Model United Nations of Bucharest 2012

Challenges for a new Generation

Guide to

Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (Main Committee III)

Reduce by two thirds the under-five mortality rate

Take all necessary measures to implement the rights of indigenous peoples in accordance with the International Law

Table of Contents

Page

Personal Descriptions

What is MC III?

Topic summaries

Personal Introduction

Greetings delegates of Main Committee III! My name is Beatrice-Gabriela Nabirgeac and I will be Deputy-Chair of the Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee. This is my third conference, first as a chair, so Im a little nervous, but Im sure that once we get to know each other and the debate starts, we will all forget our fears and have a wonderful time. Being a student at Mihai Viteazul National College taught me that our life does not limit to our desires and that we all should pay attention to whatever happens in the world, as it will affect us at some point. That is the main reason-in my opinion- for you to try to do your best at MUNOB and come up with great ideas. It is a great honor for me to be part of an amazing team that fought very hard for making this MUN conference possible. Seeing the dream come true is a great accomplishment and it would be more rewarding for us to offer you a pleasant experience at the first Model United Nation of Bucharest. Looking forward to meeting you all, Beatrice Nabirgeac

What is the MC III?

The third committee of the General Assembly is preoccupied to deal with agenda items relating to a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues that affect people all over the world. The Committee also discusses the advancement of women, the protection of children, indigenous issues, the treatment of refugees, the promotion of fundamental freedoms through the elimination of racism and racial discrimination, and the right to self-determination. The Committee also addresses important social development questions such as issues related to youth, family, ageing, persons with disabilities, crime prevention, criminal justice, and international drug control. On the first Model United Nations of Bucharest Conference, the Third Committee is concerned to discuss the following issues:

Reduce by two thirds the under-five mortality rate One of the Millennium Development Goals is to reduce the under-five and infant mortality by 2015 and to immunize against measles 1 year-old children. For example, tetanus is a disease that kills tens of thousands of newborns each year, most of them in developing countries. The disease is often called the "silent killer" because many newborns affected by it die at home in very remote and poor communities where both the births and the deaths go unreported. Our main goal is to prevent illnesses like this and help saving the life of those already affected by them.

Take all necessary measures to implement the rights of indigenous peoples in accordance with the International Law

It is well-known that discrimination is common nowadays. Jose R. Martinez made a study that outlined the oppression, marginalization and exploitation faced by indigenous peoples throughout the world-still the process of taking measures against this discrimination moves slowly. The main reason of this delay is the concern expressed by States with regard to the right to self-determination of indigenous peoples and the control over natural resources existing on indigenous peoples' traditional lands. It is our concern to solve this issue and help both sides to reach an agreement.

Topic Summaries
Reduce by two thirds the under-five mortality rate

1. Overview One of the Millennium Development Goals is to reduce the under-five and infant mortality by 2015 and to immunize against measles 1-year-old children.

Between 1990 and 2008, the death rate for children under five has decreased by 28 percent, from 100 to 72 deaths per 1,000 live births. That means worldwide approximately 10,000 fewer under-five children die each day. Since 1990, child mortality rate in Northern Africa, Eastern Asia, Western Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean has been successfully decreased by more than 50%, while many countries with unacceptably high rates of child mortality, most notably in sub-Saharan Africa, have made little or no progress in recent years.

The causes of the high child mortality in the developing regions are related to malnutrition and lack of access to adequate primary healthcare and infrastructure such as water and sanitation in many

developing countries. Pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and AIDS accounted for 43 percent of all deaths in under-five children worldwide in 2008 and more than a third of all child deaths were attributable to undernutrition. Tetanus, for example is a disease that kills tens of thousands of newborns each year, most of them in developing countries. The disease is widely called the "silent killer" because many newborns affected by it die at home in very remote and poor communities where both the births and the deaths go unreported. The IGME members, including UNICEF, the WHO and other UN agencies are actively involved at the country level in strengthening national capacity in data collection, estimation techniques and interpretation of results. The Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) was established in 2004 to share data on child mortality, harmonize estimates within the UN system, improve methods for child mortality estimation and produce consistent estimates of child mortality worldwide for reporting on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. The IGME, led by the United Nations Childrens Fund and the World Health Organization, also includes the World Bank and the United Nations Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs as full members. The IGMEs independent Technical Advisory Group comprising knowledgeable scholars and independent experts in demography, provides technical guidance on estimation methods, technical issues and strategies for data analysis and data quality assessment.

Guiding this capacity strengthening work is a fundamental principle: child mortality estimation is not simply an academic exercise but a fundamental part of effective policies and programming. UNICEF works with countries to ensure that child mortality estimates are used effectively at the country level, in conjunction with other data on child health, to improve child survival programs and stimulate action through advocacy. This work involves partnering with other agencies, organizations, and initiatives such as the Countdown to 2015.

Success Stories *Egypt has already surpassed the MDG target for reducing child mortality in children under five. This achievement has been aided by a significant expansion in measles vaccination coverage, which stood at 92 per cent in 2008. Vietnams Expanded Program of Immunization has benefited more than 90 percent of children and pregnant women. The mortality rate of under-five children in the country was quartered from 56 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 14 per 1,000 live births in 2008. In 2006, Bangladesh conducted the worlds largest-ever measles campaign, vaccinating 33.5 million children between the ages of nine months and 10 years, over a 20-day period. *The Cambodian Ministry of Healths Baby-Friendly Community Initiative, a network of community support groups that promote exclusive breastfeeding in rural areas increased the rate of breastfed babies from 13 to 60 percent between 2000 and 2005. Originally launched in 50 villages, the initiative has since expanded to 2,675 or around 20 percent of all villages in the country. Breastfeeding strengthens children and reduces their vulnerability to disease. *Through the Nothing But Nets campaign, initiated by a number of foundations and corporate, sports-related and religious partners more than three million insecticide-treated anti-malaria nets have been distributed to children, pregnant women and refugees in Africa since the campaigns inception in 2006. The effectiveness of such mosquito nets has been shown by a previous distribution program in Kenya, where a ten-fold increase in the number of young children sleeping under nets between 2004 and 2006 resulted in 44% fewer deaths from malaria than among children not protected by them.

2. Major problems to solve A baby girl born in Sub-Saharan Africa today faces a 22% risk of death by age 15 and more than a third of casualties (~7.3% of all) doesnt survive their first month. They suffer from low birth weight due to their mothers poor nutrition, and then lack access to adequate nutrition themselves. The World Health Organization says that poverty-related malnutrition is the key factor in over half of all childhood deaths. Many children suffer from debilitating infections virtually right out of the womb, and analysts state that often casualties could be prevented if just basic sanitation were available. Drinkwater pollution is a leading culprit. In areas that lack proper sanitation and that may have just one water source, supplies can easily become contaminated from bacteria in human waste and garbage. According to 7

United Nations statistics, as many as four billion people--two-thirds of global population--lack access to safe, clean water. Globally, the four major killers of children under age 5 are pneumonia (18 %), diarrheal diseases (15 %), preterm birth complications (12 %) and birth asphyxia (9 %). Undernutrition is an underlying cause in more than a third of under-five deaths. Malaria is still a major killer in Sub-Saharan Africa, causing about 16 percent of under-five deaths. It is our concern to help alleviate these causes of death and prevent them from happening again. We have to find long-term solutions that can be applied quickly in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goal.

3. Sources of information http://www.childinfo.org/files/Child_Mortality_Report_2011.pdf http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/childhealth.shtml http://www.childinfo.org/files/Child_Mortality_Report_2011.pdf http://www.bestdelegate.com www.un.org/ha www.un.org/cyberschoolbus

Take all necessary measures to implement the rights of indigenous peoples in accordance with the International Law
1. Overview

Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory. In the late twentieth century the term became a political term used to refer to ethnic groups have historical ties to groups that existed in a territory prior to colonization or formation of a nation state, and which normally preserve a degree of cultural and political separation from the mainstream culture and political system of the nation state within the border of which the indigenous group is located. The political sense of the term indigenous people, defines these groups as particularly vulnerable to exploitation and oppression by nation states, and as a result a special set of political rights in accordance with international law have been set forth by International Organizations such as the United Nations, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank. Indigenous peoples confront a diverse range of concerns associated with their status and interaction with other cultural groups, as well as changes in their inhabited environment. These issues include cultural and linguistic preservation, land rights, ownership and exploitation of natural resources, political determination and autonomy, environmental degradation and incursion, poverty, health, and discrimination. Various organizations are devoted to the preservation or study of indigenous peoples. Of these, several have widely recognized credentials to act as an intermediary or representative on behalf of indigenous peoples' groups, in negotiations on indigenous issues with governments and international organizations. These include: African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) Center for World Indigenous Studies Cultural Survival Friends of Peoples Close to Nature (fPcN) Incomindios Switzerland Indigenous Dialogues Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC) International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) Survival International Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) 9

Indigenous peoples and their interests are represented in the United Nations primarily through the mechanisms of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP). In April 2000 the United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution to establish the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII) as an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council with a mandate to review indigenous issues. In late December 2004, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 20052014 to be the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People. The main goal of the new decade will be to strengthen international cooperation around resolving the problems faced by indigenous peoples in areas such as culture, education, health, human rights, the environment, and social and economic development. In September 2007, after a process of preparations, discussions and negotiations stretching back to 1982, the General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly on Thursday September 13, by a majority of 144 states in favour, 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and 11 abstentions (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Colombia, Georgia, Kenya, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Samoa and Ukraine). Since its adoption, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States have all reversed their positions and now endorse the Declaration. Colombia and Samoa have also reversed their positions and indicated their support for the Declaration.

2.

Major problems to solve

Despite the diversity of Indigenous peoples, it may be noted that they share common problems and issues in dealing with the prevailing, or invading, society. They are generally concerned that the cultures of Indigenous peoples are being lost and that indigenous peoples suffer both discrimination and pressure to assimilate into their surrounding societies. It is also sometimes argued that it is important for the human species as a whole to preserve a wide range of cultural diversity as possible, and that the protection of indigenous cultures is vital to this enterprise. The WHO notes, that Statistical data on the health status of indigenous peoples is scarce. This is especially notable for indigenous peoples in Africa, Asia and eastern Europe", but snapshots from various countries, where such statistics are available, show that indigenous people are in worse health than the general population, in advanced and developing countries alike: higher incidence of diabetes in some regions of Australia; higher prevalence of poor sanitation and lack of safe water among Twa households in Rwanda; a greater prevalence of childbirths without prenatal care among ethnic minorities in Vietnam; suicide rates among Inuit youth in Canada are eleven times higher than the national average; infant mortality rates are higher for indigenous peoples everywhere. It is our concern to solve these problems in order to improve the quality of life of the Indigenous. This way, by alleviating their current situation, we can work on implementing the law, knowing that they are safe. 10

3.

Sources of information

http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/ http://www.culturalsurvival.org/ http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,COUNTRYPROF,PHL,4562d8cf2,4954ce2123,0.html http://www.aidp.bc.ca/terminology_of_native_aboriginal_metis.pdf http://go.worldbank.org/TE769PDWN0 http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/FAQsindigenousdeclaration.pdf

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