UN High Commission on Refugees
Chairperson(s): UN High Commission on Refugees
"So often the world sits idly by, watching ethnic conflicts flare up, as if these were mere entertainment rather than human beings whose lives are being destroyed. Shouldn't the existence of even one single refugee be a cause for alarm throughout the world?" -- Urkhan Alakbarov
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the UNHCR! We're really looking forward to conference, and we hope you are too! In preparation for the event, feel free to refer back to this website for information on the committee, which will be updated as needed.
The Committee
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.
The Chair
Hello, Delegates!
My name is Sophie Bonifaz, and I will be serving as your Chair for the UN High Commission on Refugees for the Houston Area Model United Nations Conference of 2010!
I am a sophomore at Rice University studying anthropology and linguistics, as well as a summer student of ITESM and a proud Alief alum. This is my sixth year with HAMUN and my third experience as a chair; I was the chair of the UN Peacekeeping Operations at last year's HAMUN conference, and the chair of the middle school session of the Security Council for the Houston-area Global Classroom conference this spring. Outside of HAMUN, I enjoy working in the theatre, all kinds of music and dancing, and almost anything having to do with Harry Potter.
The Director
Delegates,
The name's Sharjeel Hanif (it means "fine" in Arabic!) I will be your Director for the High Commision on Refugees at the Houston Area Model United Nations 2010 Conference. My job is basically to make sure you guys are coming up with real solutions for these very serious international issues, I can't wait to get to work with each and every one of you.
I was born in Karachi, Pakistan, but have lived in the greater Houston area most of my life. I'm currently a freshman at the University of Houston, studying electrical and computer engineering, and enjoy web/media design, writing, and badminton, and am a very, very avid gamer. This will be my fifth year being involved with HAMUN in general, but my first as a secretariat. Conference ends up being a valuable learning experience, as long as you try and get involved.
The Topics
One of the goals of this year's conference was to make sure committee topics were involving, relevant, and most importantly, unique. In order to better prepare yourselves for coming up with exceptional, real world solutions to these problems, one must understand why these issues were chosen in the first place. Keep in mind, the goals of the HCR - it's to aid, support, and stand up for the rights of these refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced peoples. It is not about sanctioning, it is about helping people. We've selected two topics for this year's committee:
1) Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea -
"We wanted to raise awareness about the harsh reality facing these North Korean defectors who, because of their illegal status in China, live in terror of being sent back to their homeland. We hope that now, more than ever, the plight of these people and of the aid groups helping them are not forgotten." - Laura Ling and Euna Lee, Current TV journalists recently imprisoned in North Korea
"Getting arrested and repatriated to the North is almost an everyday event for these poor refugees. The difference is that they don't get the kind of attention the American journalists did." - Rev. Chun Ki-won, chief pastor of the Durihana Mission who often smuggles people out of North Korea and helped the Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee gather information
"...One of the most under reported, tragic situations occuring in the world today - the trafficking of North Korean women, many of whom flee to China to try to feed their starving children." - Suzanne Scholte, President of the Defense Forum Foundation (DFF) and the 2008 Seoul Peace Prize Laureate
2) Pakistan's Swat Valley -
"After hearing the explosions, we thought our time on Earth was finished. We've been filled with fear." - Alam Sher, 30 year old father and refugee
"A few months ago we used to come out of our mosques and find bodies lying nearby, murdered by the Taliban. Now we come out, and the bodies are still there. The only difference is that the security forces are now doing the killing." - Local journalist in the Swat Valley
"The international community needs to realise that this is becoming one of the major displacement crises in the world and it needs to be dealt with." - Killian Kleinschmidt, deputy head of the UN refugee agency in Pakistan
For more information on the comittee topcis themselves, you can check out the UNHCR section in the delegate's handbook.
The News
Here you will find news articles on the topics that we found interesting due to their point of view or stories. Since we provided them for you, they cannot be used towards the"three sources" points on your policy statement, but we encourage you to read them anyway to provide you with some insight. Feel free to read them at your leisure, and note we will be adding things as we find them.
1) Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea -
In South Korea, Freed U.S. Journalists Come Under Harsh Criticism*
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/world/asia/22journalists.html
2) Pakistan's Swat Valley -
Swat refugees nurse dreams of peace in Pakistan
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/27/world/fg-pakistan-swat27
*Either needs a membership to view, or should be googled. (The South Korea one, for example, can be accessed through TimesPeople if the title is googled.)
The Conference
You have opted to come to the conference at the cost of missing class, and so we expect you to take this seriously. You will only get out of this what you put into it; the more research you do, the more you put yourself in your country's shoes, and the more you think outside the box, all the more amazing this conference will be. We understand that you have a life outside of HAMUN, of course, but get excited! If you work hard and play your cards right, this will be an experience like no other. We can only imagine the heated debates you guys are going to have about issues that affect millions around the world, and we can't wait to see the resolutions you come up with.
If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us! We'd be more than happy to help.
Sincerely,
Sophie Bonifaz
Chair, UN High Commission on Refugees
Houston Area Model United Nations 2010
Sharjeel Hanif
Director, UN High Commision on Refugees
Houston Area Model United Nations 2010
