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Study Guide
2015
28 – 31 May
General Assembly of the United Nations
Social, Humanitarian, Cultural – Third Committee
Chair:Joshua David-Jan Boschaert
CO-Chair: Hanae Malovic
Rapporteur: Bianca Evelyn Paris
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Table of Contents
Historical background and role of the social cultural and humanitarian committee ............ 1
Subject A : Preventing discrimination in order to preserve peace ............................................... 2
Subject B : Protecting this world's youth from extremism ........................................................... 7
Historical background and role of the social cultural and humanitarian committee
The Third committee of the general assembly as it is mostly referred to, created in 1945 at the end of
World War II is composed of 193 member states and 2 non-member Observer states. As the article 13
states that the General Assembly should be “assisting in the realization of human rights and fundamental
freedom for all” the third committee was created especially for these focus. Every member state has one
vote and the members of the Security Council can not use their veto power. The main idea of the
committee is to work with consensus with all decisions adopted with the simple majority.
Through the years, the third committee gained more and more consideration as it was considered as one
of the least important at its creation, compared to peace and security issues. After the end of the cold
war the social cultural and humanitarian committee has known an important rise of its importance due
to a better attention of human right issues.
The role of the committee is to discuss topics related to a very large range of humanitarian affairs but
also human rights issues and they have worked on the establishment of the Human rights Council. The
protection of women, youth, the treatment of refugees, the fight against racism and the promotion of the
self-determination’s right are also topics that the committee discusses.
The social cultural and humanitarian committee has a precise range of activities such as making
recommendations to member states and ask other UN bodies with whom they work very closely to
produce studies or focus on a particular issue.
1
Subject A : Preventing discrimination in order to preserve peace
The presence of a foreign labor force is a phenomenon that most countries have become familiar
with throughout history. All United Nations member states have workers abroad, as well as
foreign workers within their own territory. However, maintaining the rights of these workers is
a different matter all together. Since it involves social and humanitarian affairs, it's an issue
which most definitely falls within the purview of our committee.
The United Nations has always dealt with the matter of labor rights abroad. Within the United
Nations framework institutions such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United
Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) have already been dealing with the matter for a very long time. Their
conclusions do highlight the current challenges that migrants face.
An estimated 232 million people around the world are currently migrant workers, which
accounts for 3.2% of the world's population1. Because their numbers are rapidly increasing similarly to the 740 million people who are migrating within their own country to find work 2 the importance of non-discrimination is essential in order to improve their rights and to ensure
equal treatment.
The attitude towards migrant workers tends to oppose the more industrialized countries to the
developing countries. This is reflected in the terminology used for this phenomenon: workers
on the high-end level of the work force tend to immigrate to more developed countries upon
graduation. This "brain drain" results in a depletion of skills resources in the country of origin.
1
2
http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/labour-migration/lang--en/index.htm
http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/media-centre/issue-briefs/WCMS_239651/lang--en/index.htm
2
The winners in this system are the already developed countries, who see it as a "brain gain" or
"reverse brain drain"3: they are able to pick and choose the workers they need most by allowing
for targeted immigration from other states. While this surely creates benefits for the migrant
worker and his relatives (who can benefit of higher salaries, better living conditions etc.), the
countries which lose out on this highly skilled work force are left with no return on their
investments in higher education.
On the other end of the labour market we can also see a similar phenomenon taking place. The
lack of skilled blue-collar workers in many industrialized countries generates a flow of
migration from abroad, resulting in a lack of suitable labor in the countries of origin. While
both of these forms of economic migration do generate benefits, it remains important to verify
how these flows affect the economies where these workers originate.
A bigger obstacle is constituted by the lack of equal treatment for domestic and foreign workers.
This is a major problem in a large number of countries with a high number of migrant workers.
While the initial problem is related to labor law and equality, giving a different treatment to
both types of workers, it can ultimately constitute an obstacle to peace and hurt diplomatic
relations between United Nations member states.
Several initiatives have already been taken in the past to curtail the unequal treatment of migrant
workers in their host countries. The most important initiative up to date is the International
Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their
Families, included in General Assembly resolution 45/158 of December 18th 1990 4. This
United Nations multilateral treaty entered into force on July 1st 2003 and grants a high level of
proetection to migrant workers and their families. However, the main problem lies within the
small scope of applicability of this convention: as of May 1st 2015, only 47 countries have fully
ratified it, while a relatively small number of other countries has signed it withouth proceeding
to ratification. The fact that no major host countries5 ratified nor signed the convention also
3
http://www.iom.int/key-migration-terms#Brain-drain
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cmw/cmw.htm
5
No European country but Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina did so, and neither did Australia, the United
States, Canada, South Africa or any of the Persian Gulf states.
4
3
didn't really help, particularly since the convention requires the host countries to ratify it in
order for it to become applicable. The mere existence of this convention nevertheless is seen as
something positive, since it established a set of international standards and created a new
dialogue on the issue of migrant workers' rights.
SOCHUM should therefore look at ways on how the General Assembly can contribute to more
equal labor rights within domestic legal orders. While this clearly falls outside of the strict
jurisdiction of the United Nations as defined by its Charter, it remains a powerful tool for the
creation of soft law and of international standards. It's therefore important to look at the current
situation of foreign workers' labor rights.
A first major difference between domestic and foreign workers can be found in the disparity of
pay for the same work. The ILO has established this already in a large number of statistics
which can be found in their Global Wage Report6. The last edition (2014/15) clearly finds that
a so-called "unexplained wage gap" is present in all but one of the European countries
surveyed7. The same can be found in other countries which harbour a high number of migrant
workers, whether illegal or legal: e.g. the United States "[skilled] immigrant women earn 78
per cent of the hourly wage for immigrant men and 82 per cent of the hourly wage for native
men."8. The unexplained wage gap therefore needs to be urgently addressed by the international
community.
Secondly, the ILO finds that a high disparity exists between high-end and low-end migrant
workers when it comes to the payment for the immigration costs. "There is a tendency among
employers to cover the migration costs of highly skilled migrants in full given that demand
usually exceeds supply for such workers, but the opposite is true for low-skilled workers who
6
http://www.ilo.ch/global/research/global-reports/global-wage-report/2014/lang--en/index.htm
Ryszard CHOLEWINSKI and Marie-José L. TAYAH, Promoting decent work for migrant workers, ILO, 2015, page
5.
8
Mary J. LOPEZ, "Skilled immigrant women in the US and the double earnings penalty", in Feminist
economics, 2012, 18(1): pages 99-134.
7
4
often pay a disproportionate share of migration costs."9. Statistics seem to prove this
differentiated treatment between migrant workers in the same host countries. The confrontation
between the different types of migrant workers might ultimately stir up domestic troubles in
their countries of origin, e.g. among the high-end and low-end Indian workforce in the countries
surrounding the Persian Gulf. These disparaties therefore can constitute a threat against peace,
both in their country of origin as in the country where these migrant workers are hosted.
Thirdly, the issue of illegal mass immigration has hardly been more highlighted than recently.
The European Union's border patrols are stretched to their limits, and the border between the
United States and Mexico has become increaslingly difficult to secure. The massive arrival of
illegal migrant workers isn't only a result of failed economic policies in their countries of origin,
but also highlights the long-term security risk posed by these movements of people. While the
vast majority of these immigrants are peaceful, it remains difficult to verify the security
situation after their arrival. Violent gangland crime has e.g. been on the rise in particular cities
of the United States in the wake of Latino immigration. As such, giving equal rights to migrant
workers might encourage their integration, discourage them from getting involved in violent
crime and help the overall security situation in the host countries.
Another matter which can be observed amongst migrant workers is the gender pay gap between
male and female workers. While this problem is by no means restricted to the migrant workers
sector, it surely is an issue to be addressed. In this particular context, the need for government
intervention in the host countries is pressing. Only proactive government action can make sure
that women are treated the same way as men, in accordance with the United Nations Charter;
no good reason exists for explaining why this shouldn't be the case in the migrant workers
sector.
These four issues highlighted (the disparity of pay, the payment for the immigration costs,
illegal immigration and the gender pay gap) are by no means the only reasons why a lack of
equality for migrant labor forces ultimately constitutes a possible threat to peace and security.
9
Ryszard CHOLEWINSKI and Marie-José L. TAYAH, Promoting decent work for migrant workers, ILO, 2015, page
5.
5
However, if the General Assembly were to effectively address these four matters at hand it
would already constitute a good start for the improvement of foreign labor workers' rights. Such
an improvement would also help both the host countries and the countries of origin of these
migrant workers, while necessitating a certain amount of government intervention. It would
equally amount to tackling the "migration" topic mentioned in the United Nations Millennium
Declaration in the context of democracy, human rights and good
Governance adopted in 2000. SOCHUM therefore has a set of challenges to meet when it comes
to making sure that migrant workers get the same treatment as domestic workers all around the
world.
6
Subject B : Protecting this world's youth from extremism
Young people around the world are becoming the main target of more and more terrorists,
armed and extremist groups who try to recruit them either voluntary or by force. The UN has
put the youth in the center of its preoccupation and as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said,
“Young people drive change, but they are not in the driver’s seat” this quote illustrates the will
of the united nations to keep the role of youth what it should be, as they have a very positive
impact on the present and future the United Nations. The United Nations needs to take a leading
role in countering the enrolment of youth in extremist as different radicalism groups such as
ISIL are mostly recruiting among youth. Youth can actively contribute to the communities in
which they live and offer new perspectives to citizenship.
The role of youth should be at the heart of international peace and security matters, they
represent the promise of a better future and not a peril. They are very often the most affected
by wars and fighting, therefore they deserve a “seat at the negotiating table” as referred by the
UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon.
Youth extremism
Radicalization is a process that can occur in any society, therefore it is the concern of every country of
the world which one day or another had or will face youth extremism.
This extremism and radicalization of youth concerns many fields of actions, young people are not only
enrolled in terrorist groups but they also are the main target of many armed groups who hire them as
soldiers.
Nowadays, it is estimated that about 300.000 children (under the age of 18) are serving as soldiers in
armed conflicts all over the world. They can serve in government forces as well as in armed and
opposition groups, their missions are very diverse and can start as a simple messenger or cook to finish
as a fighter on the front line. Both girls and boys are used to play this wide variety of roles.
Child soldiers are part of this recent rise of youth extremism in the world and a priority of many
governmental and non-governmental organisations.
7
Youth has also become the principle target of terrorist groups who see them as more vulnerable than
others. One of their main strength is their use of “soft power” to be able to attract and impress youth
easily.
If we look closely at the means of recruitment of the ISIL group we can notice that they have more and
more sophisticated tools to recruit young people especially in virtual spaces. They have spread their
ideologies mainly through twitter, with an outrageous number of tweets every day (around 90.000), the
creation of trending hashtags and the development of a new twitter app. This app allows twitter users to
give control of their account to ISIL to let them tweet from and individual account that helps them
amplifying their message and reach new people.
The group has recently published a guide to explain to anyone who is willing to join them how to do it
with maps and special advice on how to find safe places during their journey or answer immigration
questions without calling attention on them.
This example shows that social medias are one of the main tools used by extremist groups to hire young
people. They adapt the message and the way they spread it to their target. But this is only one example
among others which shows the aggressive targeting of children and youth by terrorist groups, not just
ISIL but also al-Qaeda or Boko Haram for example.
The origins of the youth’s extremism
This newly youth extremism can be explained by many different factors who have to be identified very
precisely in order to ease the fight against terrorist and the enrolment of youth in war and extremist
groups.
Children are much more likely to become child soldiers if they have been separated from their families,
kicked out of their homes, if they live in war zones or if their access to education is limited. Very often,
armed groups are the only way they can get daily food and survive to the chaos that prevails around
them. The financial gain and the protection they can get are what we can call “pull factors” to their
enrolment when “push factors” would be the financial crisis in some countries that leads to poverty and
unemployment.
Poverty, lack of education, weak family ties, all these factors create a fertile ground for the spread of
extremist ideologies and give the task easier for armed groups to enrol children.
8
Young people represent almost a quarter of the world’s population but millions of them live with less
than 2$ per day. As more and more conflicts are rising today in many zones, some children are exposed
to wars brutality and violence from the very first years of their lives, and those are the ones who later
enrol themselves in violent extremist groups.
Many studies have also proven that many young people feel like they don’t have a place in their society
and they have the sensation of being excluded from it. Marginalization and unemployment are two
essentials factors in the start of radicalisation; this feeling of exclusion was the basis of many youth’s
adhesions to extremist groups.
More attention should be set up on social integration and education, two necessary factors of the fight
against extremism.
Which solutions and means of protection for youth’s extremism?
Concrete solutions should be set up in order to protect youth from all form of extremism but ending the
use of child soldiers is an extremely challenging process, especially with non governmental groups
which are very difficult to identify and influence.
Member states of the United Nations need to be pro-active in the countering of extremism ideas and
must put the fight of youth’s extremism, a crucial part of their counter terrorism efforts.
States have to work in the education field, an essential one in order to develop the critical thinking skills
of youth to be able to counter the extremist ideologies. Schools are essentials to follow children and try
to teach them an alternative to extremist groups.
Youth should be offered more opportunities instead of negative messages on extremist ideas. Indeed,
encouraging them to follow their dreams, offering them positive personal dreams and offering them
assistance to get a concrete chance to realise it are efficient ways to prevent radicalisation. Quality
education, job opportunities and decent ways of living should be part of the first goals for governments.
Different programs regarding education can be set up and cover many fields, preaching a more tolerant
Islam with a better interreligious debate with the engagement of religious authorities, creating awareness
campaigns that would use sports, projects of peace-building with the media are all solutions which could
be efficient with organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
9
The help of international, regional but moreover local, governmental actors but also religious and civil
society leaders are crucial in the process of fighting extremist ideologies. Violence mainly starts at a
local level, which is why action of families are also crucial to build a safe and secure society where
young people would be protected from radical ideologies. Parents are also important actors who need to
be empowered as they often have influence on their children.
Some countries have proposed to designate a United Nations special representative for countering
extremism; he would have as a main focus youth and should cooperate with all the different actors.
Promote Young People’s participation in the society is an essential condition for successful peace
building. Young people would then be at the heart of his concerns and the primary concern of this United
Nations’ section.
The role of the UN regarding youth’s extremism has recently increased with the creation of different
programs in order to preserve their future. “The guiding principles on young people’s participation in
peace building” is a guide fully dedicated to the youth to involve them in the society for the creation of
peace-building programs.
This program created in 2012, focuses on the participation of youth in the society to offer them diverse
experiences, encourage them in leadership to provide a safe environment especially in post-conflict
zones.
Others call for specific de-radicalization programs that would allow people to find support before they
leave for Syria but also after when they come back.
Extremism should also be challenged over the Internet, a mean that is used by most extremist groups
for the enrolment of youth. Societies should focus on how to prevent the youth extremism with Internet
by creating counter attacks programs with effective and persuasive messages that would be disseminated
on the web and social networks to convince young people that the ideologies promoted by extremist
groups are false and empty promises.
10