Prague, February 2017 Prague Model United Nations Conference Model United Nations Prague z.s. Jaurisova 515/4 140 00 Prague 4 The Czech Republic Web: www.praguemun.cz Author: Clarissa Tabosa and Aurélien Sailler Graphic Design: Jiří Drozd, MUN Pragu

Contents Contents .................................................................................................................................................................................. 2

General introduction:........................................................................................................................................................... 1

An introduction to the UNESCO .............................................................................................................................. 1

What is expected of delegates for this agenda: .............................................................................................. 4

Topic A: Safeguarding cultural heritage in conflict zones ................................................................................. 5

Introduction: .................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Legal aspects: ................................................................................................................................................................ 7

Definition of armed conflict: ................................................................................................................................ 7

The protection of cultural heritage: ....................................................................................................................... 7

Case study: Syria ................................................................................................................................................................. 11

Quick overview of the situation of the Syrian conflict:.................................................................................. 11

Syrian cultural heritage: ............................................................................................................................................. 11

The impact of the conflict over Syrian Cultural Heritage: .......................................................................... 12

UNESCO initiatives to protect Syrian Cultural Heritage: ............................................................................ 13

Core issues to discuss: ............................................................................................................................................... 15

Additional readings: .................................................................................................................................................... 15

Sources: ............................................................................................................................................................................ 15

Topic B: Access to education and health care in conflict and post-conflict zones ............................... 17

Introduction: ................................................................................................................................................................... 17

Definition of key terms: ............................................................................................................................................ 19

The emergence of new threats linked to the evolution of the notion of conflict: ........................... 20

Access to education and Healthcare as weapons: ..................................................................................... 20

The importance of transition towards durable institutions: ...................................................................... 21

Legal aspects: ............................................................................................................................................................. 23

Proposed means of action and points of reflexion: .................................................................................... 23

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Block positions: ........................................................................................................................................................... 24

Further readings: ........................................................................................................................................................ 26

Sources: .......................................................................................................................................................................... 26

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General introduction:

An introduction to the UNESCO:

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized

agency of the United Nations. Its headquarters are based in Paris. The UNESCO is composed of

two mains bodies:

The General Conference, which meets every two years, and is attended by Member States and

Associate Members, together with observers for non-Member States, intergovernmental

organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Each country has one vote,

irrespective of its size or the extent of its contribution to the budget. It determines the policies and

the main lines of work of the Organization. Its duty is to set the programmes and the budget of

UNESCO. It also elects the Members of the Executive Board and appoints, every four years, the

Director-General.

The Executive Board ensures the overall management of UNESCO. It prepares the work of the

General Conference and sees that its decisions are properly carried out. The functions and

responsibilities of the Executive Board are derived primarily from the Constitution and from rules

or directives laid down by the General Conference.

In this committee, delegates will simulate the General Conference of the UNESCO.

The UNESCO was founded in 1945 at the occasion of a United Nations Conference for the

establishment of an educational and cultural organization. The Constitution of UNESCO, signed

on 16 November 1945, came into force on 4 November 1946 after ratification by twenty countries.

Today, the UNESCO is composed of 195 Member States and ten associate members.

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According to its Constitution, the purpose of the Organization is: "to contribute to peace and

security by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science and culture in

order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and

fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race,

sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations".

In order to work towards the achievement of these goals, the UNESCO was initially granted the

following functions, defined under the article I of its Constitution:

Collaborate in the work of advancing the mutual knowledge and understanding of

peoples, through all means of mass communication and to that end recommend such

international agreements as may be necessary to promote the free flow of ideas by word

and image;

Give fresh impulse to popular education and to the spread of culture: Maintain, increase

and diffuse knowledge.

Today, the agenda of the UNESCO is aimed at the advancement towards the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs) established at the 70th Session of the United Nations General

Assembly:

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To advance towards these aims, the UNESCO acts through five major programs:

education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and communication/information.

The Organization operates by cooperating with all sorts of actors, including States, Non-

Governmental Organizations. The UNESCO is represented worldwide through field offices,

whether they are national, multi-national or regionalIn practice, UNESCO means of actions

includes, but are not limited to:

The creation of international 3 types of legal instruments:

International Conventions, which are subject to ratification, acceptance or accession by States.

They define rules with which the States undertake to comply. They will require a two-third majority

to be adopted.

Recommendations to Member States, which are not subject to ratification, acceptance or

accession by States and in the General Conference formulates “principles and norms for the

international regulation of any particular question and invites Member States to take whatever

legislative or other steps may be required”. They only require a simple majority vote.

Declarations, which are rarely-used and extremely formal and solemn tools that are also not

subject to ratification, acceptance or accession by States. They aim at promoting, in exceptional

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circumstances, general principles acknowledged by the Members of the General Assembly. They

only require a simple majority vote.

The establishment and financing of programmes of cooperation

The establishment and communication of international guidelines and standards

What is expected of delegates for this agenda: It is important for every delegate to be able to understand the scope and powers of the UNESCO

as it will guide their discussion towards solutions to be implemented to the issues that will be

discussed in this committee.

Delegates are also urged to study previous UN resolutions and more specifically UNESCO

resolutions, to understand the process and format of such MUNs, and the scope of solutions.

This Study Guide was made in order to provide delegates with a basic knowledge of the topics

that will be discussed. However, it is necessary that delegates commit to personal researches,

including, but not limited to the additional readings and sources provided in this document.

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Topic A: Safeguarding cultural heritage in conflict zones

Introduction:

As mentioned previously, the protection and promotion of Culture is considered by the UNESCO

as a fundamental pillar of its goal towards the establishment of Peace. The notion of Cultural

heritage can be broadly defined as “pieces of cultural expression or information inherited from the

past of mankind”, and will be legally defined later in this document. The protection of such

heritage is considered as a key mission of the UNESCO. The protection of these sites must be

conciliated with the needs for economic, touristic, urban and social development that are also core

issues for the UNESCO and its member states.

As it will be detailed later in this document, the UNESCO has established a certain number of lists

and status for Cultural heritage sites. The map hereunder provides us with an idea of the

important number of protected cultural sites across the world.

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Map of Cultural Heritage Sites in the world. Source: Screenshot of the interactive map by the UNESCO

The issue of protection of cultural heritage is even more difficult to be dealt with in time of conflict,

given the instability and destruction that come with conflicts. The core point of discussion in this

topic should be the protection of tangible cultural considering the fact that intangible cultural

heritage such as artistic performances is less threatened by conflict, being less subject to

irreparable damages. Tangible cultural heritage, as Cultural sites or artefacts, on the other hand,

are subject to a certain number of grave and beyond repair damages during conflicts, due to

direct effects of the conflicts, such as destructions caused by weapons, which have come to be

more destructive than ever with the systematic use of shelling in modern conflicts. Irreparable

damages are also caused by an indirect effect of conflicts: the instability of states and territories

is a fertile ground for the looting of cultural sites, which results in irreparable damages to such

cultural properties.

It is therefore the responsibility of the UNESCO to provide member states and actors of cultural

protection with the necessary means to protect cultural heritage even in times of instability and

lack of information.

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Legal aspects:

Definition of armed conflict: The Geneva Conventions defines armed conflict in multiple ways, depending on the situation:

The Common article 2 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 defines “armed conflict” as:

“cases of declared war or of any other armed conflict which may arise between two or

more of the High Contracting Parties, even if the state of war is not recognized by one of

them”; “cases of partial or total occupation of the territory of a [State party to the Geneva

Convention], even if the said occupation meets with no armed resistance".

Are also considered armed conflicts, “conflicts not of an international character occurring

in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties" as stated in the Common Article 3

of the same Convention.

Are also considered armed conflicts, conflicts "which take place in the territory of a High

Contracting Party between its armed forces and dissident armed forces or other organized

armed groups which, under responsible command”, in application of the article 1 of

Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Convention.

The protection of cultural heritage:

The International legislation regarding the issue of protection of cultural property in time of conflict

is mainly stated in The Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed

Conflict of 1954. It is strongly advised for each delegate to read the integral convention in order to

get a global legal knowledge of the topic, though, a certain number of important features of this

Convention will be explained below:

The article 1 of the convention broadly defines “cultural property” as:

(a) movable or immovable property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people,

such as monuments of architecture, art or history, whether religious or secular; archaeological

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sites; groups of buildings which, as a whole, are of historical or artistic interest; works of art;

manuscripts, books and other objects of artistic, historical or archaeological interest; as well as

scientific collections and important collections of books or archives or of reproductions of the

property defined above;

(b) buildings whose main and effective purpose is to preserve or exhibit the movable cultural

property defined in sub-paragraph such as museums, large libraries and depositories of archives,

and refuges intended to shelter, in the event of armed conflict, the movable cultural property

defined in sub-paragraph [...]

The article 3 of the convention sets forth the obligation for contracting States to take all measures

that would appear reasonable, in time of Peace, to ensure the protection of “cultural property” in

the possible times of war to come.

The article 4 of this convention se the basic legal ground of the obligation of States parties to the

Convention to respect such “cultural property”, by stating that :

1. The High Contracting Parties (i.e. States parties to the Convention) undertake to respect cultural

property situated within their own territory as well as within the territory of other High Contracting

Parties by refraining from any use of the property and its immediate surroundings or of the

appliances in use for its protection for purposes which are likely to expose it to destruction or

damage in the event of armed conflict; and by refraining from any act of hostility, directed against

such property.

[...]

3. The High Contracting Parties further undertake to prohibit, prevent and, if necessary, put a stop

to any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation of, and any acts of vandalism directed against,

cultural property. They shall refrain from requisitioning movable cultural property situated in the

territory of another High Contracting Party.

4. They shall refrain from any act directed by way of reprisals against cultural property.

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The article 8 provides that refuges intended to provide protection to movable cultural property

may receive a status of special protection, subject to the conditions that those sites:

(a) are situated at an adequate distance from any large industrial centre or from any important

military objective constituting a vulnerable point, such as, for example, an aerodrome,

broadcasting station, establishment engaged upon work of national defence, a port or railway

station of relative importance or a main line of communication;

(b) are not used for military purposes.

The application and withdrawal of this statute of special protection is contained in the articles 9,

10 and 11 of the Convention.

The article 16 and 17 of the Chart, which composes the Chapter V of the Convention, establish a

distinctive emblem used to notify the existence of cultural property in various cases (see the full

text of the convention for more details).

Distinctive emblem for the protection of cultural property, as defined in the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of

Armed Conflict

Various UNESCO acts and decisions have created special statuses that provide special protection

to a certain number of categories of cultural properties. For example, the Convention Concerning

the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972):, adopted in Paris from 17 October

to 21 November 1972, by the UNESCO at its seventeenth session, which came into force on the

17th of December 1975 and is currently ratified by 192 states

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(http://www.unesco.org/eri/la/convention.asp?KO=13055&language=E), has established the

World Heritage List, that offers special protection to sites that are of “outstanding universal value

“and meet one out of 10 criteria set by the Convention. (http://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/).

Logo of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee

As mentioned previously, cultural properties are also threatened by the illicit looting of works of

art. Such lootings are prohibited by a certain number of International Conventions, including The

Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of

Ownership of Cultural Property (1970) and the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally

Exported Cultural Objects (1995).

Here is a list of other relevant treaties and declarations that should help delegates in order to

expand their legal knowledge about the issue:

The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003)

The UNESCO Declaration concerning the Intentional Destruction of Cultural heritage

(2003)

The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

(2005)

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Case study: Syria

Quick overview of the situation of the Syrian conflict: Since 2011, Syria is entangled in a civil war conflict that –according to the United Nations and Arab

League envoy to Syria– has killed approximately 400,000 people. If you need to know more

about the current situation in Syria, please find links to recommended article in the Additional

readings section below.

Syrian cultural heritage:

With its rich and ancient multi-cultural history, Syria has an incredibly rich and various cultural

and architectural heritage. This heritage includes architectural sites from the Antiquity (byzantine

and roman period mostly), and also an important number of sites for the history of Christianity

and Islam. There are 6 sites in Syria that are inscribed in the World Heritage list.

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The impact of the conflict over Syrian Cultural Heritage:

A map of the threats to Syrian cultural heritage sites. Source: Humanitarian Information Unit, U.S Department of State. (Please click on the picture to

access the full-sized map online.)

The Syrian Civil War that rages in the country currently has been the theatre of operations of the

systematic use of shelling by all parties to the conflict, including the use of shelling over sites of

important cultural value, such as the city of Aleppo. Furthermore, this war has also been an

occasion for the world to witness intentional vandalizing of high cultural value site. It also seems

important to mention the systematic destruction and looting of major cultural sites such as the

city of Palmyra by some parties to the conflict. The growing use of satellite imagery has been a

key factor in identifying the extent of the damage of the war.

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According to the Observatory of Syrian culture, there is evidence that the World Heritage

properties have been and are being used for military purposes, and subjected to direct shelling

and targeted explosions, as well as extensive illicit excavations, construction violations and

temporary human occupation. In many cases, local Syrian communities are playing an important

role in efforts to protect their cultural heritage and fight illegal excavations. All six sites in Syria

that are on the World Heritage List have suffered damages during the conflict.

UNESCO initiatives to protect Syrian Cultural Heritage:

The UNESCO, with the financial support of the European Union, created in 2014 the Observatory

of Syrian Cultural Heritage. It is based in UNESCO office in Beirut, Lebanon. This organ aims at

raising international awareness over the question of the destruction of Syrian cultural heritage and

gathering the effort of the various state, non-state and international actors that since the

beginning of the conflict, are trying to monitor, prevent and stop this disaster.

UNESCO is implementing a three-part approach in order to fulfil these goals, by actions such as:

Monitoring and assessing the cultural heritage situation in Syria through updated and

continued knowledge and documentation shared by UNESCO, its partners and all

stakeholders involved in safeguarding Syria's cultural heritage, which are widely

disseminated on the Observatory of Syrian Cultural Heritage. This platform provides

information on damages and looting of sites and structures, as well as information on on-

going projects and initiatives to protect and safeguard cultural heritage. In parallel, a

database of experts and available documentation on cultural heritage in Syria are being

constantly updated to create optimal conditions for post-conflict recovery activities.

Mitigating the destruction and loss of Syrian cultural heritage through national and

international awareness-raising efforts. A multimedia awareness-raising campaign, using

international, regional and national media and social networks, and will include the

dissemination of video clips, a documentary and a publication on Syrian cultural heritage.

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Educational activities on cultural heritage aimed specifically at children and educators will

be developed in the coming months.

Protecting and safeguarding Syrian cultural heritage through enhanced technical

assistance and capacity-building for national stakeholders and beneficiaries, by:

o providing technical support for the establishment of a police database of looted

artefacts;

o training police forces and customs officers in Syria and adjacent countries to fight

illicit trafficking of cultural property (and on the specific tools available to facilitate

and improve the implementation of the 1970 UNESCO Convention);

o training national stakeholders to protect movable heritage and museums during

and after the conflict;

o providing technical assistance and training for the protection of built cultural

heritage and planning conservation and restoration works in view of the recovery

phase;

o training of national stakeholders concerning the core concepts and mechanisms of

the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage; and

o specialized training of national stakeholders, civil society organizations and

communities concerning the creation of inventories for intangible cultural heritage.

The UNESCO initiative has yet not permitted to fully protect important Syrian sites from

destruction during the current conflict.

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Core issues to discuss: How can existing conventions and guidelines on the protection of cultural heritage con be

improved to ensure a more complete protection?

How can the monitoring of cultural destructions be improved in the future?

How can cultural property be protected in new forms of conflict such as the fight against

terrorism?

How to improve enforcement of previously created mechanisms of protection?

Additional readings: UNESCO Website about cultural initiatives

Legal conventions mentioned above (you will be able to find most of these documents

following this link)

More about the situation in Syria:

o About the current Syrian conflict :

o http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868;

http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/November18%20EDITS%2

0COT.pdf

Website of the UNESCO Syrian Observatory

Sources: http://en.unesco.org/

https://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/other/opinion-paper-armed-conflict.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Distinctive_emblem_for_cultural_property.svg

http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/sy

https://en.unesco.org/syrian-observatory/

https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/syria_culturalsites_2013apr11_hiu_u771_1.pdf

https://en.unesco.org/syrian-observatory/damage-assesment-reports

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http://unosat-maps.web.cern.ch/unosat-

maps/SY/CE20130604SYR/Draft_UNOSAT_A3_CE20130604SYR_Palmyra_SY_30032016_L

andscape.pdf

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/safeguarding-syrian-cultural-heritage/

https://en.unesco.org/syrian-observatory/emergency-safeguarding-syrian-cultural-heritage-

project

https://en.unesco.org/syrian-observatory/emergency-safeguarding-syrian-cultural-heritage-

project

https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/vwTreaties1949.xsp

https://en.unesco.org/syrian-observatory/built-heritage

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Topic B: Access to education and health care in conflict and post-conflict zones

Introduction: Access to education and Healthcare are both considered as fundamental Human Rights by the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights under its articles 25 and 26 and by many other

international conventions such as the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural

Rights. The aim of this document is to present the various reasons threatening those basic Human

Rights in times of conflict.

Conflicts often lead to a drop of literacy and health educators of the affected population, as the

result of many factors. During a conflict, structure of the affected state is threatened and therefore

is its capacity to perform its duties towards citizens, such as education or healthcare. Actors of

conflicts often deliberately restrict access to health and education during times of war, i.e. by

shelling, looting or transforming schools and hospitals as military basis. Health and education

workers are also particularly vulnerable during time of conflict, as they can become targets of the

actors of the conflict, or even be kidnapped and forced to work for the interest of their abductors.

The breach in the access to such services in time of conflict leads to obstacles in the peace-

process. Indeed, the damage undertaken by education and healthcare system and facilities in

time of war is usually so grave that it takes years and international assistance for such services to

be operational to their pre-conflict scale. Furthermore, as stated by Jo Boyden and Paul Ryder,

the same school system to which access is being threatened in time of war is the key to the return

of Peace in the State. A parallel must be drawn between this paradox of education and conflict

and the access to healthcare in conflict and post-conflict zones. Indeed, and especially in

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developing countries, the access to healthcare is a factor to the stability of the State, necessary

for maintaining peace.

The issue that should be addressed by the committee during its session is the improvement of

current framework in such fields in order not only to be able to protect civilians in times of conflict,

but also to be able to work towards a more efficient process of Peace-building.

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Definition of key terms:

Peace-building: “activities undertaken on the far side of conflict to reassemble the

foundations of peace and provide the tools for building on those foundations something

that is more than just the absence of war.” (Barhimi Report, 2000)

Humanitarian assistance: Aid that seeks, to save lives and alleviate suffering of a crisis

affected-population. Humanitarian assistance must be provided in accordance with the

basic humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality.( RELIEFWEB

glossary of Humanitarian term )

Education can be defined as the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular

knowledge or skills. It appears important to precise that a broadly accepted distinction

exist between levels of education, such as primary, secondary and tertiary education, that

are distinguished by both the depth and specialization of the teaching provided. The

UNESCO had previously set as a goal for 2015 that all children should have access to

primary education.

Healthcare: The providing of medical services through professional medical services in

order to prevent and treat diseases or injuries. Once again, it appears important to

establish a distinction between levels of Healthcare, which ranges from primary healthcare

to tertiary healthcare, which levels are distinguished by the specialization of the healthcare

provided and institutions.

For a definition of armed conflict, please report to the definition provided in the legal

framework section of topic A.

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The emergence of new threats linked to the evolution of the notion of conflict:

In order to define the context of the issue in today’s world, it seems important to take a look at

the impact of new forms of conflicts over access to healthcare and education. Apart from the

previously mentioned change is the nature of weapons in conflicts and the hazards linked to it, a

certain number of issues must be underlined.

As stated by Kaldor in 2013, new wars tend to contribute to the dismantling of state over issues

of ethnic, linguistic and religious identity. These new forms of war are even more dangerous for

access to basic Human needs for civilians, as they tend to exist in form of guerrilla fights in

populated areas rather than in organized military action. Furthermore, new forms of war tend to

be even more threatening to the stability of the state, by their nature. Indeed, the motivation of

armed groups in such conflicts is rather to gain more control than the others over resources

available, in opposition to the traditional form of War opposing states over a particular territory

or resource.

On the top of this dismantlement of the state, new conflict also tends to involve civilians more

than ever, especially in the case of children soldiers. The issue of children soldiers require by itself

an adapted response in order for the educational system to be able to reintegrate former children

soldiers into the peaceful society.

Access to education and Healthcare as weapons: As mentioned earlier, during conflicts, and especially during modern forms of conflict such as

guerrilla conflicts known today, the educational or healthcare system can be used as weapons by

armed groups.

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For example, the control over humanitarian and medical supply is an issue in various current

conflicts, such as the conflicts in Ukraine or Yemen. The misappropriation of medical supplies

intended for the protection of civilians by armed groups for both commercial and combat

supplying must be considered as a core issue to address regarding healthcare in conflict.

As mentioned previously, education is a key factor to

rebuild society after a period of conflict, as it can be a

vector to transmit peace in the collective consciences

after a period of internal conflict.

In examples such as the war against Communism in the

late 1980s in Afghanistan, the school system was used

to convey images of war to children, leading to the

establishment of war as a durable process in the

collective conscience, and therefore creating obstacles to

the Peace-building process.

It therefore seems crucial to dissociate education and healthcare from the conflicts, and to view

access to basic human Rights as tool for Peace-building and reestablishment of a stable state

and society.

The importance of transition towards durable institutions: It is important to underline the key role played by humanitarian interventions and therefore by

humanitarian NGOs in the issues of access to healthcare and education in such contexts. Yet, it

is also important that if Humanitarian assistance is necessary to respond to immediate civilians

needs in the fields of education and healthcare, it also important to restore the systems of

education and healthcare to their pre-conflict level in order to ensure the soundness of the State

and the establishment of a durable and peaceful society.

Militarized schoolbooks distributed in Afghanistan the late

1980s and early 1990s. Source: National Army Museum.

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Graph

explaining the process of transition towards sustainable development in humanitarian intervention. Source: Author, derived from Derick W. Brinkerhoff,

the Health Systems 20/20 project, USAID

In both the case of healthcare and education, if the access to primary levels of such needs appears

as a necessary first step for humanitarian assistance, it seems important to underline that in order

to restore the stability of the State and the society, it is also necessary to be able to provide

civilians with access to secondary and tertiary education and healthcare, which are key tools

towards the establishment of a peaceful and functioning society. Currently, the international

programmes have mainly tried to deal with the access to primary needs, as witnessed by the

Millennium Goal of access to primary education (2000-2015), but as mentioned by many authors

and actors of peace-building, the necessity to improve and develop this access is a more-than-

ever pressing issue.

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Legal aspects:

The United Nations adopts the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (1948) in

which the right of all children to education is protected.

Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Protocol Additional to the Geneva

Conventions of 12 August 1949, and Relating to the Protection of Victims of Armed

Conflicts provide a framework for the respect and protection of sick, wounded, and

shipwrecked military and civilian medical personnel, units, and transports. Common Article

3 and the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 relating to the

Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts offers protection for the victims

of Non-international conflicts.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1889 posed the principle of universal primary

education.

The World Declaration on Education for All and Framework for Action to Meet Basic

Learning Needs of 1990 emphasizes the role of the resolution of conflicts in the access to

basic education.

UNICEF introduced in 1996 its 10-point Anti War Agenda that emphasize the need for

protection of children in times of conflict and the role of education in conflict prevention.

The United Nations Security Council adopted its 1998th resolution in 2011, making attacks

on schools an offense to the monitoring and reporting mechanism on children in armed

conflict established by its Resolution 1612 (2005).

Proposed means of action and points of reflexion:

Establishment of a combined guide of good practice regarding the protection of access to

Healthcare and Education in conflict and post-conflict zone.

Creation of a monitoring mechanism regarding the access to Education and Healthcare in

conflict and post-conflict zones.

Establishment of a guideline regarding the improvement of cooperation between

international, states and non-state actors

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Addressing the issue of the creation of aid funds for actors involved in the improvement of

the situation.

Engaging a reflexion about the involvement of children in decision-making about

humanitarian interventions in conflict zones.

How can not only primary healthcare and education, but also higher levels be protected

in times of war?

Block positions:

As a first step towards understanding of the position of their country, it is advised for delegate to

acquire knowledge about the state of the healthcare and education system of the represented

country. In order to acquire such knowledge, the World Health Organization ranking of health

systems and the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment established by

the OECD could be good starting points, but an examination of the Global Education Monitoring

Report 2016 should be considered too.

In the matter of access to education and Healthcare, it is important to keep in mind that most

States present in this committee agree on the principle of access to education and healthcare,

countries are divided on the importance to give to such issues and the means to use to realize

such goals.

For what is considered in the international as Most Developed Countries like the European Union

or the United States of America, the access to education and healthcare is a fundamental issue

and the stability or these States allow them to have what can be considered as among the best

healthcare and education institutions. More specifically, the European Union member States have

agreed on Education & Training 2020, a strategic framework and discussion forum that aims at

improving cooperation in the fields of education in order to fulfil ambitious objectives of literacy

and access to education levels. Therefore, it is expected from those countries in this committee to

push for the establishment of ambitious policies regarding the protection of access to Human

Rights in conflict.

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For countries considered as developing countries like China and Russia, the situation must be

qualified. Indeed, if the quality of education and healthcare is rising in BRICS countries, the access

to those services can still not be considered as exemplar. Those countries will be expected to

underline the difficulties faced by the establishment of ambitious policies regarding healthcare

and education.

The position of what can be considered Least Developed Countries and countries in situation of

armed conflict represented in the committee (i.e Ukraine or Syrian Arab Republic) is expected to

be way less optimistic towards the protection of access to education and healthcare in conflict.

Indeed, those countries, being directly confronted to state instability and to conflict situations,

have more difficulties to provide their citizens with such needs. Therefore, those countries tend to

raise the question of the feasibility of the establishment of international policies in their countries,

taking in consideration the lack of financing they are able to allow to education or healthcare in

the context of conflicts and less favourable economical situation.

UNESCO

26

Further readings: The hidden crisis: armed conflict and education, report of the UNESCO, 2011

Impact of Conflict on Children’s Health and Disability, Background paper prepared for the

Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2011

Framework for education 2030, UNESCO

Global Education Monitoring report 2016

Relevant International Treaties mentioned above should be read and understood by

delegates.

Sources: International Review of the Red Cross (2013), 95 (889), 167–187. Violence against health care, a

Human Rights approach to health care in conflict, Katherine H. A. Footer and Leonard S.

Rubenstein.

Rohini Jonnalagadda Haar and Leonard S. Rubenstein, Health in Postconflict and Fragile States,

2012, by the United States Institute of Peace.

http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/1/12-030112/en/

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/1998%20(2011)

Implementing the Right to Education in Areas of Armed Conflict, Jo Boyden with Paul Ryder, June

1996, Department of International Development, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcKoKsHypTY

Reports A/63/881–S/2009/304, A/64/866–S/2010/386 and A/67/499-S/2012/746 of the

Secretary General to the United Nations

Kadlor M, In Defence of New Wars, Stability: International Journal of Security and Development.