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UNISCA
Themes and resolutions 2007-2008
Security
Council
First
Committee: Global Crime
Second Committee: Sustainable Development
Third Committee: Human Rights
ECOSOC
SECURITY
COUNCIL
 The
Security Council (SC) is the UN body responsible for
maintaining international peace and security. To this
end, the SC has a number of special powers; for example,
it is the only UN body that can make legally binding
decisions. The Council has 15 members: 5 permanent members
and 10 elected by the General Assembly for two-year
terms. Representing a country in the SC entails a lot
of responsibility. A representative has to be able to
react adequately to ad hoc situations. Participants
in the SC have to be flexible, well- informed and represent
their countries well. Bear this in mind when you register
for the SC. The following issues will be addressed:
Read the scenario on the Pakistan Crisis
Read the Adopted resolution on the Pakistan Crisis
Protecting North Koreans
For decades North Korea has been one of the most secretive societies and one of the few countries still under communist rule. The totalitarian state also stands accused of systematic human rights abuses. Reports of torture, public executions, slave labour, and forced abortions and infanticides in prison camps have emerged. Aid agencies claim that up to two million people have died since the mid-1990s because of acute food shortages caused by natural disasters and economic mismanagement. With whom lies the responsibility to protect the North Korean citizens? Moreover, what can the UN do to improve this situation?
Read the Adopted resolution on North Korea
Crisis in Sri Lanka: How to Rescue the Peace Process?
Sri Lanka has been scarred by a civil war lasting for nearly two decades. The Sinhalese people dominate most of the country, but the Tamil people dominate the Northern and Eastern areas of the island. The Tamil Tigers have been waging a secessionist campaign against the Sri Lankan government in order to secure a separate state for the Tamil majority regions. Officially both parties are still observing a 2002 ceasefire, but this has become meaningless in practice. In 2007 the war took a dramatic turn, when the Tamils launched their first air raid. What can the UN do and what should the UN do to mediate this conflict?
Cyprus: The Ongoing Conflict in the Mediterranean
Since the 1950's Cyprus has been a battleground between its two main ethnic/religious populations: the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic intercommunal violence continued. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered talks to reunite the divided island ended when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan in an April 2004 referendum. At the moment Greek Cyprus is a member of the European Union, while Turkish Cyprus remains impoverished and isolated. Is there a way out of this situation? What can the UN do to assist in this ongoing crisis?
Read the Adopted resolution on Cyprus
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FIRST
COMMITTEE: GLOBAL CRIME
 The
First Committee to the General Assembly deals with issues
of disarmament and international security. The following
issues will be addressed:
The Arms Race in Outer Space
On January 23rd 2007, the Chinese Government tested a new anti-satellite weapon. International outrage followed. At the same time, the United States was planning on stationing new anti-satellite weapons in Europe, while there are talks of stationing weapons in space itself. Is this the beginning of a new arms race- this time in outer space? Officially, most countries have committed themselves to a peaceful use of space, but for how long? How should the UN react to this?
Read the Adopted resolution on PAROS
Combating Cybercrime
Cybercrime has become a profession and is rapidly challenging drug trafficking, extortion and money laundering as one of the biggest criminal problems facing the international community. From hacking and phishing to intellectual property rights violations, it has become possible for people with comparatively low technical skills to steal thousands of dollars a day without leaving their homes. How can we make sure that the virtual community remains a peaceful community?
Read the Adopted resolution on preventing Online Child Pornography
Read the Adopted resolution on preventing international Cybercrime
Bioterrorism: Nature as a Weapon of Mass Destruction?
In his 2006 report 'Uniting Against Terrorism', Kofi Annan stressed that the issue of bioterrorism is under-addressed and in acute need of new thinking. With a lot of attention going to the threat of nuclear weapons, the threat of terrorists acquiring biological weapons should not be forgotten. The 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States gave a glimpse of the possibilities. Can the international community cope with this threat? What should the role of the UN be?
Read the Adopted resolution on cambating Bioterrorism
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SECOND
COMMITTEE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
 The
Second Committee to the General Assembly deals with
economic and financial issues. The following three issues will be relevant for underdeveloped,
emerging and developed markets.
The Challenge of Climate Change
Among scholars, there is a broad consensus that something needs to be done about climate change. The potential environmental and socio-economical impacts are immense, especially in the Third World. Throughout 2006 and 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published reports about the different aspects of the problem. Now, the time has come to act. The international nature of the threat suggests that the key to solving it might be the UN. The question that remains: How does the UN solve this problem?
Read the Adopted resolution on Climate Change
Education for Sustainable Development
The decade from 2005 to 2014 is officially called the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. With education, people can foresee, understand and solve the problems that our planet faces. Under UNESCO supervision, many local and regional initiatives to promote education and awareness of sustainable development are implemented. After two years, it is time to review the project.
Read the Adopted resolution on ESD
Small Island Developing States
Small Island Developing States are low-lying coastal countries that share similar sustainable development challenges, including small populations, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters and excessive dependence on international trade. These countries have their own special challenges and special needs. Facing these challenges without help is going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible. Can the international community support them in ensuring a sustainable future?
Read the Adopted resolution on SIDS
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THIRD
COMMITTEE: HUMAN RIGHTS
 The
Third Committee to the General Assembly deals with social,
humanitarian and cultural issues. The following issues
will be addressed:
The Ethical Dimension of Biotechnology
In January 2002 an Expert Group on Human Rights and Biotechnology convened to advice the UN on the ethical dimension of scientific progress. Developments in human biotechnology continue at an astounding pace. As the significant benefits offered by these new techniques are becoming clear, so too are the concerns they raise for many people in terms of respect for human life and human dignity. How should the international community deal with this? Can the benefits of technological progress be balanced against a concern for human rights?
Resolution will soon be posted.
The Rights of the Tibetans
Tibet, the remote and mainly Buddhist territory in the middle of Asia, is governed as an autonomous region of China. China claims a centuries-old sovereignty over the Himalayan region. Nevertheless, the allegiances of many Tibetans lie with the spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, seen by China as a separatist threat. China says Tibet has developed under its rule, but human rights groups say China continues to violate the rights of the locals, accusing China of political and religious repression. What actions can and should the UN take in order to resolve the conflict?
Read the Adopted resolution on Tibet
Gender Equality: Eliminating Violence Against Women
In an in-depth study presented in 2006, the Secretary-General of the United Nations called attention to violence against women all over the world. Though most countries formally denounce it, violence against women persists in all regions of the world and is a violation of human rights and a major impediment to achieving gender equality. How can this problem be tackled? How can countries be persuaded to take it seriously? What role does the UN have in this problem?
Read the Adopted resolution on Violence Against Women
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ECOSOC
 The final forum of the conference is ECOSOC, the UN body dealing with social and economic issues. The issues discussed during the conference will be:
Intellectual Property Rights: A Cause of Death?
Infectious diseases kill over 10 million people each year, mostly in the developing world. One of the main reasons for this is that people in the developing world often lack access to medicines that are needed for treatment. In many cases the high prices of drugs, which is the result of strong intellectual property protection, are a barrier to needed treatments. Five years ago, members of the World Trade Organisation signed an agreement to ensure that intellectual property rules would no longer obstruct developing countries' efforts to protect public health. Since then, according to organizations like Oxfam, little has changed. Is the status quo sufficient? Or should intellectual property rights be further diminished?
Read the Adopted resolution on IPR
Developing Countries in Debt
One of the main problems facing the developing world today is its large and confining external debt. According to estimations, many African countries have an external debt approximately equal to their Gross National Product. In 2005, the G8 countries decided upon a complete debt cancellation for some of the least developed countries. While this was hailed by some as a breakthrough decision, others where more sceptical. According to the critics, the promised debt relief only affected a few countries, came with harsh criteria and/or only made matters worse. The questions now are: What is the best way to tackle the debt crisis facing developing countries? Can a general pardon solve poverty in developing countries? Will this only encourage excessive borrowing?
Read the Adopted resolution on DCD
Children in Armed Conflicts
According to UNICEF, more than 2 million children have died as a direct result of armed conflict over the last decade. At least three times that number have been permanently disabled or seriously injured. More than 1 million have been orphaned or separated from their families. In addition, an estimated 300,000 child soldiers are involved in more than 30 conflicts worldwide. What action can be undertaken by the UN to avoid or at least reduce the sorrow of these war-scarred children?
Read the Adopted resolution on CAC
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