General Assembly 3 - Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee

Topic 1: Evaluating international standards on the issue of the rights of prisoners and the use of torture

Topic 2: Combating government oppression in UN member states

Topic 1: One of the most pressing issues, and perhaps the driving force behind the United Nations themselves is the preservation of Human Rights, regardless of religious, cultural, financial or ethnic background. More often than not, though, minorities and disadvantaged people do not enjoy the same rights as the rest of the citizens of the world. One such group consists of people who have been detained or imprisoned. These people, however minor or major their offence has been, are at the hands of police officers and prison officials, who in dealing with criminals feel entitled to violate their legal and human rights. Inhumane conditions, racial violence, segregation, torture and abuse are only a few of the countless cruel instances prisoners have to face. And even though internationally respected treaties and conventions explicitly prohibit any form of violence, including torture, such as the 1949 Geneva Conventions, there have been many an instance of merciless treatment of prisoners. As delegates, you will need to research your country’s policy and find original solutions to this acute issue which align with your policy. Happy research!

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Topic 2: One of the motives that led to the establishment of the UN is the need to ensure equality among states and individuals, without being biased by external factors. Nevertheless, wrong use and overexploitation of power is the leading cause of government corruption. Regardless of each nation’s regime, it is fundamental that citizens aren’t put under pressure by governments. More specifically, government corruption is expressed through various ways: measures promoting social inequalities (e.g. towards the poor, homophobia), lack of freedom (e.g. religious), government controlled speech (e.g. censorship), dictatorship etc. Thus, such systems of oppression are the root cause of multiple social problems regarding social marginalization. Prime examples are homophobia, racial inequalities, sexism, xenophobia, antisemitism. Even though governments have taken no responsibility or action upon the issue, major organizations have recently started tackling the issue. UN, as the most effective and widespread organ, aiming for international cooperation and peace, has taken considerable action in various facets and ways, such as the UN anti-corruption program. However, not much progress has been done, since governments oppose barriers towards achieving elimination of oppression. As a result, major and urgent action has to be taken by many carriers to fight government bias. Have multifaceted research and let’s hope for a fruitful debate!