GSMST Model UN Conference
UN SECURITY COUNCIL BACKGROUND GUIDE
Jacob Ward | Dias | November 29, 2015
Welcome to GSMSTMUNC 2016
We are proud to welcome you to our second annual high school conference at GSMST. We
aim for this conference to be a productive and useful tool in building skills in Model UN debate and
policy making.
UN Security Council
Good morning/afternoon/night before the conference, I am your dias Jacob Ward. I will be
leading you in committee as the UN Security council. I am looking forward to hearing positive
debate that has serious meaning in today’s volatile political climate. I have done Model UN for two
years and this is my first time as dias for security council. I am looking forward to learning more
about security council along with each of you. I cannot wait to see you all on the day of conference.
Good luck on research.
Background Guide Preface
As a preface to this background I want to say that I have used background guides from other
conferences to compile a comprehensive guide. We are all high school students living busy lives
and this seems to be an efficient and helpful tool to use in order to provide you with quality
information. I have cited these guides at the end of this guide.
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TOPIC A: COMBATING ISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
The current crisis in Syria is one of the most pressing and complex on Security Council’s agenda. It
is an issue that can pose threat to regional stability and evolve into a global humanitarian crisis.
What began as an example of a peaceful protest in the middle of March 2011 has grown into a fullfledged conflict spreading across the region, costing more than 100,000 lives, forcing over 2 million
Syrians to flee their country, and displacing another 4.25 million within Syria itself (BBC News).
Overtime numerous organized fighting forces from Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran have also entered the
conflict, further spreading the consequences and complicating the dynamics of this constantly
evolving crisis (Washington Post).
Syrian people, inspired by the Arab Spring success stories hoped to better their daily life by
putting an end to high unemployment, corruption and political repression. The demonstrators
demanded the president Bashar al-Assad to step down from power, unfortunately instead of
cooperating, the government sent in thousands of troops to crack down on the demonstrators.
Since then, the violence has continued to spread across the country and now has developed into a
full-fledged civil war.
Most of the international community has responded to president’s brutality with economic
sanctions and urges for al-Assad to step down, but two of Syria’s commercial allies – Russian and
China, continue to veto resolutions granting stronger involvement in the conflict. Many start to see
the conflict in Syria as a proxy-war between the United States and Russia. It is perceives as their
struggle over the future of the region as well as a faceoff of their political influence.
To complicate the matters even further, with no military presence, the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) has been thriving in the region. The goal of the organization is to create an Islamic
State across the Sunni territories in Iraq and Syria, and impose Sharia upon the people. When alAssad lost control over his state, the organization used this opportunity to build a base in Syria to
recruit fighters and escape Iraqi army operations. With no visible opposition ISIS is moving quickly
across the country taking over different provinces and terrorizing the people.
Now, three years after the initial clashes Syria is ravaged from the continuous armed offensives
between the government, the rebels, and now ISIS. As the violence continues, the war is turning
into a humanitarian crisis leaving people dying and in need of help. According to the UN Report
Syrians civilians have a difficult time accessing food, water, electricity and medical supplies.
Civilians are left struggling for survival and hopeful that one day their country can regain its
stability and they can return to their homes.
As stated before, with the many fighting groups involved, Syria was in a state of confusion. From
this confusion rose Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who was a former leader of an al Qaeda affiliated group.
However, he was eventually cast off from al Qaeda, and so formed the Islamic State of Iraq and
Levant (ISIS or ISIL). al Baghdadi create an army among the anti-government forces and got
control of arms in order to fight in Syria. However, in June 2014, his group executed a planned
attack on northern Iraq where they seized control of a vast portion of Northern Iraq. The
culmination of ISIS’s attach came with the capture of Mosul and the Mosul Dam. Mosul is Iraq’s
second largest city and an important city for Iraq’s oil industry. Just a few days after the start of the
assault, Mosul was taken by ISIS after the defending Iraqi forces retreated. With their capture of
Mosul, ISIS got control of Mosul’s Central Bank, where they looted approximately $500 billion –
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more than what Al Qaeda and their related extremist groups together controlled combined. The
significance of the money looted was that it gave ISIS the ability to buy new weapons to continue
their offensive in the long term. The victory also gave the group a great deal of publicity, attracting
new soldiers and followers. To build an economy, ISIS started attacking and taking over the oil
fields found around Mosul. This provided them with another strategic way to gain power, as oil
revenue could continue to finance their operations well into the future. With this newfound
strength and a major metropolitan area, it was easy for the extremist group to bring about its main
purpose: to establish a caliphate. ISIS proclaimed the creation of the Islamic State, and al Baghdadi
was proclaimed as the Caliph, a title used to refer to a political and religious leader of the Muslim
world. With their new power and resources, the group also started to expand back into Syria as
well, taking control of Syria’s eastern oil fields. In July, the group took control of the country’s
largest oil field, Omar, which was producing massive amounts of oil a day, and they continued to
expand and attacking other oil producing areas in Iraq.
WHO IS THREATENED BY ISIS
For many centuries Iraq had been a hub of religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity. However, ISIS
has targeted many groups considered undesirable for their Caliphate, committing unthinkable
human rights abuses. This is not only a terrible tragedy for each of their victims, but it is another
mark in history of how humanity and its complexity is being stripped.
The Kurds are an ethnic group that live in northeastern Iraq, with populations in Iran, Turkey, and
Syria. However, their presence in Iraq is unique, as they control a special autonomous province in
the country. Historically, Kurdish national groups have fought to establish their own Kurdish
country, especially against Turkey, but so far they have not been successful. Mosul is very close to
Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish province of Iraq. During the ISIS attack, while the Iraqi army
retreated, the Kurdish Regional Government managed to actually expand and take over some of the
areas they had disputed with the Iraqi government. For a while, the Kurds took over areas that the
Iraqi army retreated from, but eventually the Kurds were also subject to numerous attacks by ISIS.
Although the Kurdish forces fought bravely, they started to be pushed back by the ISIS forces closer
and closer to Erbil. However, when the US airstrikes started, the Kurdish forces were able to
establish a line of defense.
Attack on Religious Minorities
Iraq's minority religions, including Christianity, Shia Islam, and others have also been threatened
by ISIS’s expansion. Yazidis (who are primarily Kurdish) are one of the world’s smallest and oldest
monotheistic religious minorities. Although Iraq allowed for free expression of religion, many
Muslims believed they were “devil worshippers” because of their belief in angels. Their religious
difference made them a target for persecution throughout history. When ISIS entered northern
Iraq, the group denounced and sentenced them to death and persecution. The Yazidi people are
facing slaughter, religious fines, and threats of death unless they convert to Islam. ISIL have
displaced over 50,000 Iraqi Yazidis out of their homes, especially from Sinjar, Iraq, forcing them
into hiding in mountains and areas under Kurdish control. One dramatic battle took place at
Mount Sinjar, where many Yazidis were trapped until US and allied air strikes cleared the way for
their escape. If the continuation of further pushing the religious minority out of their home, ISIL is
then now creating a genocide. Iraq’s other religious minorities are being subject to similar fates,
forcing countless more from their homes. Hostages Throughout the ISIL crisis wherever they’ve
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turn to attack, they execute their opponents or take hostages. This is a strategic way of getting
money from ransoms. Approximately twenty four Westerners have been taken hostage by ISIL,
tortured, and some even beheaded. The first American hostage was Steven Stoloff, who was
captured on American grounds but was later beheaded in gruesome video. Another American that
was taken hostage was a U.S journalist who was murdered in another grisly video, with him
pleading for help at first but later on was beheaded after he confessed his conversion to Islam.
Along with other journalists, aid workers and soldiers who were taken hostages by ISIL , these
hostages are not limited to just westerners but other jihadist who changed their minds to follow
through with ISIL along with soldiers and Kurdish civilians. Aid Provided Since the beginning of
the ISIS crisis and the killing of the Yazidi people in Iraq, many organizations have been providing
aid to the victims of ISIS. The Israeli Humanitarian Organization (IsraAID) has sent four AID
workers to northern Iraq to join the international efforts to assist Christian and Yazidi refugees that
are fleeing the Islamic group. The Samaritan's Purse which is an international relief organization is
also helping with providing aid to the victims of ISIS. Many organizations all around the world are
taking part in the huge effort to provide relief for the victims and those whose are fleeing ISIS.
MISSION STATEMENT
The United Nations has already come out in opposition of ISIS and its goals and its tactics. The
mission of the DISEC committee will then be to help rally the support of the international
community against ISIS. Many countries will disagree on what that response should look like, but it
is our obligation to do what we can to fight this threat. Note that because this is the DISEC
committee, we will be focused on defeating and disarming ISIS while still protecting the civilians
that are being threatened by them
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TOPIC B: Addressing the mass immigration in the Syrian Refugee
Crisis
The Syrian Civil war has resulted in the largest refugee crises the world has seen since World War
II. Since the beginning of the protests stemming from the Arab Spring in March 2011, over three
million Syrians have fled the country, while another 6.5 million have been internally displaced.
Although internally displaced persons (IDPs) do not fall under the original mandate of the United
Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), it has expanded the scope of its
work to address the protection needs of IDPs as well as best able. UNHCR encounters difficulties
when helping IDPs, who remain under the authority of their state, which is why, despite their best
efforts, often refugees are the beneficiaries of UNHCR’s efforts. The involvement of UNHCR in
Syria has been the agency’s largest operation yet. The Syrian refugee crisis has grave implications in
the region, since most of the three million people who have crossed Syria’s borders are now
dispersed throughout neighboring countries. The situation has become a particular burden for the
five main host countries, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, as hosting Syrian refugees has
overstretched their infrastructures and budgets. The living conditions of Syrian refugees are often
poor, as 16% of them live in camps, while the remaining 84% live primarily in urban areas, where
they are more vulnerable to arrest, exploitation and do not have access to or resources for food and
housing. As the High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, noted “Syria has become the
great tragedy of this century – a disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement
unparalleled in recent history.”
Although the Syrian refugee crisis is a recent development, there have been international and
regional legal instruments framing the issues surrounding the crisis for decades. Since its adoption
in 1951, the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees has been the main framework for such
matters. It defines a “refugee” as anyone who:
“Owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his
nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of
that country; or who, not having the nationality and being outside the country of his former
habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return
to it.”
Syrian refugees fall under this definition, as they have fled from the civil war that worsened
over the past several years. Moreover, the lack of resolution to this conflict makes them unable or
unwilling to return to their country. Whereas the Convention is applicable to Syrian refugees, it
should be noted that Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon are not parties to the Convention relating to the
Status of Refugees (1951). The definition for refugees does not pertain to IDPs, who account for 6.5
million Syrians.131 Intervention on IDP issues is regulated by the Guiding Principles on Internal
Displacement, adopted in 1998. IDPs have a different status, defined as “persons or groups of
persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual
residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of
generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have
not crossed an internationally recognized State border.” As civilians, IDPs have protected rights
under international humanitarian law, namely the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Additional
Protocols of 1977. However, in an effort to clarify several aspects of the IDPs’ status and to draw
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attention to their particular needs, the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1998) were
drafted as a way to locate IDPs at the intersection between international humanitarian law, human
rights law, and refugee law. On a regional level, the referential document pertaining to this topic is
the revised Arab Charter on Human Rights, adopted in 2004 by the members of the League of Arab
States. In an effort to address the criticism it faced and to improve the implementation of the
Charter, its 45th article created the Arab Human Rights Committee. The Charter promotes
individual, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, as well as rules of justice. Although
the Charter is applicable in the region pertaining to this topic, there still lacks an enforcement and
accountability mechanism.
Within the United Nations (UN) system, UNHCR is the lead agency responding to the
Syrian refugee crisis. Originally present in Syria to monitor the arrival of Iraqi refugees in the 1990s,
since 2012, UNHCR has taken on a leading role in assisting Syrian IDPs as well. Their operations in
the field cover non-food items (NFIs), shelter, health, cash assistance, and protection among other
forms of aid. UNHCR works with other international actors under an inter-agency framework in an
effort to strengthen the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance. The 2014 Syrian Arab
Republic Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan (SHARP), comprised of UN agencies, the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) and international non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), assists 9.3 million people in need with a sought budget of $2.27 billion. They oversee 112
projects to complete five main objectives. More precisely, they work towards the protection of
civilians, the provision of emergency services and relief supplies, the restoration of livelihoods, the
capacity of humanitarian actors, and future preparedness. Within this framework, UNHCR focuses
particularly on camp coordination and camp management, protection, and shelter. In order to
assist Syrian refugees fleeing their country, the Syria Regional Response Plan (RRP) brings together
108 UN agencies, IOM, and NGOs. More specifically, the RRP targets refugees living both inside
and outside of camps as well as the communities hosting them. Through this plan, about three
million people of concern will be assisted in several ways, including camp management, health,
nutrition, cash assistance, and child protection, to name a few. In December 2013, the UN General
Assembly adopted resolution 68/180 on “Protection of and assistance to internally displaced
persons” and Resolution 68/182, relating to the “Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab
Republic.” The latter stated that the General Assembly was concerned by the increasing numbers of
refugees due to the conflict in Syria, and further urged UNHCR and other donors to support Syrian
refugees and the host countries. Additionally, in February 2014, the UN Security Council adopted
resolution 2139 (2014) on the “Middle East,” in which it urged “all Member States, based on burdensharing principles, to support the neighboring host countries to enable them to respond to the
growing humanitarian needs.” This resolution is of utmost significance, as it represented a
necessary step to support civilians and host countries, as well as a renewed commitment from the
Security Council. In addition to the UN system and its agencies, international and national NGOs
have played an important role in the Syrian refugee crisis. With an extensive grass-roots network
and knowledge of local communities, they represent a considerable partner for UNHCR. Among
these organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has unlocked a budget of
$157 million in order to provide humanitarian assistance for both IDPs and Syrian Refugees. The
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) focuses mostly on shelter, education, sanitation and hygiene. In
2013, the NRC constructed or rehabilitated 249 housing units and 91 classrooms, as well as 101
latrines and 200 water points. Other NGOs partnered with UNHCR to provide aid to refugees
include Save the Children, Oxfam America, Relief International and the International Rescue
Committee.
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Millions of displaced Syrians are struggling, either within the Syrian borders or in
neighboring countries, and rely on the help of UNHCR. With increased instances of conflict in
Syria, the number of refugees continues to grow, causing an increase in budget needs as well. More
than a domestic issue, the entire region is affected by the Syrian refugee crisis as the strain on
resources is felt in hosting countries. Indeed, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey are home to
three million Syrian refugees, putting a strain on the governments and populations of these states.
Delegates will have to address a wide variety of issues in order to improve the living conditions of
Syrian refugees living both in urban and camp settings.
Citations
http://www.whismun.org/uploads/2/4/3/3/24333005/disec.pdf
www.ccwa.org/wp-content/uploads/.../UNSC-Background-Guides1.doc
http://www.nmun.org/ny_archives/ny15_downloads/BGGs/NY15_BGG_UNHCR.pdf
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