United Nations Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee

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1 United Nations Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee

2 Welcome to the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee of The 2006 Session of The University of Michigan Model United Nations! We hope that everyone is doing well on their position papers and research is underway. We cannot stress the importance of having a well researched delegate; all of the work you do goes into making the best possible resolution to this year s topics. There are topic guides posted on the website. It is mandatory that all of you read it; it provides the necessary background needed to survive in committee. All delegates need to be on the same page of understanding of the topics in order to provide for the best possible debate. Additionally, it is a great research tool for your own position papers and will help you be on the right track when doing your own research. This year, you will have 2 Directors and 1 Assistant Director. My name is Bonnie Sarkar. I am a sophomore in the Literature, Science and Arts School here. I am a pre-business, pre-law major-meaning that I am applying to the Business School this year and eventually I want to go to law school. My career goal is to go into Business Law. I have been doing Model UN since I was a freshman in high school, so I have had about 6 years of experience thus far. I came to this conference while I was still in High School so I know how it feels like to be in committee. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to approach me in committee or contact me via prior to. My name is Jeff Lemke. Winston Churchill once said, The price of greatness is responsibility. As delegates of the 2006 University of Michigan Model United Nations Social and Humanitarian Committee, you will be required to show the same responsibility exemplified by the actual delegates of the United Nations. As I said, my name is Jeff Lemke and I am a pre-business sophomore here at U of M. In my life thus far, I have learned that you must exemplify and practice the same leadership responsibility in your day to day, as you would make a point to do in this committee. As delegates, I expect you to maintain a heightened awareness in committee sessions, as well as providing a cooperative learning environment for the rest of your peers. The Social and Humanitarian Committee will require you, the delegates, to become leaders. Personally, I have been a member of various Model United Nations clubs for over seven years and one of the foremost real life advantages MUN has afforded me with is leadership. I will expect decorum to remain throughout the duration of the committee as well as active participation by all delegates. We are not here to be spectators; we are here to make a difference. You, as delegates, contain the power to make a change. Delegates, you are some of the best and brightest teenagers in the entire country and you will be treated just as that. Though we are only emulating the actual United Nations, we are vocalizing our beliefs and morals. Do not come into the Social Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee 2

3 Committee as a follower, because they will be left behind. So prepare yourselves to be leaders, a requirement for the rest of your life. My name is Renee Rao and I am also a sophomore enrolled in the college of engineering. I plan on studying chemical engineering, then going into pharmacy after that. I have been involved in Model United Nations throughout high school and I love that it a part of my college life. In my spare time, I enjoy snow boarding, watching basketball and going to U of M football games! I am really looking forward to seeing all of you in committee and I can t wait to hear all the discussion, the standards are high, but I know that you will rise above and beyond. We can t wait to meet you all, if you have any questions pertaining position papers or any MUN related questions, feel free to contact us. Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee 3

4 DAIS STAFF Co-Directors - Bonnie Sarkar and Jeff Lemke Assistant Director - Renu Rao COMMITTEE MISSION The Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM) first convened in 1948 as a means to preserve global human rights. It is the third committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and upholds the task of maintaining the fundamental humanitarian rights and freedoms throughout the globe based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This committee strives for national compromise in the face of global disaster. Many issues have arisen in the historic past of this committee, issues ranging from International Drug Control, the social development of youth and the prosperity of women in society. The Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee comprise one of the six major bodies of the General Assembly, the United Nations main body. A majority vote is required of the body to pass any means or resolution; however no government is legally bonded to the decisions of the United Nations. Nevertheless, countries carry the burden of world opinion, so generally most member nations comply and cooperate to the best of their ability. The Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee prides its success upon the delegates and members of the committee, as these country representatives are the source of the very best solutions to world humanitarian dilemmas. SOCHUM has changed the social and humanitarian situations in many member nations, and has come to the aid of many individuals in crisis. It has managed to help bring order in a world of chaos and has helped nations come together in times of crisis. Instead of the common instinct of war in devastating situations, SOCHUM hopes to promote peace and help in those times. The committee helps member nations come together as one body to aid and receive, instead of nations forming allies against each other and creating even further chaos and humanitarian disorder. SOCHUM has helped the lives of millions all over the world, and continues its mission of helping any oppressed individuals in any nation. This committee works to find the ideal form of help in a given situation, whether it be recommending financial aid to disaster survivors or advising upon a policy change in a humanitarian situation. This committee holds heavy weight in the final decisions of the United Nations, and hopes to continue helping the problems of the world in years to come. TOPICS Topic A: Crisis in Sudan Topic B: Global Prostitution Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee 4

5 TOPIC A Crisis in Sudan The ongoing conflicts in the Darfur region of western Sudan have lead to much devastation within the country. The situation in Sudan is the worst humanitarian crisis of today according to Tom Eric Vraalsen, the UN s Secretary General Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan. Since the outbreak of fighting between the government backed militia Janjaweed and two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement in 2003, there have been more than 1.4 villagers who were forced to leave their homes and to stay in the displacement camp. Over 200, 000 refugees have fled across the border to Chad. Darfur is inhabited by two main groups, non- Arab black people such as Zaghawa, Fur, and Masalit on the one hand, and Arab tribes commonly known as Baggara on the other. Both groups are Muslims. Since pre-colonial time until now, however, there has been growing tension between the two groups. Economic disagreements over resource allocation have led to clashes. In 2003, the Sudanese government agreed to share state revenues with the southern groups after the Second Sudanese Civil War ended and Islamic Shari a law had been established in the south. However, the agreement did not last long. Two local rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), mainly associated with the Zaghawa of the northern half of Darfur, and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), consisted mainly of Fur and Masalit, accused the government of favoring the Arabs more than the non-arabs. The conflicts between the government and JEM and SLM groups began in early 2003 when JEM and SLM attacked government forces and installations. In response to the attack, the Sudanese government recruited members from the local tribes and established an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed. Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee 5

6 Armed with better weapons, the Janjaweed quickly gained the upperhand. By the spring of 2004, several thousands of non-arab people had been killed. A United Nations observer team reported the following: The 23 Fur villages in the Shattaya Administrative Unit have been completely depopulated, looted, and burnt to the ground (the team observed several such sites driving through the area for two days). Meanwhile, dotted alongside these charred locations are unharmed, populated, and functioning Arab settlements. In some locations, the distance between a destroyed Fur village and an Arab village is less than 500 meters. (UN Interagency Report, 25 April 2004). The continuing attacks on non-arab villages in Sudan by the Arab militia has been widely described as ethnic cleansing and even genocide by some nations like the United States. Both the Janjaweed and SLM and JEM rebel groups have been accused of committing serious human rights violation, including looting, raping civilians, and mass killings. Attacks led mainly led Janjaweed members have caused over a million non-arabs to flee their homes. Consequently, many refugees have been suffering from starvation and a lack of basic resources. The United Nations predicted that 180,000 people have died already in the eighteen months of conflicts. The World Health Organization estimated that 50,000 people died from starvation by September 2004, and in October 2004, it was estimated about 71,000 deaths from starvation and disease. WHO also published a Darfur mortality survey which indicated that ,000 people were dying each month from diseases, mainly diarrhea. After adopting Resolution 1556, the United Nations gave a thirty day deadline to the Sudanese government to stop the attacks by the Janjaweed, but the Sudanese government failed to abide by their promise. The Secretary General concluded the following: Stopping attacks against civilians and ensuring their protection is the responsibility of the Government of Sudan. The Government has not met this obligation fully, despite the commitments it has made and its Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee 6

7 obligations under resolution 1556 (2004). Attacks against civilians are continuing and the vast majority of armed militias has not been disarmed. Similarly, no concrete steps have been taken to bring to justice or even identify any of the militia leaders or the perpetrators of these attacks, allowing the violations of human rights and the basic laws of war to continue in a climate of impunity. After 18 months of conflict and 30 days after the adoption of resolution 1556 (2004), the Government of Sudan has not been able to resolve the crisis in Darfur, and has not met some of the core commitments it has made. Even the threat of increased an international presence in Darfur and sanctions on oil trade has not given the the Sudanese government impetus to improve the situation. On 9 November 2004, the Sudanese government and JEM and SLM groups came to two short-term agreements to gradually resolve the Darfur conflict. However, on 10 November 2004, the Sudanese military again attacked Darfur refugee villages, leading to more retailiatory attacks. On 29 March 2005, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1591 which imposed arms embargos and a travel ban on those who were involved in the Darfur conflicts. Also the decision was made that war criminals will be tried by the International Criminal Court (ICJ). The massive amount of attacks and clashes by the Janjaweed and the two local rebel groups, SLM and Jem, have left millions of Sudanese people in devastation. Despite the efforts of various organizations, many displacement camps are overcrowded and unsanitary, increasing the risk of contracting disease. There are many cases of people in the camps suffering from malnutrition, diarrhoea, and Hepatitis E. More aid is needed for the Sudanese people, but the African Union has prevented the intervention of the United Nations by claiming that they want to deal with the situation within the region. Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee 7

8 TOPIC B Global Prostitution Global prostitution is an issue affecting societal and economic aspects of the vast majority of countries in the world. Often referred to as the oldest profession, prostitution is defined as the exchange of sexual acts for money. While the topic of prostitution encompasses a broad range of issues, there are a few major points that the debate tends to focus on: the legality of prostitution, the problems it can cause in society, as well as the benefits it may provide. In a majority of countries in the world, prostitution is illegal. However, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Indonesia, New Zealand, parts of Australia, and the U.S. are some of the places where prostitution has been legalized. Despite the legality in only a smart amount of countries, there number of prostitutes in worldwide is very high. Countries known for their high number of prostitutes include Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and the United States. Thailand is estimated to have 200,000 to 300,000 people currently engaged in prostitution, including an estimated 80,000 women who were bought from other countries through sex trafficking (the illegal forced transportation of people intro prostitution.) The Philippines have approximately 400,000 to 500,000 prostitutes, in addition to another 150,000 that have been sold into prostitution. In Indonesia, there are at least 650,000 prostitutes. The major critics of prostitution as a legal or moral activity believe that it is an exploitation of women. There are many reported cases of rape and assault with prostitutes, even in countries where prostitution is legal. In countries where prostitution is regulated, there are still instances when the women are mistreated in brothels or bars. Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee 8

9 When women are forced into prostitution because of sex trafficking, they can be held as sex slaves, forced to be prostitutes for long periods of time in a foreign environment. Women are sometimes led to believe that they are entering a secretarial, waitressing, or sales representative position. After arriving at the destination country, they are then forced into brothels. They are sometimes told that they must pay off the price of the trip to that country, which can take many years. The United States government estimates that 800, ,000 people are trafficked each year, mostly for sexual purposes. Trafficking generates $31 billion? annually, and is the third most profitable criminal activity, after illegal drugs and arms trafficking. In Thailand, trafficking brings in 500 billion Bhat annually, an amount equal to about 50% - 60% of the government s annual budget. Russian criminal groups make $7 billion annually through trafficking women. Seventy-five percent of German prostitutes are foreigners, mostly bought from countries in Southeast Asia, and there are 50,000 women from the Dominican Republic who have been sold as prostitutes to overseas countries. In addition, 150,000 Philippine women have been trafficked into prostitution in Japan. Sexual tourism is also becoming more prevalent in the world today. Men travel from country to country and pay to have sex in brothels or bars. The most popular destinations for sex tourists are the Netherlands, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and several countries in Southeast Asia. The United Kingdom and the United States have two of the most numerous sex tourists that visit Southeast Asia; in particular, the Philippines and Thailand. Germany also has an estimated 200,000 men travel abroad to engage in sexual tourism every year. The advocates for prostitution typically point to economic reasons as why prostitution is beneficial. In a study of prostitutes in the Dominican Republic, the top reason for engaging in prostitution is to feed and provide for the woman s children. Without prostitution, both she and her baby would die. Prostitution Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee 9

10 can also disperse benefits to rural areas, as evidenced in Russia, where almost 300 million dollars are transferred to rural families by women in prostitution every year. In Indonesia, the sex industry accounts for around 1.2 to 3.6 billion dollars in annual earnings, which is between 0.8% and 2.4% of the country s GDP. In Thailand and Indonesia, the average per monthly pay of $600-$800 for prostitutes is greater than they would earn at other unskilled jobs. If prostitution were legal, countries would be able to tax prostitutes, and thereby earn more revenue than what is currently being earned. The argument for the legalization of prostitution is supported by the influx of health problems that prostitutes have been facing. The number of cases involving STDs, and specifically AIDS, has been increasing steadily within the countries that have high numbers of prostitutes. The rate of HIV infection is over 50% in Northern Thailand; Thailand also has the fourth highest number of AIDS cases in the world. In Kaliningrad Oblast, a part of Russia, 90% of those arrested for prostitution or drug related crime are infected with HIV. AIDS has also become a problem in the countries with the most child prostitution, including Brazil, Thailand, the Philippines, and Romania. Some countries hold the belief that younger girls are less likely to become infected with the disease, which increases the solicitation of child prostitution. Legislation relating to global prostitution is still limited in the world today. Many countries have laws against it, but the laws aren t always strictly enforced. In parts of Russia, the maximum penalty for engaging in prostitution is fourteen dollars. The United Nations has drafted a document stating that prostitution is incompatible with human dignity, which has been ratified by 89 countries. However, this does not including Germany, the Netherlands, nor the United States. Organizations fighting prostitution today include ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes), TAMPEP (Transnational AIDS/STD prevention among Migrant Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee 10

11 Prostitutes in Europe/Project), and CATW (Coalition Against Trafficking Women). Works Cited The Facts About Child Sex Tourism, U.S. Department of State: Facts on Global Sexual Exploitation: Prostitution, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: Sex Tourism, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee 11

Darfur. end in sight. There are numerous aspects that lead up to the eruption of conflict in the area

Darfur. end in sight. There are numerous aspects that lead up to the eruption of conflict in the area Darfur Background: Darfur has been plagued with violence and turmoil since 2003 and there seems to be no end in sight. There are numerous aspects that lead up to the eruption of conflict in the area including