united nations human rights council (unhrc) study...
TRANSCRIPT
United Nations Human Rights
Council (UNHRC)
Study Guide
3rd
Annual ShoreMUN Conference
28th
& 29th
September 2013
Page 1 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
Contents
Director’s Note .............................................................................................................................................. 2
Director’s Note .............................................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction to Committee and its History ................................................................................................... 4
Background ................................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction to the Topic .............................................................................................................................. 5
Recent Developments and Current Situation ............................................................................................... 6
Past UN Action .............................................................................................................................................. 8
Possible Solutions ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Questions a Resolution Must Answer ......................................................................................................... 10
Further Readings and Useful Links .............................................................................................................. 10
Page 2 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
Director’s Note
Dear Delegates,
It is with great fervor that I welcome you to the United Nations Human Rights Council at 2013! My name
is Nabeel Shaikh, and I’ve been given the honor to serve as your committee director with my Co- Chair
Taleha Aftab.
I entered the realms of Model UN at the beginning of my second year of high school. I immediately
became passionate about the activity, and it wasn’t long before MUN consumed my social and extra-
curricular life. I have had the pleasure of being part of numerous MUNs including Model United Nations
Turkey 2013, Model United Nations IBA Karachi 2013, Harvard Model United Nations 2012, and
ROTMUN 2011, where I was honored with outstanding diplomacy awards. I’ve been part of various
committees, in various capacities – Delegate, Committee Director, Secretary General, and I have
thoroughly learnt from every experience.
Although my education is focused on business administration, I have always deeply enjoyed the
opportunity to discuss major world issues with people from different background and countries. My love
for MUNs stems from my passion for international and public interest law. My passion also leads me to
take these discussions very seriously and therefore I expect a lot from my committee regardless of age-
group or background (yes, this is meant to scare you into doing heaps of research or facing my wrath if
you don’t!)
The topic under discussion is deceptively simple. Xenophobia is common in democratic and
undemocratic states around the world. There is no blanket solution for the problem and it is your task to
come up with feasible and smart solutions (this means NO ad hoc committees!).
You are free to go crazy with research once you’ve read this and come back with some great arguments
and solutions in the committee. Good luck.
Looking forward to meeting all of you!
Director
Nabeel Shaikh
United Nations Human Rights Council
Page 3 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
Director’s Note
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the United Nations Human Rights Council. My name is Taleha Aftab and I have the privilege
of chairing this committee with my co-chair Nabeel Shaikh.
I am currently a freshman at the Institute of Business Administration where I am pursuing a degree in
Economics and Mathematics. Having been part of the MUN circuit for the past 4 years, I have had the
privilege of attending various MUNs as a delegate as well as a chair.
UNHRC will be a committee that is going to test your diplomatic skills and put you through rigorous and
challenging sessions. Remember, MUNs are about diplomacy and not just good speaking skills, so
individuals who not only listen to other delegates but move the committee forward, both during formal
and informal debate, will be the ones who will stand out. Extensive research will back up your
arguments and help you make an impact. Do not just rely on the study guide that will be provided to
you. So my suggestion to you would be to research and research WELL. Strategize and plan in advance.
If you have any queries feel free to ask, I would be happy to guide you.
Happy Researching!
Director
Taleha Aftab
United Nations Human Rights Council
Page 4 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
Introduction to Committee and its History
The Human Rights Council is one of the most renowned and influential bodies of the United Nations. It is
an inter-governmental body and is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of
human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and then making
recommendations to the UN general assembly. It has the ability to discuss all the pertinent human rights
issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year, meeting at the UN Office at Geneva.
The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006 by
resolution 60/251. The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the
UN General Assembly. The Human Rights Council replaced the former United Nations Commission on
Human Rights.
In 2007 the Council adopted its "Institution-building package" to guide its work and set up its procedures
and mechanisms. Spanning the Universal Periodic Review mechanism which serves to assess the human
rights situations in all United Nations Member States, the Advisory Committee which serves as the
Council’s “think tank” providing it with expertise and advice on thematic human rights issues and
the Complaint Procedure which allows individuals and organizations to bring human rights violations to
the attention of the Council.
The UNHRC continues to work actively to protect the welfare, health and rights of the people. In
addition to this it conducts regular evaluations of all the UN member states and works to increase
international awareness and respect for human rights
Background
During the last fifty years since the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
international community has made some important progress in the fight against racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
National and international laws have been enacted and numerous international human rights
instruments, particularly a treaty to ban racial discrimination, have been adopted. Progress has been
made witness the defeat of apartheid in South Africa. Yet, the dream of a world free of racial hatred and
bias remains only half fulfilled.
Page 5 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
As technology brings the peoples of the world closer together and political barriers tumble, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance continue to ravage our societies. Horrors
such as "ethnic cleansing" have emerged in recent years, while ideas of racial superiority have spread to
new media like the Internet. Even globalization carries risks that can lead to exclusion and increased
inequality, very often along racial and ethnic lines.
As racial discrimination and ethnic violence grow in complexity, they become more of a challenge for the
international community. As a result, new tools to deal with racism are called for since its creation, the
United Nations has struggled to find measures to combat racial discrimination, ethnic violence and
related intolerance. This commitment to human dignity and equality is reflected in all the last sessions of
the General Assembly and in particular of the Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee, where the
elimination of racism and racial discrimination has been one of the major topics of the agenda.
Introduction to the Topic
Although the term racism usually denotes race-based prejudice, violence, dislike, discrimination, or
oppression, the term can also have varying and contested definitions. According to the Oxford English
Dictionary, racism is a belief or ideology that all members of each racial group possess characteristics or
abilities specific to that race, especially to distinguish it as being either superior or inferior to another
racial group or racial groups.
The UN does not define "racism", however it does define “racial discrimination”. According to the
United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the term "racial
discrimination" shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color,
descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the
recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in
the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.
The term intolerance in its social and political context may refer to religious and ethnic intolerance. The
United Nations upholds the right to free expression of religious belief in article 18 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights while article 2 forbids discrimination on the basis of religion. Article 18 also
allows the freedom to change religion. Ethnic hatred, inter-ethnic hatred, racial hatred, or ethnic tension
refers to feelings and acts of prejudice and hostility towards an ethnic group in various degrees. There
are multiple origins for ethnic hatred and they often have as a result ethnic conflicts.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word xenophobia consists of two parts: xeno (a
combining form meaning "guest, stranger, person that looks different, foreigner") and phobia, ("fear,
horror or aversion, especially if morbid").A xenophobic person has to believe at some level that the
Page 6 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
target is in fact a foreigner. This arguably separates xenophobia from racism and ordinary prejudice in
the sense that someone of a different race does not necessarily have to be of a different nationality. In
various contexts, the terms "xenophobia" and "racism" seem to be used interchangeably, though they
can have wholly different meanings (xenophobia can be based on various aspects, racism being based
solely on race and ancestry).
Xenophobia has two main objects: The first is a population group present within a society that is not
considered part of that society. Among them are recent immigrants or even a group which has been
present for centuries, or became part of this society through conquest and territorial expansion. This
form of xenophobia can facilitate hostile and violent reactions, such as mass expulsion of immigrants or
in the worst case, genocide. The second form of xenophobia is primarily cultural, and the objects of the
phobia are cultural elements which are considered alien.
Recent Developments and Current Situation
Xenophobic and other bias-motivated violence threatens a wide range of individuals and communities
distinguished by ethnic origin, religious beliefs, race, sexual orientation, and other characteristics. This
violence affects national minorities and people of immigrant origin, citizens and noncitizens, longtime
residents and newcomers.
In many parts of the world, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, stateless persons,
and migrants have been among the principal targets of violence motivated by xenophobia, racism, and
religious hatred. Their vulnerability increases when they are concentrated in a few urban areas and
neighborhoods.
Refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and migrants—from a wide range of countries, including
Burma, China, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Haiti,
Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mexico, Sudan, Zimbabwe—have been the targets of xenophobic and other bias-
motivated attacks.
Incidents of xenophobic and other forms of bias-motivated violence have been widely reported and well
documented in many parts of Europe—raising concerns about the undermining of the overall protection
environment for refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable populations. These forms of violence
also present serious and increasing challenges in many regions of the world, and the following recent
examples illustrate how xenophobic and other bias-motivated violence is a global phenomenon, not
limited to any one country or region of the world:
Page 7 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
• In the Dominican Republic, Haitian refugees, migrants and stateless persons of Haitian descent
have been brutally assaulted and killed. Documented cases include street attacks, arsons, and a
beheading.
• In Egypt, refugees and migrants from Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea have been the
targets of racist violence and harassment.
• In Greece, there has been a rise in racist and xenophobic attacks against refugees, asylum
seekers and migrants, including attacks on more than one hundred Asians and Africans carried
out largely by extreme right-wing groups in May 2011.
• In India, there is a climate of racism, particularly towards those of African origin and violent
attacks have been reported against Burmese Chin and Somali refugees.
• In Italy, the antiracism NGO Lunaria documented 186 assaults, including 18 murders, allegedly
motivated by racism or xenophobia, between January 2007 and July 2009. Immigrants and
refugees were among the most frequent victims.
• In Malaysia, xenophobic attitudes among the population toward refugees and migrants,
particularly from Burma, have reportedly been on the rise in recent years. Violence at the hands
of a government sanctioned civilian group as well as by ordinary citizens has been reported.
• In Morocco, racist violence, verbal threats, and physical assaults have targeted sub-Saharan
African refugees and migrants
• In Russia, racist and ethnically motivated murders and other violent attacks by neo-Nazi
skinhead groups continue to occur with an alarming frequency; migrants from Central Asian
countries are among the primary victims of attacks.
• In South Africa, a number of serious incidents of violence against refugees and migrants,
including those from Somalia and Zimbabwe, were reported in 2011. This is particularly
troubling given the record of xenophobic violence in recent years, including the well-
documented wave of violence against foreigners in 2008, which led to at least 62 deaths and the
displacement of a hundred thousand people.
• In Thailand, migrants and refugees from Burma and elsewhere have been the victims of violent
attacks and killings by government security forces and private individuals.
Page 8 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
• In the United States, xenophobic attacks targeting people of Hispanic origin rose nearly 40
percent between 2003 and 2007. They declined in 2008 and 2009, before rising 10 percent in
2010. Refugees have also been the victims of hate crimes motivated by racism and religious
intolerance.
Past UN Action
The commitment of the international community and the UN to the elimination of all forms of
Intolerance is reflected in its adoption of a number of resolutions, conventions and declarations,
Including:
• Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide – 1948
• Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination – 1963
• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination – 1965
• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – designated 1966
• International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid – 1973
• First Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination – 1973-1982
• First World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, Geneva – 1978
• Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, also in Geneva –1983
• Second Decade for Action to Combat Racial Discrimination – 1983-1992
• Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination – 1994-2003
The third World Conference against Racism was held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2009. Canada, Israel, the
United States of America, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland and, after
some initial skepticism, Australia announced they would not participate in the conference. The main
reason was that Israel felt a basic approach had been maintained equating Israel with a racist country
rather than a democracy. Outrage was caused when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held his
speech, mostly criticizing Israel as a “racist regime”. In his opening address Secretary General of UN, Ban
Ki-Moon said, "some nations who by rights should be helping us to forge a path to a better future are
not here. Outside these halls, interest groups of many political and ideological stripes shout against one
another in acrimony."
As the outcome of the conference, the delegates agreed on a 143-point declaration to combat racism
and discrimination against minorities. The declaration also warned against stereotyping people because
of their religion, a key demand of Islamic states who said that Muslims have been unfairly targeted since
Page 9 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
the 2001 11 September attacks on the United States. In addition, the declaration reaffirmed principles
agreed at the 2001 Durban Conference.
Delegates are advised to thoroughly research the past actions taken by the UN and analyze them as they
will form the bases for their argument and frame proposed solutions.
Possible Solutions
• Counties should sign and ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination (ICERD). Although it provides comprehensive solutions only 27 States out
of the 83 that have signed this treaty have ratified it. However if all countries do sign the
convention this will ensure a permanent ban on any kind of racial or xenophobic.
• States have the responsibility of bringing to justice the perpetrators of crimes caused by racial or
xenophobic motivation and to fight against impunity. States should ensure that investigating
racist and xenophobic crimes are carried out responsibly and impartially.
• Concrete steps should be taken to raise awareness among the population about the adverse
effects of Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Xenophobia. The organization of cultural events,
festivals, conferences, seminars, competitions, exhibitions, research work and publications, as
well as information campaigns and other positive measures which contribute to the building of a
society based on, tolerance, respect for cultural diversity and non-discrimination.
• In order to address the increased use of the Internet by extremist political parties, movements
and groups to proliferate, promote and disseminate racist content, countries should implement
fully articles 19 to 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantee
the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association.
• Educational measures are indeed crucial in promoting human rights and democratic values at an
early age specially adolescents. Students should be taught from their primary classes that all
men and women in the world are equal. It is imperative that such education reforms are put
into action to counter racism, and discrimination radically.
Page 10 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
Questions a Resolution Must Answer
In order to formulate a holistic resolution that deals with some of the most pertinent issues, the
following questions must be addressed.
1. Who are the marginalized individuals, groups or organizations subject to discrimination?
2. What actions can be taken at local national, regional, and international levels?
3. What measures should be taken to ascertain compliance of states to these proposed actions?
4. What is the role of political parties, the media and civil society in both countering and fostering
racism?
5. How can the current systems be refined to combat xenophobia?
6. How will states address the “racialization” of religion?
7. How important is education in order to combat racism, particularly among adolescents?
Further Readings and Useful Links
a) International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/racial/
b) Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/
c) International convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cerd.htm
d) Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/racism/rapporteur/index.htm
e) Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/racism/groups/index.htm
f) World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Xenophobia
http://www.un.org/WCAR/
g) Ad Hoc Committee on the elaboration of complementary standards
Page 11 of 12
UNHRC Study Guide – ShoreMUN 2013
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/racism/AdHocCommittee.htm
h) Durban Review Conference 2009
http://www.un.org/durbanreview2009/sessions.shtml
i) Fight against Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia
www.unesco.org/shs/againstdiscrimination
Remember to Google anything you don’t understand. Come equipped with extensive research and you’re
good to go. Good luck!