Hilton Hilton 2017 2017 Committee Name Committee Overview Government Targeted Killings Drug Trafficking and Funding of Terrorism Legal Frameworks of Combatting Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones Role of African Union Peacekeepers in Regional Conflicts Committee Description This committee will be run Harvard Style, therefore pre-written resolutions and anything with operatives or clauses are prohibited. Use of pre-written resolutions results in ineligibility for an award. Though it is advised to research all topics to make for a fun and productive committee, each delegate must write at least one position paper and hand it in at the beginning of committee to be eligible for an award. Throughout research, make sure to research both the general issue and also the specific position of your country. Please remember that Model United Nations is not a competition, and focus should be on diplomacy, not awards. Make sure to research thoroughly to enjoy committee proceedings. Position papers will only be accepted on the first day of committee and must be printed or emailed to either of the chairs before the second day of committee. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. Good luck and remember to have fun! Chairs Maia Raynor maiasraynor@gmail,com Patrick Boese patrickboese@gmail.com Hi delegates! My name is Maia Raynor and I am thrilled to be chairing again! As a junior, I am a leader of Brighton High School s Model UN club and I have been involved in MUN since I started paging in 7th grade. Aside from MUN, I participate in Science Olympiad, volunteer at Golisano Children's Hospital, play tennis and run. Please email me with any questions or position papers. I am looking forward to meeting all of you and having an awesome committee! Bonjour delegates! My name is Patrick Boese and I am very excited for my first time chairing. I m a junior and have been participating in MUN since my first conference in freshmen year. Additionally, I have recently been elected Student Body President, am part of the cross country and skiing teams, and I enjoy writing. If you have any questions about topics, position papers, or anything else please shoot me an email. I look forward to having a great committee with all of you!
Topic One: Government Targeted Killings As terroristic acts have proliferated in recent times, the rules and norms of traditional warfare have become increasingly blurred. This era of asymmetrical combat has led to highly divergent interpretations of the legitimacy of state-sponsored elimination of non-state enemy combatants. One recent manifestation of extrajudicial military action is targeted killings of designated terrorists. Although nation states have killed specific enemies throughout history, the number of targeted killings has increased exponentially over the last two decades. After the terroristic atrocities on September 11, 2001, the United States and its allies declared an international war on terrorism. Thereafter, this coalition has employed targeted killing as a key method to fight terrorist groups. The United States government created a Most Wanted Terrorist list populated with foreign combatants, such as Osama bin Laden, and American citizens, such as Anwar al-awlaki, and then justified their supposedly lawful killings as an appropriate response to terrorism. Other countries, such as Israel, have informally adopted policies that permit targeted killings of Palestinian terrorists, but refuse to publicly acknowledge the existence of such laws. In contrast, Russia has also openly implemented such a policy to justify the killing of Chechen combatants from the North Caucasus region. Russia has sought to exculpate these acts of violence under domestic and international law. Opposing views exist about the morality and legality of targeted killings between sovereign states and human rights proponents. The existing legal frameworks regarding targeted killings are ambiguous and sometimes conflicting, and some nations do not adhere to these regulations in any case. Therefore, it is imperative that this committee create an overarching resolution that can be agreed upon and subsequently implemented throughout the international community. What international legal frameworks can be developed for regulating targeted killings? Who may be lawfully targeted, when, and on what basis? What are the distinctions between being inside and outside of conflict? How can nations be held accountable for employing unjust targeted killings? Council On Relations: Targeted Killings https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/targeted-killings Legality of Targeted Killing Program under International Law https://www.lawfareblog.com/legality-targeted-killingprogram-under-international-law General Assembly on Targeted Killings http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/14session/a.hrc.14.24.add6.pdf
Topic Two: Drug Trafficking and the Funding of Terrorism illicit drugs. Terrorism has proven to be one of the most heinous and defining aspects of the 21st century. The culprits- those who fund it and those who do it. Victims seek justice and an end to something that seems unceasing. In any event, many of the primary institutions supporting terrorism are Islamic militant groups in the Middle East. Additionally, many cartels in the Americas also are found as culprits for crimes of international terrorism. The link between these groups is far more than sponsored terrorism- it is There is a lot of money to be made in any variety of drugs that are banned in most corners of the world. Groups like the Medellin and Sinaloa Cartel have bankrolled massive campaigns to terrorise and bend the populations of the Americas to their sinister will. Drugs have funded the same guns that are used to kill and injure civilians. This has long been viewed as an isolated problem, yet the very same is now transpiring in the deserts of the Middle East. The new players in the drug trade are none other than the new players in the region, and they all need a paycheck. Sinister Islamic groups are mirroring the tactics employed by vicious cartels to fund their regimes and terrorize not only their local populations but also those abroad. Hezbollah aids American cartels in transporting of drugs and funds. Boko Haram controls trade routes in Africa and uses them to smuggle drugs into Europe. ISIS has gained access to the lucrative Asian and African drug markets, and traffic heroin alongside al-qaeda. Terrorism requires money and drugs are quickly becoming the chief revenue of numerous groups who seek power, and who seek it at the expense of innocent civilians. The primary root of terrorism is, of course, terror. It is intended to inspire fear, but most importantly it requires money. The tactics of drug trafficking have seamlessly fused with the tactics of terror. The two have become almost intertwined. An end to this problem is difficult, but any actions to reduce the feedback loop should both look on past failures and realize the conditions that initially created this market of blood and drugs. What can the international community do to attempt to cripple the lucrative drug trade? Can the rise in drugs and terror be attributed to the global War on Drugs? As we enter the 21st century, what new tactics are necessary to combat the new tactics of terrorism and drugs? Is there any legal action that the international community or individual countries, for example the various legislation passed in the United States in the 1980 s, can take to reduce the power and influence of the drug trade and its subsequent effects of terror? ISIS and Al Qaeda--Glorified Drug Cartels http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/isis-al-qaeda-drugs-trafficking-cartels-heroin-terrorism-a7684961.html Terrorism, Drug Trafficking, and ISIS http://www.thedailybeast.com/terrorism-drug-trafficking-and-isis-when-wicked-worlds-collide Drug Trafficking and Terrorism http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/drug-trafficking-and-the-financing-ofterrorism.html
Topic Three: Legality of Combatting Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones In contemporary combat zones, a growing portion of victims and casualties are civilians rather than soldiers. In particular, perpetrators are systematically implementing sexual violence to achieve military and political objectives. These heinous acts are intended to terrorize civilians, destroy families, and in some instances, change the ethnicity of future generations. While a considerable amount of humanitarian aid has been disseminated to sexual assault victims, relatively minimal legal efforts have been undertaken on a larger scale to mitigate this scourge in conflict zones. In recent history, the international community has taken a few incipient measures to begin eliminating sexual violence in conflict zones. In the early 2000s, the UN Security Council passed resolutions that condemn sexual violence in conflict situations. This body also encouraged UN Member States to help protect and empower women and girls through post-conflict initiatives and programs. Clearly, more work must be done to improve upon these initial steps by creating more detailed and realistic legal frameworks along with action-oriented implementation strategies. Both short- and long-term measures need to be executed. Primary prevention efforts should reduce the number of individuals who perpetuate sexual violence, as well the number of individuals who are victims. Primary prevention must be able to deter perpetrators from committing these acts of violence in the first place. Such laws should focus on reducing perceived impunity and increasing accountability. Secondary prevention should emphasize the criminal culpability of perpetrators and humane treatments for the physical and emotional consequences to sexual assault. Finally, it is important to take in consideration the local ethnic, cultural, and religious complexities that make each combat zone unique. Solutions should be versatile in order to maximize the likelihood of their effectiveness in areas where conflict is taking place. How can these frameworks promote accountability? What can be done to create early warning indicators? How can impunity be fought? How can these solutions be implemented and maintained in war torn areas? Human Rights Committee: Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones http://www1.bermun.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/preventing-sexual-violence-in-conflict-zones.pdf Sexual Violence as a Tool of War https://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/about/bgsexualviolence.shtml Fight against Sexual Violence in Conflict Reaches New Juncture https://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sc11862.doc.htm
Topic Four: African Union Peacekeepers in Regional Conflicts In the past fifty years, Africa has born witness to approximately thirty large scale military conflicts, producing some ten million deaths and a financial cost of 250 billion dollars. Recent events such as the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, and the ongoing Darfur Genocide demonstrate an even greater need for peace on the continent and the need for the African people to provide it. The two greatest forces for peace have proved to be the United Nations peacekeepers and the peacekeepers of the African Union. The African Union is an organization consisting of every country in Africa including South Sudan and Western Morocco. Above all the group seeks to promote African unity and cooperation, and peace on the continent. The African Union in its first large-scale peacekeeping operation has a large force deployed in the Darfur region, where they are involved in a joint mission with UN peacekeepers. Could this be signifying a greater involvement of the African Union and a decrease in the reliance on the UN Peacekeeping force? For one, the rules regarding the deployment of African Union peacekeeping troops is slightly more lenient than the rules relating to the deployment of UN troops. In general, UN troops are held to a firm standard and regulation whereas African Union troops have a far less rigid legal code of accountability. Global peacekeeping is one of the most delicate international actions in the modern era, so caution needs to be employed at every step and guidelines need to be set. Additionally, funding is a large problem for the African Union. The UN peacekeepers are better funded, and a very flexible force that can be deployed globally. It is this clear discrepancy in capacity that has some doubting the possibility of a strong and legitimate peacekeeping force maintained by the African Union. In order for any sort of African Union peacekeeping force to be effective and capable, something about how the system is set up has to change. More operations are being introduced with a great focus on UN-AU collaboration, but it s almost as if the troops working together come from two different worlds. And the African Union strives for greater independence, accountability, and effectiveness, all goals that seem a far cry from the current reality. Who should be responsible for providing peacekeepers in African conflicts, the United Nations, the African Union, or both? Are there steps that can be taken to improve and allow greater African involvement in conflicts taking place in Africa? What role or roles could the African Union take to further promote peace in the region? What measures can be instituted to ensure accountability and just conduct in African Union peacekeepers? African Union Approves Plan To Put Peacekeeping Force In South Sudan http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/19/486592426/african-union-approves-plan-to-put-peacekeeping-force -in-south-sudan Peace Operations in Africa https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/peace-operations-africa Creating Sustainable Peacekeeping Capability in Africa http://africacenter.org/publication/creating-sustainablepeacekeeping-capability-in-africa/