WASHMUN III
MARCH 3RD
SPECPOL
SPECIAL
POLITICAL
AND
DECOLONIZATION
CHAIRS:
VANESSA CLAYBERG
BRYAN BURGESS
The Forth General Assembly – Special
Political and Decolonization
Topic 1: Evacuation into Space
Background:
With rising pollution levels in the
atmosphere, the ever present threat of
nuclear war, and the Mayan deadline fast
approaching, the notion of evacuating Earth
is quickly becoming a serious prospect. The
notion of leaving Earth has been around
since the dawn of man, but really only
become a plausible reality within the last 60
years. The United Nations became involved
as early as 1957, and the UN helped to
create one of the first major declarations
addressing space over 1962 and 1963. The
Declaration of Legal Principles Governing
the Activities of States in the Exploration
and Use of Outer Space passed unanimously
in the General Assembly, and while it did
not carry any binding power, it has been
used as guidelines for every major law
regarding space.
In 1966, the United States helped write an
addition to the 1963 Declaration, which
ended up as the Treaty Governing the
Exploration of the Moon and other Celestial
Bodies. From this Resolution, the first two
articles, 1 and 2, are indispensable to the
further development of space. With Article 1
states “Outer space, including the Moon and
other celestial bodies shall be free for
exploration and use by all states”, with
Article 2 building upon the first Article:
“Outer space, including the Moon and other
celestial bodies, is not subject to national
appropriation by claims of sovereignty, by
means of use or occupation, or by any other
means.”
More recently, in July 1999, the third
UNISPACE Conference officially addressed
climate change in the context of space.
Space technology was recognized as having
both an important influence in the study and
control of climate change, as well as the
field of disaster management and relief.
Current Situation:
While evacuation into space is not necessary
at this time, the groundwork for the
evacuation needs to be laid in place, the face
of exploration beyond the atmosphere is
rapidly changing. In the past 50 years, it has
shifted from an audacious undertaking that
could only be successfully funded by the
two superpowers, to a much more accessible
enterprise. Countries that had no access to
space only ten years ago are now launching
satellites, and privatized space ventures are
becoming more and more prevalent. It is the
purpose of this committee to determine the
means and method by which the Earth will
be evacuated, as well as what conditions
must be met for an evacuation to occur.
Questions to Consider:
1. Should an evacuation be conducted at a
global or national level?
2. Does your country prefer the idea of
Governmental evacuation, or a privatized
one?
3. How can an evacuation be conducted in
accordance with previous declarations?
4. What scenario does your country view as
warranting a partial or full evacuation?
5. Where does your country think that
humanity should go once we are in space
(both in a physical and political sense)?
Resources:
 Treaty on Principles Governing the
Activities of States in the Exploration
and Use of Outer Space, Including
the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
(
http://untreaty.un.org/cod/avl/ha/tos/t
os.html )
 United Nations Treaties
and
Principles on Outer Space: Travaux
Préparatoires
(
http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/oosa/e
n/SpaceLaw/treatyprep/ost/index.ht
ml )
 Addressing Climate Change
(
http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/oosa/e
n/climatechange/index.html )
 UNISPACE III Reasources
(
http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/oosa/en/unisp
-3/index.html )
 Treaty on Principles Governing the
Activities of States in the Exploration
and Use of Outer Space, including
the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
(Original
Text)
(
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_d
oc.asp?symbol=A/RES/2222(XXI) )
 WALL-E
Topic 2 – Famine in Somalia
Background:
Somalia, formally known as the Somali
Republic, is located in the region known as
the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of
civil war in 1991, the majority of Somalia’s
territory has been without a form central
government, leaving many of the country’s
citizens in a state of constant political and
social unrest.
The civil war caused an upset in agriculture
and food distribution in southern Somalia,
resulting in a famine that left around
300,000 citizens dead. In 1992, the United
Nations
Security
Council
(UNSC)
authorized a limited peacekeeping operation,
known as United Nations Operation in
Somalia (UNOSOM), in order to provide
self-defense and attempt to stop the warring
factions. Even with the UNOSOM
oversight, violence and humanitarian
disaster continued in Somalia, so the United
States resolved to organize a military
coalition help create a stable environment in
Southern Somalia. This coalition came to be
known as the Unified Task Force (UNITAF)
and entered Somalia later in 1992 under
Operation Restore Hope. In May of 1993,
the United States withdrew most of its
troops, claiming that they were successful in
restoring order and alleviating famine.
Shortly after, the United Nations replaced
the UNITAF with UNOSOM II.
Since then, civil unrest and political
instability has continued to displace Somali
people, leaving them without a stable food
source, jobs, or shelter. Approximately 2.3
million Somali citizens (31% of the
country’s population) are currently in
desperate need of food and other supplies,
but the United Nations does not recognize
Somalia as having a nation-wide famine.
Current Events:
In mid-2011, the Horn of Africa missed two
of its major rainy seasons, and experienced a
25% drop in rainfall. This lack of rain led
Somalia into the worst drought it had seen in
60 years. This drought interrupted harvests,
and agriculture (one of the most abundant
industries in Somalia) took a major hit. Food
prices skyrocketed and many citizens fled to
neighboring countries to seek relief.
In July of 2011, the United Nations officially
declared a famine in most parts of Southern
Somalia. The situation was made worse by a
temporary nationwide ban on relief supplied
offered by Islamist militants. Though there
is currently no accurate death toll for this
most recent famine, it was estimated that it
will have affected around 750,000 Somali
citizens.
As of February 3rd, 2012, the United Nations
declared the most recent famine in Somalia
as over. Worldwide efforts to bring relief to
the Somali citizens, as well as a $100
million pledge made by the United States
has put a stopper on the famine, if only
temporary. The United Nations has stated
that the situation in Somalia is still fragile,
and could easily slip back into a state of
famine if relief does not continue and a
long-term
preventative plan
is
not
constructed. Instead of actively distributing
aid to people in need, agencies have now
begun to shift their emphasis to recovery
efforts. These efforts include digging
irrigation canals and distributing plant seeds.
These measures are meant to sustain
agriculture in the event of future droughts.
Possible Solutions:
As stated in the previous section, aid
agencies are currently spending their efforts
on seed distribution and creating irrigation
systems. On a large enough scale, these
precautions may be enough to help the
Somali agricultural industry to survive
future droughts.
A stable Somali government would benefit
its citizens by allowing for easier
distribution of aid. A strong central
government would alleviate many of
Somalia’s
socio-economic
problems,
including those of starving citizens.
Questions to Consider:
How can the United Nations ensure that the
state of Somalia does not slip back into
another famine?
What can we do about the 2.1 million
citizens still affected by the famine?
Was the United Nations too quick to call the
famine situation over?
How does political unrest amplify the effects
of famine?