. Healthcare professionals had to occasionally deal with the grief associated with patient loss, expect and prepare for last-minute on-call assignments, and deal with other significant stressors before the pandemic. These pressures were already there before the epidemic, but after it many healthcare personnel had an increase in workload to deal with busier facilities.