ODU Model United Nations Conference (ODUMUNC)
Committees
Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian (SOCHUM)
Topics:
- Increasing the Role of Indigenous People in Government
- Assistance to Survivors of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
- Promoting the Protection of the Rights of Immigrants
- Strengthening Human Rights Monitoring Mechanisms
Your Chairman: TBA
Background
When the UN General Assembly debates human rights and social issues, it does not authorize specific action by UN agencies; that job belongs to the ECOSOC. This committee works instead to establish the goals of international humanitarian policy. Always working through member states, it tries to forge the long-term agenda for governments as they consider their own social problems, aid other governments and work with international civil society (Non-governmental organizations).
SOCHUM's primary focus is on questions of human rights, particularly those specific issues addressed by the Human Rights Council. Other humanitarian issues include women's rights, rights of the child, treatment of refugees, racial discrimination, and the right to self-determination. Some social issues addressed include crime, justice, drug control, family issues, and people with disabilities.
Social issues often overlap with armed conflict and the security of states. Armed conflicts often is directly linked to the scarcity of food, water and other resources, all worsened by global climate change. For example, the desertification of Sub-Saharan Africa forces tribes to compete for water and grazing land, enflaming fighting. Similarly, the illegal drug trade has turned major cities around the world in virtual war zones.
