Committee Information
1st General Assembly (Disarmament & International Security)
The Question of Transnational Drug Trafficking
The consequences of transnational drug trafficking are evident in its connections with violence in both the wealthiest and poorest nations of the world, as stated by the 2011 World Development Report. While the illicit drug industry has led to an increase in money laundering, corruption and financial acts of terrorism, it is the role of transnational criminal organisations that place strain on governments’ abilities to monitor activities beyond their geographical borders, therefore having greater domestic and international security implications. The United Nations Convention against illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances remains the cornerstone for addressing the economic and social forms of drug trafficking. However, there needs to be further action to address the impacts of the illegal drug trade and its contribution to regional destabilisation and transnational insecurity.
2nd General Assembly (Economic and Financial)
Effective Regulation of International Tax Havens
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man (or woman) in possession of a good fortune, must have it invested in a Cayman Islands bank account”. The issue of tax evasion and tax havens has been a long standing problem for nations around the world. The UN Convention Against Corruption remains the main document relating to this issue, yet it does not specifically address the issues of creative accounting. As stated by the committee in 2006, the development of tax cooperation is “a moral issue of critical importance to developing countries” demonstrating the widespread affects of this form of corruption. Given the prominence of transnational corporations, this topic gives rise to discussions about the intersection between domestic affairs, international cooperation and the role of private enterprise.
Human Rights Council
The Question of Prosecuting Juvenile Unlawful Combatants
The use of children in military in armed conflict is widespread as they are cheap and their supply is abundant. As there are established international human rights laws such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 38, Optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict and the Rome Statue Article 8.2.26 that reflect the numerous legal measures that prohibit the recruitment of children in war, the general view in international law is not to prosecute child soldiers under the age of 18. The case of Omar Khdar has warranted concern as he was the first person to be prosecuted for war crimes as a child. How can the international community respond to this complex problem and should they have alternate methods to prosecution so that underage combatants are accountable for their actions?
United Nations Environmental Program
Environmental Impacts of the Famine in East Africa
On 20th July 2011, the UN officially declared famine in around areas of East Africa, encompassing Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. Subsequently, the UN has included more regions and a $2.5 Billion (US) aid package in the affected regions. The cause of the famine stems from a two year drought which led to widespread crop failure. The resulting exponential increase in food prices has left hundreds of thousands of people without supply causing a humanitarian crisis as the capital of Mogadishu is unable to support the influx of people. Furthermore the movement of over 800,000 refugees to Kenya and Ethiopia present further challenges to these neighbouring countries who have suffered a poor wet season and yielded lower crop harvests. The goal for UNEP is to find a long term solution to the problem, keeping in mind the implications that this would set for the increased frequency of climate related threats to food security.
United Nations Security Council (Application only)
Hypothetical conflict over Water between India, China and Pakistan
(TBC)
Crisis Council (Application only)
Historical- Chinese Civil War 1949
20th of August, 1945, China. The end of the Second World War is in sight. Imperial Japan, after simultaneously suffering nuclear attacks by the United States and a large scale invasion of Manchuria by the Soviet Union, formally signed for an unconditional surrender. However in the neighbouring Republic of China, a different kind of war raged, broiled from decades of war, famine and devastation. The fragile truce between the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Nationalist Party (the Kuomintang) is fraying. Without a common enemy to fight, the two warring factions must come to terms with how to deal with each other as well as to adapt to a changing geopolitical order. As Chairman Mao Zedong and the Communist Party of China or Generalissimo Chiang Kaishek and the Kuomintang, will you honour your word and stay the truce, or defer to the Art of War and strike first?
International Criminal Court (Application only)
Prosecution of Col. Muammar Qaddafi
On 27 June 2011, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Col. Muammar Gaddafi on crimes against humanity. Structured as a semi-hypothetical, at the time of this SydMUN court proceeding, Gaddafi has been arrested and is in custody in The Hague. This committee facilitates a range of discussion from international jurisprudence to current affairs through the assessment of evidence surrounding Gaddafi’s 41 year reign. It will be incumbent on you – the esteemed Justices – of the ICC to determine whether Gaddafi is guilty.
You do not require a legal background to participate in this topic however the SydMUN team would like to advise that concepts of international law will be central to the debate.
International Press Gallery
On the 12th September 2001, UK paper The Sun famously proclaimed that the 9/11 attacks was “The Day that Changed the World”. The power of journalism is irrefutable. With media evolving into a ubiquitous and fast-paced dispenser of information, it cannot be ignored as a new player in international relations. At SydMUN, we will be presenting a variety of specialised news agencies to form the International Press Gallery. In addition to reporting on the developments during committees, Press delegates will have the inside scoop on the stories of SydMUN as well as access to the official Twitter account with the power to stir up debate and create controversy.
If you have any questions relating to Committee’s, feel free to email our USG Committees, Angela Chen, at committees.sydmun@usydunsociety.org