Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee

Dear Delegates,

My name is Julia Howland and I will be your director for the 3rd Committee of the General Assembly, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee, at Harvard National Model United Nations 2010!

I am currently a sophomore at Harvard College, planning on concentrating in Government and Economics. I am originally from Rye, NY but spent three years living in London, England. Since beginning at Harvard, I have become very involved in all things MUN, including our traveling team and both our college and high school conferences. Last year I was part of the staff for SOCHUM and for the UN Economic Commission for Europe. Outside of model UN, I enjoy tennis, golf, running, as well as cooking and reading.

The two topics I have chosen for you to discuss in February, refugees and world hunger, are two very important issues facing our world. I hope you will have a great time debating both of these topics and exploring the benefits and drawbacks to many of the potential solutions. With the continued prevalence of armed conflicts and uncontrollable natural disasters around the world, countries have had to suddenly take responsibility for the citizens fleeing from neighboring countries. Refugee camps also then become hotbeds for continued strife, disease, rape and distress. Hunger too has long been debated but not yet been successfully resolved. As one of the UN Millennium Development Goals, solving world hunger relates to food aid, agriculture, and genetically modified foods, all topics I believe you will find to be surprisingly controversial.

Boston in February can be chillier than you might expect, so dress warmly, but I can promise you that debate in SOCHUM will be heating up! I cannot wait to meet all of you at the conference. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about anything!

Yours truly,

Julia Howland
Director, Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee
Harvard National Model United Nations 2010

Topic Area A: Rights of Refugees

Even though the number of refugees worldwide has recently been decreasing, there are still 31.7 refugees under the care of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as of 2007. Due to the prevalence of armed conflicts, dictatorial governments, and national disasters and lack of resources, millions of people are forced to leave their homeland. These problems escalate when the neighboring nation must suddenly care for and worry about the sudden influx of citizens, in addition to already caring for their own. Refugee camps across the world, in particular, have become incredibly dangerous, as they are centers for disease and targets for increased violence and rape. In particular, women and children refugees are at a high risk for rights violations as they are less capable of defending themselves. Some of the more important situations to discuss in terms of refugees include Darfur, Iraq, Palestine, and many others. Reports from the UNHCR, as well as their extensive statistical information, will be a crucial resource used by this committee.

Although there are many underlying causes for these refugees that must be addressed, such as political responsibility and civil strife, the purpose of this topic will be focused on how to manage the refugees that have already been displaced, as well as expanding upon international procedure regarding refugees. When refugees flee their country, which nation will have responsibility for caring for and protecting these refugees, or will it be under the jurisdiction of the United Nation? What special provisions will be put into effect to ensure the protected rights of all refugees, but particularly the women and children? Do refugees have any specific right to leave a country in times of strife and war and what sort of rights will they have to return to their home country? The nature of being a refugee places the individual at risk for a host of more severe risks, such as illness, torture, and persecution; therefore, determining a solution to this problem through international agreement is of the utmost importance.

Topic Area B: Ending World Hunger

As one of the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations made a commitment to halving, between 1990 and 2015, the number of people suffering from world hunger. The issue of world hunger has long been on the top of the agenda of the United Nations, yet the problem seems to continue without any proposed solutions having a huge impact on the number of people suffering from this terrible problem. Whether as a result of conflict, poverty, or lack of resources, it is estimated that 15 million children die from hunger every year, and that 3 billion people around the world struggle to survive on a mere $2 US dollars a day. Part of achieving a solution to this problem will include ensuring that governments take a firm responsibility in providing for the well being of its citizens. This committee will also need to explore important potential solutions such as genetically modified foods, sharing of agricultural technologies, and training farmers to achieve a better crop efficiency. The problem of hunger also relates significantly to the problem of poverty, unemployment and stable government. The issue of world hunger is vast and important, yet the concept of a single solution to this problem is still very highly debated. Especially in this current economy, food prices are rising significantly, only making this problem worse.

What direction should the United Nations take to achieving a lasting and effective solution to world hunger? What sorts of standards will national government be held to by international decree to ensure that they are caring for and providing proper nourishment for their citizens? How effective can food aid be from developed countries to developing countries, and does how long do the benefits of this strategy actually last? Even though the emphasis about world hunger focuses upon Africa and Latin America, what sorts of measures need to be done in some of the world most developed countries which still have hunger as a prevalent problem? Will a solution to this problem be financial, technological, or agriculture, or all of the above? The solutions have all been presented and highly debated, but which solution will prove to be the most sustainable and the most effective?