MMUN World News & Report Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 Security Council discusses Sudanese President al-bashir Pan-African News Agency Wednesday morning deliberations within the Security Council have in large part dealt with the proper role of the International Criminal Court with regards to the Sudanese President Omar al-bashir. A proposed draft resolution affirmed the authority of the ICC to indict heads of state such as al-bashir. Nations, including the United Kingdom and Austria, argued that it was necessary to include language affirming the role of the ICC as an instrumental force in the establishment of justice and human rights. It was repeatedly stressed by Austria that Sudan s president has been charged with three counts of genocide. The UK echoed concerns regarding state-sanctioned atrocities, saying, Al- Bashir has supported and funded the Janjaweed militia, which commonly used rape as a military tactic against civilian populations. Russia, the African bloc and others are concerned that by including this language the Sudanese president would be deterred from participating in the peace process. The Russian delegate also advocated the possibility of a one-year suspension of the ICC s indictments. Austria responded to this argument by saying, If you remove the corrupt leaders, then peace will ensue. The delegates in favor of empowering ICC argued that justice and human rights were more important than a temporary peace. After extensive deliberations in caucus and formal debate, the sponsors decided to introduce an amendment to United States talks to fellow delegates during Security Council. eliminate that portion in order to appease the opposing parties. This clause was replaced with a perambulatory clause that simply serves as a reminder of Resolution 1593 passed by the Security Council in 2005. This action referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC, which resulted in the three indictments against al-bashir. Nations, including Turkey, voiced their concerns that to suspend the ICC indictment would harm the integrity of the Security Council and the ICC. This sentiment was echoed by Austria, which said that the Security Council was duty bound to honor the integrity of the ICC. The US argued that this is a done deal and that the best course of action is to allow Resolution 1533 to remain unaltered and in effect. MMUN News & Report Volume 5, Issue 3
UNICEF focuses on rights for children in war-torn areas Deutsche Welle UNICEF turned its attention Thursday evening to the rights for children in post-conflict areas. These rights are designed to help protect children worldwide from becoming child soldiers or involved in drug trafficking and offering children a proper education. We do agree that children need education. However rehabilitation is the more important topic, the delegate from the United Kingdom Their primary goal was to provide safety for children. Although conflict can take place anywhere in the world, these problems mostly plague developing nations. How do we socially and safely reintroduce them back into society, the delegate of El Salvador asked. The delegate of Somalia A suggested physical and psychological help to children in post-conflict areas. Most of the delegates focused on how to rehabilitate children who have suffered from drug and human trafficking, abuse as child soldiers and child prostitution and slavery. France suggested using the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process to assist the rehabilitation. In the UK, we are trying to expand on Save the Children. It s a really good program that works on spreading awareness, the UK Turkey attempts invasion of Greek island Delegates divided themselves into groups to address the main issues: child soldiers, rehabilitation, education and refugees. The US delegate said she wanted to ensure that educational rights remained a priority because some countries try to control their citizens education. Bolivia brought up the areas of funding, prioritizing education, working with non-governmental organizations and nutrition. The bloc discussing refugees was focused mainly on refugee camps and expanding them as well as making sure they are in good condition. They said they wanted to create a safe haven for people in post-conflict areas. Fox News Turkey is planning an invasion of Cyprus. There hasn t been a conflict as of yet, but Turkey has armed itself and is sitting at the shores of Cyprus, as reported by the Historic Security Council Thursday evening. Canada, the United Kingdom, United States and France have all taken the opportunity to come up with a policy that will hopefully end the possibility of war in Greece. All non-residents of Cyprus, excluding peacekeepers, are to evacuate, Canada It is now an official demilitarized zone. Cyprus is considered to be quarantined around the island. Only ships that are trade and commerce are to be allowed through the quarantine zone. Finally there is a need for peace talks to begin immediately between both Turkey and Greece, and the US has been chosen to moderate the talks. The UK added that the solution the four nations provided, passed by consensus, is the best solution to protect the interest of Cyprus. The USSR took a different stance on the issue. It s Western imperialization at its finest, the Soviet delegate This is the West turning an international issue into one that only concerns them and their allies. This speaks volumes about the West and their elitist attitude towards the international community. The US delegate replied that they Delegates were hard at work in HSC Thrusday evening. are working with everyone to come to the best solution. We all will be able to resolve this issue most effectively. We always strive to work with the UN and other countries, he MMUN News & Report Volume 5, Issue 3, Page 2
ECOSOC passes four resolutions on micro-financing Xinhua Closure of debate came abruptly on Thursday evening for ECOSOC. Only 30 minutes after the fifth draft resolution was accepted and brought to the floor, the committee voted overwhelmingly to close debate and enter voting procedure. New Zealand deeply opposed this decision. This is not how the United Nations works, he His statements fell on deaf ears though and voting procedure commenced. All five draft resolutions dealt with the issues of micro-financing and reducing poverty. The topic had been intensely discussed and debated over many hours and all delegations seemed to know how they would vote before voting procedure began. Voting went as planned, the Italian delegate The first three resolutions passed without controversy, each receiving more than 75 percent of the vote. These resolutions pertained to the global framework of micro-finance and touched upon controlling interest rates. Each resolution was sure to respect state sovereignty, which might explain much of the wide-ranging support. Voting intensified when the fourth draft resolution was brought to a vote. This resolution set specific interest rates for micro-finance loans. The resolution passed 19 to 5 with five abstaining. The majority of the no votes and abstentions came from countries belonging to the European Union. Four out of the ten EU countries voted yes. They were Greece, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and Belgium. The US voted no with speaking rights. The delegate s explanation was brief and criticized the idea that interest rates could be artificially decided. Only one draft resolution failed to be passed by the committee. Eleven countries voted no to the resolution and nine abstained. The UK, who voted no with speaking rights, cited a single clause that was grammatically incoherent as their reason for voting against the resolution. With voting procedure concluded on the topic of micro-financing, ECO- SOC moved onto their second topic of the conference, mitigating the effects of urban development on the global environment. SC passes three resolutions to end evening session Pan-African News Agency Three resolutions wrapped up the Security Council s consideration of Sudan Thursday evening. The resolutions called for consensus between the opposing sides and attention to the displaced population. The first proposal was a comprehensive resolution sponsored by a seven-nation coalition with a lengthy amendment sponsored by the Russia. It urges the African Union to establish an oil revenue sharing deal between north and south Sudan. Other critical aspects of this document include the request to redeploy UN Missions in Sudan and African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation peacekeeping forces in Darfur to the disputed Abuja region; to encourage the implementation of programs with incentives to promote participation in the peace process using humanitarian aid; and recognizes the Republic of South Sudan as a sovereign nation as of July 9, 2011. This resolution was passed with 11 votes in favor and four abstentions. A second resolution led by the US was also adopted. The resolution reiterated many of the concerns regarding the violence in Darfur and expressed hope for peace and humanitarian aid to the displaced refugees in the region. This resolution encouraged the Sudanese government to seek peaceful political solutions in cross-border conflicts with Chad as well as promote counterterrorism efforts to aid national stability. A third resolution, which focuses directly on one of the humanitarian crises of the region, passed as well. This was authored by Lebanon and Sudan s southern neighbor, Uganda. It recommends that the international community support the UNHCR and humanitarian non-governmental organizations and international government organizations. The resolution also requested the immediate involvement of UNICEF and the World Health Organization to address the health crisis within the refugee camps. MMUN News & Report Volume 5, Issue 3, Page 3
NEWS BRIEFS BBC News Delegates in the Second Committee have found four common themes in their working papers causing many delegates to consider a merger. So far, we re trying to get some support from these other groups, because they re basically saying the same thing. They want to expand education, communication and training, a delegate from Uganda CNN After relaxing for a short lunch break, delegates of the Third Committee were eager to get straight down to business. Argentina, Nigeria and Brazil had the same views on a solution to human trafficking. If a victim is taken across a border, that country still needs to recognize the victim of trafficking, a delegate of Nigeria Human trafficking is an important issue relevant to countries all over the world and the serious harm it does to women, a delegate of Argentina The UN defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, as a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation. Argentina said they want to develop rights that guarantee women access to proper psychiatric care and establish shelters for trafficking victims. Nigeria explained at least 80 These four themes are: infrastructure, industry, education and agriculture. Mostly, delegates have focused on using technology to solve these issues. Thursday morning the Bolivian delegate urged others to discuss and support the merging of working papers due to their similarities. However, this move proved futile as multiple draft resolutions were moved in the afternoon session. These drafts still focus on the same four themes but center on different ways of using it. percent of trafficking victims are women. Nigeria s goal is a binding agreement on the rights a victim can expect regardless of their global location. She said these rights should include the right to contact a representative of their country, access to medical examinations, and access to transportation back to their own country. We feel these are essential rights for all victims of human trafficking whether they were pulled in for sexual exploitation purposes or forced labor or any other intentions, the delegate of Brazil The proposed international laws against human trafficking would provide protection for women against violence and give them access to getting education. Do Not Forget to check out Facebook for photos from conference. Associated Press The delegates were hard at work in IAEA Thursday afternoon. Many countries are looking for a resolution but do not seem to be meeting a consensus. Three working papers are now being discussed, and the merging of the papers seem to be gaining success. Working papers have been brought to the dais staff but have not been presented to the body. The delegate from Cameroon is not optimistic that a resolution can and will be passed. The paper sponsored by Switzerland was unrealistic, and the resolution sponsored by Russia is irresponsible, Cameroon The delegate from Germany said there is too much nuclear waste and continue to strive to move forward. We need to be self-reliant. It means taking care and sustaining the country of Germany without the assistance of any other country, Germany The Russian delegate said the transporting of waste still happens and developing countries have to start somewhere. The United Kingdom is working with Canada on a proposed nuclear battery. The nuclear battery is a solution that does not require infrastructure or transporting waste. Nuclear power is the safest and most reliable source of energy. Every country should have the availability of nuclear power, the delegate from Venezuela MMUN News & Report Volume 5, Issue 3, Page 4
4th Committee passes 4 draft resolutions on peacekeeping Times of India Four draft resolutions on peacekeeping came up for debate in Fourth Committee Thursday night. Although the draft resolutions aim to deal with the same issue, they approach the solutions to these issues in different ways. All draft resolutions submitted to the floor addressed the roles of women serving as peacekeepers, the process of training and deploying troops and the implementation of peacekeeping operations. An increased female presence can help improve conditions in peacekeeping operations, and was something the draft resolution tried to address, the delegate from Canada Only 3 percent of peacekeepers are women, and it s been historically shown that if you include more women, you see lower rates of abuse, (and) you see lower rates of sexual violence against native people, Canada The other draft resolutions chose to approach the issue of women serving as peacekeepers in different ways. One draft emphasized the need for recruitment of women into peacekeeping forces. The delegate from Denmark said it will take a more defined line of communication for this to happen, and this communication could be implemented by the UN. We re asking the newly created United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women to monitor and ensure member states are provided increased feminine support to peacekeeping operations, Denmark However, the role of women in peacekeeping operations was not the only point of difference between the draft resolutions. Sponsors of the resolutions saw communication among peacekeeping operations to be a key to its success but differed how this communication should be implemented. The delegate from Panama said communication must reach to all levels of operations to be effective. We deal with increased communication between the secretariat, troop contributing countries, and the security council, Panama Another resolution sought to increase communication in regards to female presence in operations, agreeing with Panama that an increase in communication to all levels was vital, but particular in regards to training the troops. Denmark said the UN should be responsible for training peacekeeping operatives in a consistent manner to ensure their effectiveness. We re recommending the creation of a military advisory panel underneath the department of peacekeeping operations that is there to coordinate and plan training for all peacekeepers. That way regardless of the nation peacekeepers are coming from, they have a unified training plan, Denmark Debates over the draft resolutions continued into Thursday night, as delegates aim to reach a consensus on how to address the issues at hand. Third Committee passes five of seven resolutions CNN As the second day of the 51st Midwest Model United Nations came to a close, the Third Committee passed five of seven draft resolutions on violence against women and increased education standards. One was tabled before voting began, and one was never moved to the floor. If men can change their perception of women and view them as equals, then we can take great steps towards eliminating violence against women, the delegate from Iran Iran is looking toward increasing education standards for both men and women. She said a lot of work has been completed and they are looking forward to the final resolution. We personally feel like we achieved what we came for, the delegate of Egypt Egypt said female genital mutilation is a national priority. This includes procedures that intentionally alter or injure female genital organs for nonmedical reasons. According to Egypt, the issue is tough to tackle. Don t Forget to purchase your tickets for the delegate dance. All proceeds will go to UNICEF USA s Tap Project. Tickets are $5 MMUN News & Report Volume 5, Issue 3, Page 5