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COMMITTEE TOPICS

UNTED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL

TOPIC 1:

“Debating on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action: The Iran Nuclear Agreement”

On the 14th of July 2015, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security

Council and their external partner, the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany

collectively known as the P5+1 signed a historical agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran in

order to circumvent the usage of its own nuclear energy program into a nuclear arsenal through

the elimination of its medium-enriched uranium, reduction of its own stockpile of low-enriched

uranium and the curtailing of its nuclear centrifuges capped at 6,104. In exchange of the agreed

curbing on its nuclear energy, the P5+1 states have agreed towards a gradual lifting of their

respective sanctions based on a medium-term assessment report made by the inspectors from the

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that shall be carried out through an unannounced

inspection of Iranian nuclear facilities to verify compliance on the part of the Islamic Republic.

The historical agreement is considered by observers as the first crucial step in order to achieve the

tenets of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that will permit the development of a civilian energy

program by emerging countries in pursuit of their national development while disallowing the

spread of nuclear weaponry (United States Department of State, 2015).

As of this writing, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has since been

approved by the United Nations Security Council and is presently being reviewed by the respective

countries namely the United States and Iran on the passage of this agreement. In this simulation,

delegates of the Security Council shall enter in debating the contentious provisions of the

agreement by means of the gradual lifting of sanctions towards the Islamic Republic on the part of

the P5+1 member states on the course of action to be taken. Delegates are expected to understand

the aspect of reaching a mutually and amicable agreement that shall resolve issues of the usage of

nuclear energy for civilian purposes and not counter the existing provisions of the NPT. The

delegates must take into account the necessity of the passage of a plausible and realistic time

framework that see the eventual lifting of existing sanctions including the overseas-held assets and

enterprises presently held by the Islamic Republic and its associates.

TOPIC 2:

“The Migrant Refugee Crisis from Syria”

Since 2011, the growth of Syrian refugees seeking asylum entering into Europe and the

borders of the Middle East and Turkey has placed greater on states to plot out a feasible course of

action in opening its borders towards the aggrieved peoples fleeing the onslaught of the Syrian

civil war and the brutal persecution from the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State of

Syria and the Levant (ISIL). Based on estimates of the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Syrian nationals seeking asylum in

neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq has amounted to more than 3-4 million, while those

that are internally displaced within Syria has reached over 6.5-7 million people forcing themselves

to seek asylum into Europe through hazardous self-made rafts and paying exorbitant amounts

towards human traffickers or people’s smugglers (Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees, 2015). In the latter part of August towards September 2015 as of

these writing, the refugees reaching continental Europe has entered into a precarious situation as

the plight of the migrants entering the continent with some European Union member states

including Greece, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have limited the entry of the migrants, while

other member states including Austria, Germany, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom have

increasingly opened their borders into accommodating the refugees into proper resettlement.

The crisis has placed an increased pressure towards the UNHCR into registering the fleeing

refugees that are exiting out of Syria prompting a budgetary shortfall in its “3RP Regional Refugee

and Resilience Plan” for the January-December 2015 from donors and private entities amounting

to US$547.20 million that only shouldered 41% of the essential budget of US$1.34 billion for this

frame (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2015). In this simulation,

the Security Council shall engage into tackling the emergency situation by prompting an

international concerted action into mitigating this crisis in terms of accepting migrants into other

countries for proper resettlement in the medium-term and a subsequent long-term strategy into

bringing stability back into Syria. Delegates likewise must take into account, the earlier adoption

by the United Nations of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its succeeding

protocols towards providing a sustainable solution in mitigating this grave situation and the safety

of Syrian nationals balanced by the security threat of ISIL.

EUROPEAN UNION

Topic 1:

“Special Summit on the Stability of the Eurozone: The Greek Debt Crisis”

The passage of a crucial Master Financial Assistance Facility Agreement (MFFA) towards

the Hellenic Republic of Greece amounting to €86 billion by the respective Eurozone member

states on the 19th of August 2015, ended weeks of financial uncertainty that prompted the near

collapse of the singular common currency, the Euro that has been beset by its own sovereign debt

crisis since 2010. In 2013, the European Union adopted the dual intergovernmental treaties

namely, the “Treaty Establishing the European Stability Mechanism” (TESM) and the “Treaty on

Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union” (TCSG) in order

to restore public confidence in its economic and monetary union amongst its all member states that

was meant to prevent the exiting of any member states from the usage of the common currency,

including Greece. In spite of the passage of the inter-governmental treaties, the election of a far-

left government in Athens in January 2015 sought to curtail massive unpopular austerity policies

imposed by international creditors namely the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European

Central Bank (ECB), and the European Council (EC) collectively referred as the triumvirate or

troika and privatization policies that in their view hampered the growth of the Hellenic Republic

and the general stability of the Eurozone since the onset of the debt crisis in 2010 (European

Council, 2015).

These policies was later voted upon by the Greek populace in a national referendum on the

5th of July 2015 with 61.31% of the population against the continuation of the existing bailout

program by its creditors prompting a shutting down of its financial system and imposition of capital

controls, hence the passage of a stricter terms of Master Financial Assistance Facility Agreement

(MFFA) towards Greece by the European Council in exchange for economic reforms including

opening its labour force and the sale of government assets. The delegates in this simulation shall

represent an emergency meeting of the financial ministers of the European Council in order to

negotiate a sustainable debt-reduction and financial assistance package for the Hellenic Republic

that are meant to curtail the increase of its existing debt levels and reducing its government

bureaucracy in curtailing tax evasion and government corruption. Ministers in this simulation must

reached a collective solution for a long-term stability strategy of the common currency in order to

resolve the governmental expenditures towards the Hellenic Republic on the Maastricht

Agreements of 1992 that are presently enforced prior to the adoption of the currency in 1999, while

resolving the issue of debt sustainability of indebted countries within the economic and monetary

union with flexibility on the part of the Hellenic Republic and its creditors in the succeeding years

(European Council, 2015).

UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Topic 1:

“The Post-2015 Development Agenda”

With the conclusion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) launched in 2000 that

were provided a holistic blueprint for all UN member states to improve social and economic

conditions including reducing extreme poverty in half, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and

providing universal primary education by the year of 2015. With the conclusion of the MDGs in

2015, a new framework was addressed by the United Nations on what shall be the path forward

beyond 2015 in meeting the targets of the MDGs indicators that was further tackled in the Rio+20

Conference on Sustainable Development (United Nations Economic and Social Council, 2015).

The Rio conference produced an outcome document during a special session of the United Nations

General Assembly requesting the Secretary-General of the United Nations in leading national

policymakers of the UN member states in producing a set of sustainable development goals

(SDGs) through an inclusive inter-governmental process involving the policymakers and the

various stakeholders including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) through the UN System

Task Team on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. In 2012, the UN Task Team produced its first

conclusive report to the Secretary General, “Realizing the Future We Want for All” enumerating

four important dimensions tackling inclusive economic and social development, environmental

sustainability, and peace and security (UN Task Team on the Post-2015 Development Agenda,

2012).

Presently, national consultations towards producing a new set of sustainable goals are being

undertaken by more than 70 member states through the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

In this simulation, delegates shall tackle the issues surrounding the formulation of new parameters

for member states to meet beyond the Millennium Development Goals after 2015 through the

report outlined of the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Through

this simulation, delegates will aim to create a general framework that can be holistically achieved

by member states that can be measured and be adapted towards the various challenges faced by

the member states and their territories. Delegates must also place into special consideration the

inclusiveness of these proposed parameters to alleviate the situation of least-developed countries

(LDCs) that have since neglected the progress of other emerging regions in the world.

Topic 2:

“Beyond Microfinancing: Expansion of Financial Access for the

Least Developed Countries (LDCs)”

In 2005, the United Nations celebrated the “International Year of Microcredit” by

introducing the tool of microfinancing be adopted by all member states with special focus on the

least-developed countries (LDCs) that have been neglected in their respective regions. Though

started in the 1970’s, it has since accelerated and spearheaded by non-governmental organizations

in the past decade particularly the Grameen initiative involving various stakeholders including the

illiterate, housewives and citizens that have not achieved high levels of educational skills

spearheaded by Muhammed Yunus and his foundation that garnered the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize

(United Nations, 2005). Microfinancing has been recognized by the United Nations, being part of

the as part of its advocacies for financial literacy as part of the Eighth Goal of the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) for developing a global partnership for sustainable development of

the UN member states by 2015. A decade since the massive awareness by the United Nations and

its partners towards the adoption of microfinancing programs in UN member states, significant

challenges have been brought forward towards the benefits and disadvantages of microfinancing

programs and sought redefine, curtail or even expand the access of financing in members states in

2015 (United Nations Economic and Social Council , 2015).

Scholars and policymakers argued that the microfinancing does not reduce the level of poverty

in LDCs seeing that it is considered as a mechanism to perpetuate poverty, while others have

noticed the growth in the LDCs with the adoption of the microfinancing programs in their

respective countries since 2005 (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2013).

Seeking a compromise, contemporary policymakers have sought for going beyond microfinancing

to include other aspects of revitalizing the economies of LDCs, namely the promotion of savings

programs, cancellation of sovereign debt (debt relief) and an increase in the Official

Developmental Assistance (ODA) based on the GDP-per-capita ratio of developed countries

conflicted between a multilateral or regional basis (Chowdhury, 2009). In this simulation,

delegates of the Economic and Social Council shall tackle these debates surrounding the adoption

of microfinancing programs and schemes by policymakers and whether there is a necessity to

expand the reach of financing towards other tools of economic development with special

consideration towards LDCs. It is important for delegates to provide with innovative solutions that

can alleviate the concerns of the LDCs, while balancing present apprehensions towards the issue

of microfinancing.

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

Topic 1:

“Protection of the Safety of Refugees in Conflict-Riddled Zones”

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has

estimated that as of 2014, 59.5 million people have been deemed as internally displaced peoples

(IDPs) that have been seeking for asylum in neighboring countries in order to escape religious or

ethnic persecution, civil strife and conflicts and wars particularly in Southeastern Asia, Eastern

Europe, the Middle East and Africa. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio

Gutierres stipulated in the UNHCR annual report titled “Global Trends Report: World at War”

stated that one in every 122 humans in the world is today is considered to be a refugee, internally

displaced person or an asylum seeker, not seen since the conclusion of the Second World War

(United Nations High Commisioner for Refugees, 2015). Article XIV, Section II of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights states that a person seeking to preserve their life and property has

the right to seek asylum in safe and conducive environment in order to start over until the conflict

has ended. Noting the sharp increases of refugees seeking to have the right for asylum in relatively

stable countries in Europe, the Americas and the Middle East, there is a need to protect these

refugees prior to departing toward these places given that the report mentioned showed that an

estimated 51% of the refugees are children that are unsuspecting victims of these conflicts (United

Nations High Commisioner for Refugees, 2015).

Hence, there has been a call upon member states to provide tenable solution for protecting

peoples in hazardous conflict-riddled zones with the inadequate budgets for suitable food, clothes

and shelters and protection from harmful elements. Urgency is placed on this simulation to resolve

the issues in protecting the safety of refugees in these conflict-ridden zones that has outlined within

the UNHCR report. Solutions that must be adopted by the delegates shall enable a systematic

approach in curtailing the high-levels of internally-displaced peoples (IDPs) that can be facilitated

and acted upon by member states contrary towards a sense of normalcy for the part of the safety

of refugees prior to their eventual passage of asylum in other countries. On the other hand, member

states should create emergency blueprints that can prevent such occurrences to happen in the latter

future.

Topic 2:

“The Rohingya Crisis in Southeast Asia”

The Rohingya people, a Bangladeshi Muslim ethnic group based in Myanmar and

Bangladesh that have left Bangladesh and entered into neighboring Thailand to garner a better

opportunity for survival have been deemed as “stateless entities” by the Government of Myanmar

thereby aptly been consistently been persecuted by Buddhist sects. For the lack of national

recognition as citizens, the Rohingyas presently estimated by the Office of the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to nearly 2 million are deemed to be internally

displaced persons (IDPs) and have been forbidden to leave by their government, forcing many to

seek migration through boarding ramshackle boats run by human traffickers into neighboring

Southeast Asia countries particularly into Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia (Office of the United

Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2015). Since January of 2015, the UNHCR has noted

that an estimated 25,000 Rohingya people have since sailed into substandard rafts manned by

human traffickers and people’s smugglers with an estimated 310 of the persecuted sect that have

since died during their perilous voyage towards the Greater Southeast Asian region.

On the 21st of May 2015, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs respectively of Indonesia and

Malaysia have agreed in providing provisional settling of the 7,000 Rohingya people from

Myanmar in the medium-term stating that the international community must shoulder the

collective responsibility (Reuters, 2015). In this simulation, the delegates of the Human Rights

Council shall explore the plight of the persecuted ethnic group in forming substantial solutions

towards the mitigation of the migration of Rohingya peoples into Southeast Asia. Given that there

has been greater attention towards the issue of the boat people, the delegates in this simulation

must adhere to existing binding conventions and protocols adopted by the United Nations

regarding towards the protection of refugees during peacetime; while balancing the principle of

non-interference practiced by members by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

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