Article written By Anish Vedantham.
When you look at the world, you see politicians arguing about the most futile things while climate change ravages our world, food and water shortages are abundantly present, civil wars are waged across the world, and gender and racial inequality skyrockets. At the Model UN Institute, you can learn to change that. You will step into the shoes of a diplomat to the United Nations or a Cabinet Secretary and shape the world by addressing the issues that people across the globe face. But, to truly make your mark on the world, you have to understand the issues first.
1. NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
At the end of World War II, after months of testing, the United States dropped nuclear bombs on two Japanese cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 200,000 civilians. The world recognizes the danger that these weapons pose to humanity, with both Russia and the US have adopted the doctrine of “mutually assured destruction,” when it comes to the stockpiling of nuclear weapons. They believe that if one superpower attacked with nuclear weapons, the other would counterattack and both powers (and likely the entire world) would be annihilated. Despite this, nine Member States of the UN possess nuclear weapons (United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Russia, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea), with Iran and Syria potentially possessing the capabilities to begin proliferation. Much of the world has also signed and ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which establishes the Permanent 5 members as the only states allowed to have nuclear weapons. Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea all possess nuclear weapons and have not signed the NPT. Additionally, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), a treaty banning all tests of nuclear weapons. The CTBT is yet to be ratified by eight states, and until then, the treaty will not go into effect. Many other bilateral, multilateral, and UN treaties have also been proposed to curb the dangerous effects of stockpiling nuclear weapons, but none of them have had enough results to make an impact. However, it is important to consider the ramifications and fairness of allowing a select few states to possess nuclear weapons while demanding that the rest must give them all up.
In this committee, as a member of the United Nations Disarmament and Security Committee (DISEC), you will explore the lasting impact of nuclear weapons. You’ll talk about nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in inspecting compliance with various treaties, and a potential treaty to partially ban all nuclear material.
2. THE SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN
In 1990 an Afghan faction known as the Mujahideen formed the Taliban, a group of Islamic fighters opposing the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. They were backed by the US Central Intelligence Agency and its Pakistani counterpart. Then on September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda operatives hijacked commercial airlines flying them into both of the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon. The US later found out that the Taliban, the same group that they had funded earlier, had been offering sanctuary to the operations of al-Qaeda. The US demanded that the Taliban hand over the terrorists, or else face invasion. The Taliban refused, and the US initiated the “War on Terror,” invading Afghanistan, recapturing large swaths of the land from the Taliban while leaving the people in a brutal conflict with no end in sight.
In 2021, however, President Joe Biden, the newly-elected President, announced that he would be pulling out all troops by September 11, 2021, twenty years after the attacks. The President pulled out 3,500 troops, without regard for the progress made on peace talks or the Taliban’s reduced attacks. As soon as the US left, the Taliban took control of Kabul, the capital city, and ousted the previous government. This has returned it to a country facing poverty, lack of food, poor health, and a lack of strong institutions.
In this UNSC committee, you’ll explore the different avenues by which the Security Council can help in Afghanistan, keeping in mind the dangers of intervention as seen by the US. You’ll consider how to confront the refugee crisis and a number of human rights violations, and how to rescue Afghanistan from the plight it currently faces.
3. RIGHTS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Disabilities have always been part of the human identity, and the UN, since its inception has always sought to provide equitable solutions to those with disabilities. Ableism, discrimination against those with disabilities, has resulted in people with disabilities being considered unfit for work, unable to suggest changes to their governments, and looked down upon as a liability to society. This has been paired with discussions of eugenics. The United States and Nazi Germany have previously adopted sterilization plans for people with disabilities, rendering them unable to have children. This behavior in the past has perpetuated the global rhetoric of inferiority and increased the discrimination that disabled people face.
While policies across the world have been passed more recently to give those with disabilities an equitable life including Ghana’s Persons with Disability Act, and the US’s Americans with Disabilities Act, a lot of work remains. The United Nations needs to focus on its sustainable development goals as it works to help disabled people, keeping in mind goals 1, 3, 8, and 11.
Exploring equitable access to opportunities, professional development, healthcare, and public transportation for disabled persons will be important topics for this committee to discuss, while also addressing the rhetoric surrounding ableism and how to mitigate the systemic discrimination that non-abled-bodied people face.
4. SMALL ARMS TRAFFICKING
The United Nations was created to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” which led to the creation of the Disarmament and Security Committee, or DISEC. While weapons of mass destruction like nuclear weapons and other specific types of weapons like landmines have been addressed by the United Nations, small arms, weapons that are small enough to be carried by people, animals, or conventional vehicles, have not been addressed by the UN to any major degree. These include guns, man-portable air-defense systems (MPADS), rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and mortars, which are much more prevalent in conflict zones across the world. Because they are conventional, small arms and light weapons (SALWs) are easy to transport, access, and use, making them a prime target for weapons trafficking. The global arms trade has increased access to these weapons to everyone from petty thieves to terrorists and militant groups.
While debating this topic, it’s critical to consider how to overcome barriers to gun control including measures like the second amendment to the Constitution of the United States or Article 38 of the Guatemalan Constitution. Additionally, considering the impacts of SALWs and their trafficking on civilians, and the interactions between non-state actors and SALWs is essential in addressing small arms trafficking and protecting Sustainable Development Goal 16.
5. CYBERSECURITY
Humans interact with technology on a daily basis. From texting a friend on the phone to inputting passwords into a browser, to simply surfing the web, the internet has brought about a myriad of possibilities. Given that 89% of the US uses it, the internet has expanded and shaped US foreign and domestic policy. The expansion of the internet and its uses have brought about great benefits for the United States, including allowing people to maintain personal connections and for students to improve their education while furthering economic progress and making life easier for everyone. However, despite these positives, the negatives of the internet–cybercrime, identity theft, cyberstalking, etc– cannot be ignored. These issues are heightened on a national level, with concerns ranging from election security to deterrence of a cyber attack. Cyberattacks can be deadly, both to a country’s people and to its functioning. However, these attacks are relatively untraceable and can happen in the blink of an eye, rendering them lethal to whoever is unlucky enough to fall victim to them.
As a member of the cabinet of the United States, you will advise the President and take actions relating to cybersecurity. In this committee, you’ll discuss how to adapt and protect cybersecurity infrastructure, concerns with the rise of artificial intelligence, and how to protect American interests in an era where cybercrime is so prevalent. The future of the United States may depend on the actions you choose to undertake.
6. CORRUPTION IN LATIN AMERICA
From Argentine President Carlos Menem to Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello to Peruvian leader Alberto Fujimori, Latin America has a long and rich history of corruption in its highest offices. Although every country faces a different path to moving away from corrupt politics, the issue is one that has plagued and continues to plague all of Latin America, despite broader solutions being available.
SDG 16–Peace, justice, and strong institutions–aims to fix that by ensuring transparent governance, and reducing the necessity for bribes. The United Nations Convention Against Corruption, a treaty focusing on fighting corruption around the world, is the only current legally binding treaty that deals with corruption, and contains four main sections: preventative measures, criminalization, and law enforcement measures, international cooperation, and asset recovery. Although the UN hasn’t focused on corruption, non-governmental organizations like the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
In this committee, you’ll discuss the relationship between political corruption and women, the economic consequences of corruption, and the role of the police in corruption. You’ll have to understand that the issue requires collaboration between the government and its citizens, as well as rethinking approaches to police and education. Above all, you’ll have to decide if it’s even worth it for the UN to step in.
7. PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPECIES
Animals play a huge role in maintaining the earth’s climate, ocean levels, and the air that we breathe, but not all humans recognize these critical roles that animals and nature play in our lives. The rate at which species are becoming endangered is increasing dramatically, as well. In 2020, approximately 22% of all species were considered endangered. One year later, that number is 28%. Much of this increase can be attributed to actions by humans, including increased carbon emissions and climate change and a growing human population leading to increased uses of land and sea, however, invasive species and loss of genetic variation also play a part. Many of the currently endangered species have only become threatened in the last decade or so, and although governments are taking steps to protect wildlife including the American Endangered Species Protection Act of 1956 and the British Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976, vulnerable populations are become endangered at a concerning rate. Many NGOs are taking action including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).
Considering SDGs 14 and 15, life on water and life on land, respectively, are important to keep in mind when discussing the issues of the role of climate change in the endangerment of species, illegal sale of wildlife, and dealing with endangered animals of the deep sea. The future of more than 40,000 endangered species depends on the actions of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)
8. RACIAL JUSTICE
Racial discrimination is an unfortunate byproduct of humanity’s diversity that has been around for centuries from the Atlantic Slave Trade to Jim Crow Laws to Apartheid. While often thought to be a relic of the past, racial discrimination exists to this day and is still prevalent in many countries in the forms of police brutality, the inherent biases within the criminal justice system, and lack of access to education and job opportunities. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was adopted in 1965 by the General Assembly to end racial discrimination. This implementation of this convention, which defines racial discrimination as any restriction or denial of human rights on the basis of their race, color, national or ethnic identity, is done by the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination (CERD), a group of independent experts, who also monitor progress towards this treaty. CERD has done a variety of work in the past addressing racial discrimination, following the UN General Assembly’s Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1963. They’ve worked to uphold the Convention on the Elimination of Forms of Racial Discrimination and have urged the international community to recognize and prevent discrimination, with the potential to turn into genocide.
As a member of CERD, you’ll consider discrimination in the criminal justice system, reparations, ensuring equality and equity, and inequities and discrimination in the workforce. Keep in mind your platform and your ability to inform and educate people the world over as you seek to right the wrongs of discrimination and racism.
9. UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION
Article 26 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights says, “Everyone has the right to education.” This document, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948. However, despite near-universal acceptance of the Declaration, many marginalized groups including women, ethnic and linguistic minorities, gender and sexual minorities (GSM), migrants, and refugees face severe barriers to education in many parts of the world. Education provides members of a community with the possibility of upward mobility, the ability to move to a higher socioeconomic class, and greater health and lifespan. Although there has been a push to provide for greater access to education, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly hampered this and highlighted economic disparities with many students unable to access remote learning. Furthermore, over one billion people are illiterate, and although that number continues to shrink, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) must work to ensure that those who require education are able to get it. Non-governmental organizations have also assisted in the process including Child Education International (CE International) and The Right to Education Initiative (RTE), a human rights organization with four tenets of equitable education: availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptability.
As you serve as a delegate to UNICEF, keep in mind the correlation between health and education, the role of displacement in education, and the role of technology in educational development. Keeping this in mind, along with understanding the underlying effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on education will help you have a successful and productive committee.
10. EQUALITY FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
Members of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+) community have been persecuted by the Church and the State for years. Through sodomy laws and other laws like the United State’s 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and the 1980 Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China, both of which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. However, cultural sympathies towards the LGBTQ+ community began to change by the tail-end of the 20th century, and in 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States released its decisions on the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges, a decision that struck down bans on same-sex marriage across the country. Since 1791, 116 countries have legalized same-sex acts. However, those countries only comprise 55% of the world’s population and still, most of those aren’t protected from discrimination in the workplace or in private businesses. As of 2021, 69 countries criminalize homosexuality, and those convicted can face years in prison. Despite best efforts by many countries, the debate over homosexuality still remains controversial to this day. Transgender rights, on the other hand, are in an even worse state. From 2007 to 2014, 2,000 murders of transgender individuals were recorded. The Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has called for the need to protect LGBTQ individuals from violence and discrimination, and in 2016 the United Nations Security Council issued a resolution condemning the Pulse Nightclub Shooting. There are a variety of NGOs assisting the movement including the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World) and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
The Human Rights Council must act on this issue, as LGBTQ+ individuals get killed by governments citing mistranslated scripture or calling them “abominations” or “immoral.” While considering this issue, the HRC should consider the discrimination faced by members of the community, especially transgender individuals, in healthcare, the rights of the LGTBQ+ community in the global south, and the need for inclusion in education. The Human Rights Council needs to consider how to address this extremely divisive issue.
Will you fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, people of color and people with disabilities to make the world a more accepting place? Will you intervene in Afghanistan and ensure that human rights are being respected and access to education is provided equitably? Will you work to prevent small arms trafficking or agree to disarm nuclear weapons and make our world a safer place? Will you fight corruption in all of its forms? Or will you arm the United States of America against perhaps one of the greatest threats the world has ever known: cyberwarfare? The decision is up to you at the Model UN Institute this summer.
