FOURTH COMMITTEE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Special Political and Decolonisation Committee
The Special Political and Decolonisation Committee deals with decolonisation and issues relating to international peace and security not dealt with in the Disarmament and International Security Committee. The following topics will be discussed during the conference:
Countering cyberwarfare
In today’s world people, businesses and governments rely to a great extent on computer technology and the Internet. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provided us with more efficient healthcare, financial and governmental systems and led to progress in many other industries. While ICT created many new opportunities it also gave rise to new threats, which can be subsumed under the name of cybercrime. This type of crime can be conducted against private individuals, commercial organisations or governments and ranges from hacking computers of individuals, to fraud, terrorism, and state-sponsored cyber attacks. The latter is referred to as cyberwarfare. Cyberwarfare is the use of computer technology to wage war. Like a regular war it often culminates in massive destruction and large numbers of deaths.
Over the past two decades there were several instances of state-sponsored cyber attacks. Examples are the US attack on the Serbian air defence system in 1998 and the Israeli attack against Syrian air defences in 2007. It is predicted that cyberwarfare will become even more prominent in the future.
How should the UN address this problem? What can be done to prevent proliferation of cyberwarfare?
Israel and settlement activities in East Jerusalem
After the Six-Day War of 1967, settlement activities began in the Israeli-occupied territories. Since then, more than 120 Israeli civilian communities have been established in Palestinian territories. Although Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, the settlements in the other Palestinian areas still exist. Today, approximately 270,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and approximately 190,000 Israelis have their residence in East Jerusalem. In 2009 the Israeli government decided to freeze the building of homes in the West Bank but it continues to allow the construction of homes in East Jerusalem. These settlement activities have severe consequences for the Palestinian inhabitants as their homes are being demolished, they are denied access to roads and resources and they often become the subject of violence and intimidation.
In March 2010 Israel announced plans to build another 1600 homes in East Jerusalem. The international community repeatedly stated that this is regarded as a violation of international law. Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention forbids population transfers to occupied territories. The settlement activities form a key issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and obstruct the path towards finding a peaceful solution. What role does the UN have in this conflict? How can the UN facilitate negotiations between the two parties?
International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space
Space technology has many applications. It can simply be used for exploring outer space but it can also be employed for disaster monitoring and mitigation, optimisation of land use and development, and for intelligence or defence purposes. Many countries have or pursue their own space programmes. Because space is governed neither by individual states nor by the international community, the increased use of technology in outer space carries environmental as well as security risks. Overuse can lead to environmental hazards such as debris and radiation; and the employment of weapons in space may result in an arms race.
At the core of international space law lays the UN Outer Space Treaty of 1967. The treaty states that outer space is free for exploration and use by all states. However, the use of technology in outer space is costly. In contrast to developed nations, developing nations often lack the knowledge and the resources to make effective use of it. In 2006 the UN Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response was established (UN-SPIDER). This programme aims to enable all countries, international organisations and regional organisations to make use of space-based information for disaster management. Although the UN made considerable progress with this programme, international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space remains relatively underdeveloped.
What types of space-based information and technology should be accessible to all nations? How can the UN ensure this?
