SOCHUM-Topic A-1

Hi Dear Muners!

Below are simplified information for you to get a kick start on taking part in the SOCHUM committee in our workshop.

First there's a brief introduction of SOCHUM committee.

Then comes our Topic A for the committee: The right to development.

Following that there are some background information of the description of topic A, like what is cyclone Nargis and what does that have to do with the development and welfare of Myanmar.

Lastly, there are our QUESTIONS of the day! The questions YOU are going to discuss with us LIVE on 10/9! Read carefully and do some research if possible, and you'll experience what it's like to save the world~

In addition to all that, there's some websites for you to visit if you wish to know more about a topic or proposal. There's two real draft proposals posted by SOCHUM committee about the right to development and education for all kids in the world. It looks really long, but don't panic if you don't understand it, because we haven't taught you how to read a draft proposal yet. But you can take a look at the real thing on "SOCHUM-Topic A-2"(The GOOD news is there's a Chinese version to the two proposals, so it would be handy for starters to exam the proposal both in Chinese and English. But do read the English version after the Chinese, it will boost your English skills and get you familiar with the style of writing a formal proposal.)

What is SOCHUM?

SOCIAL, HUMANITARIAN & CULTURAL

Year after year, the General Assembly allocates to its Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee, commonly referred to as the “Third Committee”, agenda items relating to a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues that affect peoples all over the world.

An important part of the Committee’s work focuses on the examination of human rights questions, including reports of the special procedures of the newly established Human Rights Council. In October 2006, the Committee will hear and interact with 25 such special rapporteurs, independent experts, and chairpersons of workings groups of the Human Rights Council. 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 promotion of the right to self- determination. The Committee also addresses important social development questions such as issues related to youth, ageing, disabled persons, family, crime prevention, criminal justice, and drug control.

At the sixtieth session of the General Assembly, the Third Committee considered 62 draft resolutions, 31 of which were submitted under the human rights agenda item alone. These included a number of so-called country-specific resolutions on human rights situations.

Under the chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Hamid al Bayati, the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations, the Third Committee is expected to consider in 2006 a similar number of draft resolutions as well as a number of draft conventions.

Visit SOCHUM Homepage Website: http://www.un.org/ga/61/third/third.shtml

Draft Proposals: http://www.un.org/ga/61/third/proposalslist.shtml

Topic Area A: The right to development

After the rejection of communism and the emergence of globalization, economic and social rights have become the most controversial rights.

Are economic and social rights more important, less important or as important as political rights?

Furthermore, the issue is highly political as it implies the role of the government in ensuring these rights, especially in the developing world.

Should developing countries be held to the same standards as the rest of the countries, and if so what is the responsibility of the developed world towards them?

The example of Myanmar during its environmental disaster by Cyclone Nargis posed the same question of welfare. Is welfare too a right or simply a western notion?

The committee would discuss issues such as mandatory schooling, the right to development and the political implications of this right.

When did Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar?

Cyclone Nargis, was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar (Burma). The cyclone made landfall in the country on May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 138,000 fatalities. Damade was estimated at over $10 billion USD, which made it the most damaging cyclone ever recorded in this area.

For more information, visit :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Nargis

When did Cyclone Nargis become a welfare issue?

“MYANMAR: Nargis now a development issue, says Yangon”

Yangon, 20 August 2010 (IRIN) - Myanmar's government surprised the international aid community this week by ending centralized coordination of the response to Cyclone Nargis, which in 2008 devastated the Delta region, leaving tens of thousands of families without adequate shelter two years later.

The government inherited its coordination role from the Tripartite Core Group (TCG) at the end of July.

On 16 August, Myanmar's Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Resettlement (MoSWRR) told international NGOs and UN agencies that the post-Nargis Delta recovery should be "mainstreamed into development activities, and the responsibility of coordinating those activities will therefore no longer fall to the MoSWRR, but the respective line ministries, and will therefore require new memorandums of understanding."

The Ministry of Social Welfare will continue in its traditional role as line ministry for disaster risk reduction activities.

The ministry furthermore announced that no Nargis-related visas would be extended, and no new visas would be granted under the old arrangement, which allowed humanitarian aid workers fairly easy access to the affected areas to support post-Nargis recovery efforts. More than 90 humanitarian workers with international NGOs or UN agencies now have an uncertain visa status.

"There is still a great need for assistance in the Delta, and the ministry made it clear that they welcomed continued assistance at the meeting. We had very good cooperation with the MoSWRR and TCG, people were benefitting, and it is possible to deliver aid effectively in Myanmar," Parajuli said.

On 18 June, at the Third Recovery Forum held in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, the humanitarian community was assured by ministries present that recovery would continue beyond the TCG, suggesting that the decision was made by more senior members of the government.

Cyclone Nargis claimed more than 138,000 lives and affected 2.4 million people, leaving nearly half needing assistance.

The TCG's mandate, whose duration was stipulated by the government, ended on 31 July. The TCG - comprising the government, the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - was established after Nargis to facilitate access to the country's Ayeyarwady Delta, assess the needs, and develop a recovery plan.

For full story, visit IRIN Website (Humanitarian news and analysis (a project of UN): http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=90228

For more information:

http://www.uwt.org/site/appeal.asp?id=30

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-88H9VM?OpenDocument&RSS20=03

QUESTIONS:

1. Political rights, economic rights, and social rights, which of these three do you think is the most important right in your country?

2. What types of countries are considered "developed countries", and what types are considered "developing countries"?

3. How can "developed countries" help "developing countries" with its economic, social, and political developments?

4. What can the promotion of education help with the development of a country? (Short term? Long term? Who can help with the education resources and fees?)

5. What kinds of international organizations can help promote the right to development for every country? And how? (ex: SOCHUM)