Committees
General Assembly Plenary
Established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policy making and representative organ of the United Nations. Comprising all 192 member states, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter.
The four General Assembly committees simulated at HAMUN are: GA Plenary, GA First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), GA Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), and GA Sixth Committee (Legal).
Topics:
Open Agenda
GA 1: Disarmament
The United Nation General Assembly’s First Committee on Disarmament and International Security was established in 1952 under article 11 of the UN charter. General Assembly’s first committee’s function is that it deals with disarmament and other related international security questions.
The first committee generally serves as a forum, as do all General Assembly committees, largely because of its discussion techniques and its outputs. This committee is able to conduct research into providing incentives for nations to disarm and is also able to recommend action which needs to be taken against any nation which fails to meet security criteria
Topics:
Use of White Phosphorus
Arms Race in Space
GA 3: Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural
The General Assembly allocated to its Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee, commonly referred to as the "Third Committee". agenda items relating to a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues that affect peoples all over the world. An important part of the committee's work focuses on the examination of human rights questions, including reports of the Human Rights Council.
GA 3 also discusses the advancement of women, the protection of children, indigenous issues, the treatment of refugees, the promotion of fundamental freedoms through the elimination of racism and racial discrimination and the promotion of the right to self-determination. The committee also address important social development questions such as issues related to youth, family, aging, persons with disabilities, crime prevention, criminal justice and drug control.
Topics:
Third World Adoption Policies
The Challenges of Global Population Increases
GA 6: Legal
GA 6 is the primary forum for the consideration of legal questions in the General Assembly. All of the UN member states are entitles to representation on the Sixth Committee.
Topics:
(Legal) Measures to Eliminate Terrorism
Criminal Accountability of UN Officials and Experts on Mission
Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council will simulate one of the UN's six major organs, and assist the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to members states.
Topics:
Ecomonic and Social Repercussions of Israeli Occupation on Palestinians
Protection Against Products Harmful to Health and the Environment
Security Council
The UN Security Council is the only UN body with the power to sanction another country or deploy UN peace keeping troops. The Security Council is one of the most advanced committees offered at HAMUN. Delegates for this committee are expected to be extremely experienced and well-prepared, knowing both the topic at hand and the regional implications of the situation.
Topics:
Working Toward Ending the Violence and Conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT)
Stability and the Nuclear Question in Iran
International Court of Justice
The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the UN. It was established by the United Nations Charter, and bgan work in 1946 in the Peace Palace, The Hague in the Netherlands. The Court is composed of 15 judges and has a dual role: to settle legal disputes between member states in accordance with international law and to give advisory options on legal matters to member states and organs and specialized agencies of the United nations. In this conference, the ICJ will work on two of the current ICJ cases.
Cases:
East Timor (Portugal v. Australia)
The Removal of Gold from Rome in 1943 (Italy v. France, UK, and USA)
National Security Council
The National Security Council, while not an actual UN organization is comprised of world leaders in conjunction with their nations cabinet to promote their foreign policy while working with other countries to resolve the issues at hand. The goal of the council is to come up with a solution to the crisis no matter how long it takes until a rational solution is approved.
Topics:
Crisis in Columbia
Crisis in the Northern Caucasus
World Health Organization
The World Health Organiztion committee is a specialized agency of the UN that acts as a coordinating body of international public health. They are responsible for providing leadership on global health matters to shape the health research agenda, set norms and standars, articulate evidence-based policy options, provide technical support to countries and monitor and asses health trends.
Topics:
Limiting the Spread of Epidemics in an Age of Globalization
Increasing the Availability of HIV/AIDS Testing & Counseling Centers
UNICEF Executive Board
The UNICEF Executive Board will simulate the governing body of the UN's Children's Fund. The committee will focus on issues affecting children around the world, especially in developing countries.
Topics:
Universalizing Primary Education
Children Affected by Armed Conflict
World Bank Board of Executive Directors
The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. WB is not a bank in the common sense. They are made of two unique development institutions owned by 186 member states - the International Bank for Reconstruction (loans) and the International Development Association.
Each institution plays a different but collaborative role to advance the vision of an inclusive and sustainable globalization. The IBRD focuses on middle income and creditworthy poor countries, while IDA focuses on the poorest countries in the world. Together, they provide low-interest loans, interest-free credits and grants to developing countries for a wide array of purposes that include investments in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture and environment.
For HAMUN we will focus on the IBRD.
Topics:
Impact of Climate Change on Development and Developing Countries
The Challenges of Rising Food Costs
UN Human Settlements Programme (HABITAT)
UN HABITAT is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. However, the program has an exceedingly wide mandate that covers urban development, water sanitation, social inclusion, risk and disaster management land and housing and urban economy and financing shelters.
Topics:
Water Sanitation
Squatter Settlements
UN High Commission on Refugees
UNHCR was established in 1950 by the General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country.
Topics:
North Korean Refugees
Pakistan's Swat Valley Refugee Crisis
Human Rights Council
The HRC is an inter-governmental body with the UN system responsible to strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. The council was created by the General Assembly in 2006 with the purpose of addressing serious human rights violations.
