Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)Topic 1
Cyber-Security Against Online Threats to Democracy Cyberspace is the endoskeleton of our modern world and so deep imbedded into our personal as well as public sphere that a collapse or attack on it would have catastrophic consequences. How real such a threat is, became evident during the United States elections in 2016, or with the reports that the Philippines have been subject to cyber espionage operations. Moreover, organizations in Vietnam have had their operations affected, whereas India and Pakistan have had their websites defaced. The World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Risks Report 2018 names cyberattacks and cyber warfare as a top cause of disruption in the next five years, coming only after natural disasters and extreme weather events. In a worst-case scenario, attackers such as small groups or state actors could trigger a breakdown in the system that keeps societies functioning. For example, critical infrastructure such as power grids and water purification systems could be potential targets of cyber attacks making it clear that international cooperation is necessary to ensure a secure world wide web and counter its recent weaponization. Topic 2 International Cooperation on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Months before the launch of the first artificial satellite into Earth’s orbit in 1957, the UN began its efforts to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes. Such initiatives started with proposals for prohibiting the use of space for military purposes and the prohibition against placing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in outer space. However, recently the arms race in outer space is becoming more important as UN Member States fear that the rapid growth of space science and technology will lead to a weaponization of outer space. Moreover, as states are highly depending on satellites for daily operations, protecting them and securing outer space is a priority for every country. This recent development demonstrates the potential that warfare transitions to the outer space in the next decades. Topic 3 Accessibility of Armed Drones Up until recently, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also referred to as drones, were armed, nowadays also smaller commercial drones are capable of carrying ammunition. As the Venezuela incident demonstrates, commercial UAVs are readily available and demonstrably capable of conducting (limited) attacks. With the increased demand, private sector companies are incentivized to improve the technology’s capabilities, which in turn opens the door for commercial drones to enter the realm of armament. Yet, even more threatening is the development that terrorist organizations are beginning to utilize drones as well. For example, Lebanese Hezbollah and the Hamas affiliated Al-Qassam Brigades as well as ISIS have used drones in recent years. In relations to warfare, reports allege that the Islamic State has already deployed improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that can be dropped from commercial UAVs. This highlights the importance of civil aviation rules and licensing regimes that are internationally coordinated to combat the weaponization of the airspace by non-state actors. |
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Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)Topic 1
Ensuring Socio-Economic Development for Roma Minorities in The Balkan Sinti and Roma People are an ethnic group of originally nomadic people in Europe, derogatorily also referred to as “Gypsies” or “Tzigane”. Throughout European history Sinti and Roma have been stigmatized, discriminated and persecuted. Today, many Sinti and Roma are still facing discrimination by fellow Europeans and are often systematically neglected by governments. They struggle to acquire legal identification papers such as IDs and residence permits, without which most aspects of civilian life in Europe are impossible. This often subjects them random land-grabbing and makes it difficult for them to send their kids to regular schools and to find work legally. Thus, Sinti and Roma often choose to segregate themselves from the general community which shows that better integration can only be achieved by cooperation. From 2005 to 2015 the European Union called out a “Decade of Roma inclusion” and considerable efforts were made to better integrate Roma people. We aim to review and reconsider the Sinti and Romas’ situation in Europe and use the resources of the UN to ameliorate the their situation. Topic 2 Women’s Political Decision-Making in Post-Conflict DRC Since 1996, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been scourged by two wars and in the last 3 years 25 million people have died due to violence, starvation and diseases. The DRC conflict is also marked by extremely high sexual- and gender-based violence which has largely been undocumented and has gone unpunished. This Congolese humanitarian crisis demands that the international community concentrates their efforts on "bringing peace and stability to the DRC", with a focus on gender equality. Stereotypes dictate that men start wars and should thus also design peace. Women on the other hand already form part of informal peace processes: they lead dialogues, uphold culture and organize citizen groups. Women's participation in formal peace talks show that social justice and gender issues should be on the political agenda. Yet in many peace- and state-building contexts, such as the DRC, women are seen as weak and political decisions are made without them. We aim to use the DRC conflict to highlight the immense merits of women in peace-building and create a better position for women in political discussions and Congolese society. Topic 3 Affordable and Clean Energy in Developing Countries Electricity demand in developing countries is expected to surpass that of industrialized states by the year 2020 and as the global population continues to rise so will the demand for affordable energy. A global economy reliant on fossil fuels and the increase of greenhouse gas emissions is creating drastic changes to our climate. This is why the UN has put the issue of affordable and clean energy on its Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, which are a list of goals drafted by the UN in 2015 meant to be accomplished by 2030. The threats of climate change and fossil fuel depletion have made this topic a very urgent one. However, the high costs associated with converting to clean energy have presented a major obstacle to the implementation of this goal in many developing countries. The aim of this topic is to draft a plan of action in order to provide developing countries with clean, renewable energy in order to lower our collective carbon print and work against climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels. |
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Security Council (SC)Topic 1
Maritime Piracy on the African Coast In 2017, the organisation Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) reported that the number of maritime piracy incidents in the East Africa Region had almost doubled compared to 2016. Especially suspicious activities, failed attacks, hijackings and kidnappings have increased ever since. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea defines piracy as illegal acts of violence or detention committed on the high seas against ships or aircrafts. Modern-day piracy poses a particular threat not only to the safety of vessels and their crews, but also to the economies of the affected coastal states. The increase in hijackings and kidnappings, especially in the first quarter of 2017, can be attributed to several factors including decreased compliance with ship self-protection measures such as Best Management Practices (BMP), and the spillover effect from the political conflict in Yemen. Hence, the international coordination of efforts providing a comprehensive international solution is necessary for the development of an effective strategy to counter the threat of piracy and armed robbery at sea. Topic 2 The Situation in the East China Sea The East China Sea (ECS) has been at the centre of a never-ending economic, political and military conflict for over 20 years. Several countries claim ownership and control of different islands as well as natural reserves. The region has enormous economic value due to its high marine-life productivity as well as the presence of petroleum and natural gas deposits under its continental shelf. One of the major players is the People’s Republic of China (PRC) which has been claiming ownership over several territories in the ECS. This has caused major tension between China and the bordering countries of the ECS, especially the State of Japan. The aim is to provide a resolution that helps control the situation and ease tensions along the East China Sea, while putting an end to the rising military threat. Should the Security Council issue a UN intervention in the area? Topic 3 Use of Chemical Weapons by non-state actors Despite years of progress under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which resulted in the destruction of 96 percent of the world’s stockpile of chemical weapons, some states appeared to honour the agreement but have maintained secret production capabilities. The Geneva Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) hold that it is illegal to use any toxic substance to kill or injure people, yet, the ease with which certain chemical agents can be manufactured has made eradicating this threat rather challenging. Additionally, it seems that the CWC, though well-suited for a Cold War-type scenario, is unable to deal with the fast-moving conflicts and terror attacks of our modern world. Hence, it seems necessary to rethink the international arms control regime to examine how the international community can counter this resurgence of chemical weapons with new or already existing government programs. |
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Human Rights Council (UNHRC)Topic 1
Zero Tolerance Policy at the United States’ Border Since the beginning of his presidency Donald Trump has taken a harsh stance against illegal immigration into the United States declaring that the Homeland Security Department would be referring all illegal border crossings to the Justice Department for prosecution. This is also known as the Zero Tolerance Policy. Minors, whose parents are charged with a federal misdemeanor (entry without inspection) or are awaiting trial, are placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Since children cannot go to jail, they are thus placed in the custody of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement and separated from their families. While this is a long-standing Homeland Security policy, before the Trump administration immigrants entering illegally as families were rarely prosecuted. Instead, they were held in family detention centers together. Hence, the Human Rights Council aims to provide a resolution that will put an end to any human rights violations suffered by minors in the custody of US border control. Topic 2 Persecution of Journalists in the Middle East In recent years, many countries in the Middle East have made headlines for persecuting journalists. Some examples are Egypt which sentenced many journalists for reporting against the government claiming that they ‘incite hate and divide between the people of Egypt’, and Saudi Arabia that has been accused kidnapping and ultimately killing renowned Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Often, the prosecuted journalists are held without trial for a long time and kept in horrendous conditions. Moreover, little is known about them once they enter the custody of the country in question making humanitarian action very difficult to execute. The Human Rights Council aims to provide a framework that will facilitate taking the appropriate action against countries that violate human rights and extensive measures to protect journalists as well as provide assistance for those already in custody. Topic 3 Treatment of Inmates At present, there are over 10.1 million people being held in penal institutions all over the world. We often forget that these people, even though sentenced for breaking the law, still have rights which are recognized and protected by international law. However, the rights of inmates are often violated by fellow inmates, prison staff or governments, and intransparent prison systems make it difficult to hold the perpetrators accountable. Governments all over the world make use of this transparency to hold political enemies and to instill fear and obedience in their citizens in order to pursue certain political interests. It is the task of the UN to guard prisoner’s rights, so as to not only protect the national state from criminal citizens, but also citizens from their national state. We aim to discuss a more interventionist role of the UN and possible frameworks to guarantee a humane inmate treatment. |
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International Court of Justice (ICJ)The Case
The Antonov An-148 incident (Russia v. Ukraine) On February 5, 2018 Vasyl Hrytsak, the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and members of his staff boarded a plane from Kiev to Kharkiv. At 13:15:02 local time the plane was hit by a 9M38 series missile launched by a Buk system. It is suspected that the Buk missile was launched in the vicinity of the Russian village Schebekino. However, Russia denies any responsibility and claims that the missile was launched by the Donetsk People’s Republic (“DPR”). It appears that, the plane altered its course after the impact and entered Russian airspace before completely disappearing from the radar. The GPS data, generated form the black box, determined the crash site to be near Zhuravlevka, Russia. Following the attack Ukraine deployed members of the 3rd Spetsnaz Regiment, a small special force unit, with the objective to search for survivors and secure the black box. During their mission a Russian border patrol tried to take control over the site which prompted members of the 3rd Spetsnaz Regiment to open fire. This case is not based on real events, however, it illustrates a realistic interplay of international law principles such as territorial sovereignty, the prohibition of the use of force, self-defence and state responsibility. |
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