Remarks from the Head Table We, the chairs of the Third General Assembly, look forward to seeing you virtually at Musaeus College Model United Nations 2021. We expect detailed solutions, accurate foreign policy representation and an interesting mix of constructive and destructive debate. We would like to remind you that this study guide is meant to serve as a starting point for your research. Reading solely the study guide is by no means sufficient for debate. We expect all delegates to have a comprehensive understanding of the topic. We wish you all the best at the conference. Your Chairs, Adheesha, Pranesh and Timothy 1 Introduction to the Third General Assembly The General Assembly is one of the six main organs of the United Nations (UN). The Third General Assembly (GA3) is the Third Committee of the General Assembly. The GA3 deals with a wide range of social, humanitarian and cultural issues. This focus is reflected by the fact that the GA3 is also referred to as SOCHUM: Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee. Membership All 193 UN Member States are represented in the GA3. In addition to this, entities with observer status, such as NGOs, are also represented in the GA3. Voting All UN Member states reserve the right to vote in the GA3. The voting power of each Member State is equal: regardless of size, power and population, the vote of each Member State counts as one vote. There is no veto in the GA3. Observer entities do not reserve the right to vote but can contribute to discussions. Mandate Discussion within the GA3 focuses on social, humanitarian and cultural issues. We, the Head Table of the GA3 at MCMUN 2021, expect delegates to avoid straying too far from these topic areas during the debate. Resolutions The GA3 compiles its recommendations pertaining to the agenda into a document called a resolution. Resolutions are voted on by the Member States, leading to their passage or failure. General Assembly resolutions are not binding on the Member States. For the purposes of debate, we expect the formation of two separate resolution blocs, as we believe this will lead to interesting and exciting debate and discussion. 2 Practice Debate Topic: The Empowerment of Children and Youth affected by Armed Conflict Introduction and Scope Article 1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child defines children as individuals under the age of 18 unless the national legislation of a state means that the age of majority is reached before the age of 18. For statistical purposes, the UN defines “Youth” as individuals between the ages of 15 and 24, but there is no universally agreed-upon definition of the term. We have included both these terms in the topic because we want delegates to consider a broad range of young people in terms of age, all the way from babies to young adults. Under International Humanitarian Law, there exist two types of armed conflict. 1. International Armed Conflicts: Armed conflicts between two or more states. 2. Non-international armed conflicts: Armed conflicts between a state and non-state actor, or between only non-state actors. Examples of armed conflicts and their effects on children and youth: Yemen Children continue to be killed and maimed in the conflict, while the damage and closure of schools and hospitals have disrupted access to education and health services, leaving children even more vulnerable and robbing them of their futures. Syria A World Bank report last year said 49 education facilities had been destroyed in Aleppo alone and that many schools had become military bases and targets. But some organizations put the number of attacks on schools as high as 4000 over the seven years of the conflict. Fear of attack has also closed many schools. 3 Topic Breakdown There are several ways in which armed conflicts can affect children and youth. The list below is not exhaustive. 1. Education Armed conflict often leads to the closure of educational facilities such as schools and universities due to a variety of reasons, including infrastructural damage and lack of funds. Mass migration of skilled education professionals such as teachers also strains the education systems within affected countries. States engaging in armed conflict may also divert funds toward military efforts, draining resources from education systems. 2. Physical Health People living in conflict-affected regions are often impoverished, often leading to insufficient nutrition for children. Healthcare systems within such regions are often under-resourced and under-staffed, leading to issues such as high rates of infant mortality. Outbreaks of diseases often take place due to damage to sanitation facilities, and these outbreaks are exacerbated due to the aforementioned damage to healthcare systems. A notable example is the cholera outbreak in Yemen. 3. Mental Health Children often suffer extensive psychological damage as a result of armed conflict. Children fleeing conflict regions have been found to suffer from conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder at alarming rates. This problem is exacerbated by the lack of mental health treatment facilities in affected regions. 4. Bereavement A significant proportion of children lose parents and other family members in armed conflicts. The loss of a child’s parents can severely affect a child’s health, wellbeing and future. 5. Poverty As mentioned before, people living in conflict-affected regions are often impoverished. This often leads to children living in uncomfortable and unsanitary conditions, which puts their mental and physical wellbeing in jeopardy. 4 6. Inclusion in hostilities Groups involved in armed conflicts have often used child soldiers in combat. This directly puts children in danger and can have devastating impacts on their well-being. Children and youth are also particularly susceptible to indoctrination by groups that follow extremist ideologies. Points to Consider The Head Table believes that researching on the following points would provide delegates with useful information for debate. This is not an exhaustive list. ● The international legal framework for protecting children in conflict. ● Specific international organizations and bodies involved in the empowerment of conflict-affected youth. ● Specific conflicts have had a detrimental effect on youth and children living in the affected regions. ● Policies to empower children and youth who have escaped from conflict-affected regions. ● Policies to support and protect children and youth still living in conflict-affected regions. ● The rebuilding of damaged education and healthcare systems Useful Links https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/other/opinion-paper-armed-conflict.pdf https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/youth https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cholera-outbreak-100000-children-infectedstart-2019 https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/global-coalition-for-reintegration-of-child-soldi ers/ https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/report/2011/hidden-crisis-armed-conflict-and-educa tion https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/syrian-refugee-crisis-facts 5 Conference Topic: The Preservation of Cultural Heritage Introduction and Scope Cultural heritage refers to the elements of a culture that are significant in some way to the people of that culture. It can be broadly divided into two groups: intangible and tangible cultural heritage. Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) encompasses the significant elements of a culture that are non-physical in nature. This includes customs, traditions and languages. The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage sets out a definition of ICH as well as provisions on the national and international levels to preserve it. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) maintains a list of cultural elements it considers intangible cultural heritage. The significance of ICH is reflected by the fact that it is the backbone of all cultures in existence. Tangible cultural heritage refers to significant elements of a culture that are physical in nature, such as monuments, buildings and natural sites. The most significant of these sites have been designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Topic Breakdown There are multiple threats to both intangible and tangible cultural heritage. The following lists are not exhaustive, simply aiming to give delegates an introductory understanding of the threats faced by cultural heritage. Threats to Tangible Cultural Heritage: 1. Intentional destruction Throughout history, groups of people have intentionally destroyed the sites of cultural heritage of other societies. This is often to erase the cultural and religious symbols of these societies. In modern times, terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have carried out intentional and systematic destruction of historical artefacts in their occupied territories. 2. Collateral damage during armed conflict During armed conflict, the destruction of heritage sites is often the result of collateral damage. It is often difficult to distinguish between collateral and intentional damage, and perpetrators may claim destruction was an accident. 6 3. Natural disasters Natural disasters, most often earthquakes, have destroyed multiple sites of cultural heritage. For example, in 2003 an earthquake destroyed much of the ancient Iranian city of Bam. Many sites of cultural heritage are extremely old, making them far more vulnerable to such disasters. 4. Uncontrolled urban development The construction of modern buildings in historical cities often threatens their historical character. For instance, 40% of houses in the historical Yemeni city of Zabid have been replaced by concrete buildings. Urban planning in such cities must be conducted in a way that does not jeopardize their historical character. Threats to Intangible Cultural Heritage: 1. Weakened practice A decrease in the number of individuals practising an activity that is classified as ICH would be a threat to its existence. This could happen due to practitioners of the custom growing old and not being able to continue its practice, and due to reduced transmission of the practice from generation to generation. 2. Rural-urban migration The movement of people from rural settings to urban environments leads to rural populations decreasing. This could lead to a reduction in the number of people available to practice customs exclusive to these rural settings. 3. Excessive commercialization of practices Many traditional practices are commercialized in the modern world. In many cases, this could prove beneficial to a community, as it provides a source of income to practitioners. However, in some cases, the integrity of practice may be degraded by excessive repetition for commercial purposes. 4. Mass media Exposure to mass media could lead to youth being less interested in the cultural heritage of the communities they live in, as they have alternative ways to spend their time. 7 Points to Consider The Head Table believes that researching on the following points would provide delegates with useful information for debate. This is not an exhaustive list. ● The international legal framework regarding the protection of cultural heritage ● The international policy framework regarding the protection of cultural heritage ● Agencies, organizations and bodies that play a key role in the protection of cultural heritage, particularly the role played by UNESCO ● Disaster preparedness in regions containing cultural heritage sites ● Improving youth interest in local intangible cultural heritage ● Urban planning in a manner that preserves the historical character of cities ● The intentional destruction of cultural heritage sites, especially ISIL’s destruction of historical artefacts Useful Links https://ich.unesco.org/dive/threat/ https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/ https://www.iucn.org/theme/world-heritage/about/world-heritage-convention https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/150901-isis-destruction-looting-an cient-sites-iraq-syria-archaeology https://whc.unesco.org/en/disaster-risk-reduction/ https://advisor.museumsandheritage.com/supplier-news/heritage-attractions-enoughattract-young-visitors/ 8
