U a

Sample Position Paper 1

Contents
First Committee of the General Assembly: Disarmament and International Security
Fourth Committee of the General Assembly: Special Political and Decolonization
Fifth Committee of the General Assembly: Administrative and Budget
Sixth Committee of the General Assembly: Legal
Economic and Social Council
Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS

First Committee of the General Assembly: Disarmament and International

Security
I. Assistance to states for curbing the illicit tra c in small arms and collecting them

The International Community, in the wake of the Cold War, has seen many of its members moving in profoundly di erent
directions. While many states have prospered in a time that has a orded them both peace and economic growth, others have
struggled. Regional con icts have been brought to the forefront, and many unfortunate and bloody wars are currently being
waged around the globe. Other states, in the aftermath of the Cold War, are currently trying to reform and restructure their
governments in an e ort to achieve acceptance and active participation in the International Community in both military and
economic capacities. In the interest of cooperation and the desire for a peaceful, stable community, we are committed to seeing
the illegal and/or unethical trade of weapons to states or groups with unsavory records in regards to human rights restricted or
abolished. We are also in favor of a strict adherence to the regulations regarding the checking and licensing of parties seeking to
purchase weapons or weapons based technologies. In addition, we are committed to seeing weapons transactions across
international borders made public and records of those transactions readily available.

II. Relationship Between Disarmament and Development

As the world approaches the dawn of a new millennium, and its peoples enter an era of socio-economic and geo-political
uncertainty, we as citizens of the world are blessed with a new age whose tale has not yet been written. However, with this new
age comes the awesome responsibility not to relive nor revisit the terror, carnage, and travesties of this past millennium, more
importantly, this past century. Through responsible governance the world’s nation states may avoid the regimes of Hitler’s
fascism, Stalin’s totalitarian oppression or Saddam Hussein’s hegemonic ambitions. Let the talents of our peoples and the
resources of our lands be harnessed and used for the development of economic solidarity not military superiority. Let our
inherent ambition for conquest, as human beings, not be one of land or peoples but of conquering our own intellect in the arts
and sciences. May we substitute the continued testing of weapons of mass destruction for the testing of cleaner, cheaper
alternative sources of energy, abundant foods, and more e ective medicines. Let our boarders separate us as unique and
sovereign nations without letting them divide us as people. As this past century has exempli ed, political and social dominance
is won through free market enterprise and open trade, not through military conquest. Let us therefore, embrace one another in
our common interest of economic stability and a uni ed Balkan region structured by democratic principle and solidi ed through
its fair and honorable application.

Let us not enter a new age with an old and archaic mentality. Let us seek diplomacy over military resolve in settling our disputes.
Let our legacy be the generation that stretched out its hand rather than clenched its st.

Fourth Committee of the General Assembly: Special Political and Decolonization

I. Report on the special committee to investigate Israeli practices a ecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of
the occupied territories

As the Palestinian people negotiate with the Israelis for the declaration of an independent Palestinian state, Palestinians living in
the Palestinian territory, which is still under Israeli occupation, have become victims of persecution. Many have been killed by
Israeli soldiers or civilians. Others have been harassed, ill-treated or placed under curfews. A number have escaped Israel as
refugees. According to Israeli there is to be an absolute veto on any refugee return to Israel. Israel’s justi cation is that
repatriation of Palestinians would dilute Israel’s character. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) claims that the refugees
have a right to return to their lands and/or receive compensation. The position of the (PLO) is a rmed by UN Security Council
Resolution 194 of December 1948. As a country that was liberated from communism almost a decade ago, we have had rst
hand experience of violations of human rights. After experiencing relief from such oppression, we have come to highly value
human rights and desire to promote human rights all over the world. Furthermore, any country that fails to comply with the
regulations of the United Nations should be punished with sanctions appropriate under UN rules. Therefore, it is in our interest
that the United Nations becomes involved in this situation and impose appropriate sanctions until either this mistreatment
stops or an independent Palestinian State is declared.

II. Participation of volunteer, “white helmet,” in activities of the UN in the eld of humanitarian relief, rehabilitation and technical
cooperation for development

Our position on the participation of volunteers, “White Helmets”, in activities of the UN is much like most member states.
Especially in the Balkan region, volunteers are needed to provide various forms of assistance. Relief is constantly needed in
times of natural disaster to provide humanitarian relief. At this time we are not able to fully assist its people in times of natural
disaster. In order to fully recover from a communist society, we need all the help we can get from other nation states. Technical
cooperation for development is needed to help ease the transition of our people from a communist society to a thriving
democracy. Rebuilding cities, businesses, and creating a national highway system are the most important issues at hand for us.
United Nation volunteers, “White Helmets” can provide an enormous hand in assisting in this transition. In order for successful
volunteer missions many things are needed. The rst would be a more secure source of funding for its humanitarian and
development assistance missions. We support any resolution and e ort that will increase the funding of the White Helmets. We
are willing to work with other member states to acquire and setup additional sources of funding, whether it is through
government nancial assistance, loans from the IMF and World Bank, the United Nations themselves or philanthropists willing to
support the White Helmets. We also support any resolution and e ort that encourages nation states to sign up willing citizens to
become United Nation volunteers in the White Helmet program. We are also in favor of enhancing in anyway possible United
Nation Volunteer cooperation at all levels of United Nation activities. Setting up a direct chain of command, such as liaisons
between di erent UN organizations to further help United Nation activities will be looked upon with favor by us. Finally, the
safety and security of UN personnel are of the utmost importance. We support and are willing to work with other member states
to provide the highest possible safety and security for personnel on the ground.

Fifth Committee of the General Assembly: Administrative and Budget

I. Financing of United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

The unfolding of events in the former Yugoslavia has a ected millions of lives around the globe, including those within our own
borders. There is no doubt that the intervention of NATO and the United Nations to establish peace and autonomy for the
people of Kosovo was and is a worthwhile endeavor, but the nancing of such endeavors within the United Nations needs to be
reevaluated. When the United Nations decided to support the operations in Kosovo, which were implemented by NATO, we
involved ourselves in a mission that did not have a clear ending. As with any multi-scope mission, there is no de nite outline to
predict when our assistance is no longer needed, or when all of our goals have been met. We must be prepared to tackle any
unexpected obstacles that may appear. We must come full circle before withdrawing our e orts in missions that we have
committed to, and in order to ful ll our obligations, we must have the necessary funding. That funding is contemplated and
decided upon as crises arise, but when that funding is passed, all nations must be held accountable for their contributions. As
noted in Resolution 54/245, the assessed contributions allotted to individual Member States has only been paid in full by 23 per
cent of those Member States as of 30 April 2000. The United States is the most noted of such member states with an
outstanding balance of 105.5 million dollars. States that are in a better economic position are logically assessed a higher
monetary commitment for the e orts of the United Nations, and they must be held responsible for their obligation. States
struggling to improve upon a su ering economy themselves should not be expected to pull resources away to help other
nations in turmoil, and furthermore, should be given the same consideration for future missions. Other sources of nancing can
be found through voluntary contributions and cooperation with other IGOs. The amount not exceeding 220 million dollars gross
allocated for the operation of the Mission for the period from 1 July to 31 December 2000 has been passed, and we feel this
amount of funding is an ample to tackle the current issues. Hopefully, this same strong showing of commitment will be shown to
all countries in need. The distribution of funds within the Mission should allow for adequate personnel presence, but not exceed
what is absolutely necessary for such a presence. The majority of the moneys should be spent on the raw materials needed to
help the people of Kosovo rebound into a sustaining economy without jeopardizing the safety and comfort of the personnel
involved.

II. Natural Disaster Mitigation

The assistance the United Nations can o er to nations su ering from the aftermath of a natural disaster can greatly in uence
the rebuilding process within the a icted nation, but also stabilize nations that interact economically with that a ected nation.
The O ce for the Coordination of Humanitarian A airs (OCHA) needs to not discriminate against any Member Nation, and must
conceive of a way to distribute funding to all nations in need fairly. The United Nations has a history of coming to the aid of
displaced persons in the aftermath of a war as well as in the aftermath of weather-related natural disasters. Each disaster needs
to be weighed individually, and by a case-by-case basis, funding should be appropriated impartially. What needs to be assessed
before allocating funds is the quality of life the citizens of a nation enjoyed prior to a disaster. That quality of life needs to be
restored, and even made better. The funding for these programs within the United Nations needs to come from nation states
that are economically sound. Once a nation’s assessed contribution is calculated, adherence to payment is pertinent. In order to
allocate funding e ciently, the United Nations must have strong lines of communication with other relief agencies such as the
Red Cross/Red Crescent. Strong lines of communication will allow for cost-e ective missions for each ad hoc committee by
making sure that all bases are covered in the relief process. This interaction between the United Nations and other relief
agencies can assure that resources are not wasted by either organization in their e ort to ameliorate the crises at hand. During
this communication process, a more focused mission for each organization can be distributed between the organizations
involved so that all of the necessary bases are covered. Any relief project that is more focused will be more cost-e ective and
less wasteful. For instance, one organization could be responsible for all of the clean water necessary while one organization
could be responsible to supply food. Or one organization could be responsible for the northern end of the country while the
other organization is responsible for the southern end of a country. In this way, these organizations will not be tripping over
each other, and thus, tackle the relief process more e ciently.

Sixth Committee of the General Assembly: Legal

I. Establishment of an international criminal court

As a free and democratic country, continuously striving to be a bulwark of stability in a tumultuous region, we support the
creation of the International Criminal Court. Recognizing that the actions of unprincipled rogue leaders can decimate entire
populations, destabilize entire regions, and infringe the security and sovereignty of neighboring states, we call on our fellow
nation-states in the Sixth committee to support the creation of the ICC. Being so closely located to the horrors and atrocities that
occurred in the former Yugoslavia, we fully understand the necessity of having some sort of machinery in place to stop these
rogue leaders before these con icts escalate into full blown wars and/or spill over into neighboring regions. We realize that the
tribunal system only works after the most heinous crimes have attracted the attention of the international community. However,
if there were to be an ICC, it may be possible to bring these rogues to justice before these crimes become so heinous, so glaring,
that the international community has no choice but to act. It is our sincere hope that the international community can come
together and say that these actions will no longer be tolerated, and that these individuals will be held accountable for their
actions.

II. Status of the protocols additional to the Geneva convention relating to the protection of victims of armed con ict

We support increased accountability of states and their leaders in matters of victims of war and refugees. It is deplorable, the
su ering in icted on civilians in times of war. States/leaders that target civilians and/or use them as shields, that permit sexual
crimes against the civilians, and practice ethnic cleansing should be brought to justice. That these crimes go unpunished
diminishes us all. Aggressor states/leaders should also be made to bear the burden and costs incurred by neighboring nation-
states when we must accept refugees and give shelter and protection due to these aforementioned crimes. No civilized country
could ignore the plight of these peoples, but it is a great burden and strain on our logistical and nancial resources, and these
aggressor states/leaders should be made to make reparations. They should be held personally accountable and liable for their
actions.

Economic and Social Council

I. Review of the Declaration and Programme of Action of the International Conference of Population and Development

On the topic of reviewing the Declaration and Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and
Development, we wish to continue the examination into this crucially important topic. There are many great challenges and
relationships between population growth and the steady economic development the world is facing in the context of sustaining
development. At this time, the world is facing a considerable increase in population growth. Along with this comes many
important factors that must be discussed; particularly development issues that might be acceptable today, but not for the
future, the loss of biodiversity of the world, and human population exceeding its carrying capacity. With the ever-increasing
numbers of human population growth, man is exceeding the world’s human carrying capacity. As this happens, man encroaches
upon other species, and as a result, the loss of biodiversity occurs. This loss is not only of aesthetic value, but also carries other
major rami cations. With this loss of biodiversity, comes the loss of a genetic make-up that is gone forever, which sometime in
the future, could have been used to cure diseases. Further analysis proves that with the loss of one species, all other species are
e ected, including mankind. As a result of all these rami cations due to human population growth, we believe this topic is of
great concern. Education needs to be provided to all countries in order to prevent the problems we are facing today. This not
only means education in population growth rami cations, but also reproductive education as well. We wish to pursue the
revision of the Declaration and Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.

II. Conservation of Biological Diversity

The topic on the Conservation of Biological Diversity is of great importance to our country. It is of deep concern that the
increasing loss of biodiversity is mainly due to human actions. As a result, the loss of one species has tremendous impacts on
the whole life cycle and food chain. This also impacts humans as well. Thus, the loss of biodiversity in the world is in essence, the
killing of our own life support system. Biodiversity provides a web of ecological services from purifying the air we breath to
controlling water pollution. It is through this and numerous other ways, that we can see the crucial role biodiversity plays in this
world. Biodiversity sustains life as we know it on Earth. It is only through direct analysis and resolution acceptance that we will
be able to conserve living species that took the last 3,000 million years to evolve. Each of these life forms is crucial to the
sustainability of the environment, and it is our duty to see that each and every species is protected against extinction due to
human causes. Committee: Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

III. The Death Penalty and Human Rights

The question of the death penalty, or capital punishment, has long been a matter of great concern. As an opponent of capital
punishment, our nation believes that the death penalty is a form of cruel and unusual punishment; and it represents a violation,
at the most basic level, of a person’s human rights. Our country echoes the ndings of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, in that, no person should be subjected to torture or to inhuman treatment or punishment. Furthermore, the government
and citizens of our country believe that capital punishment can be used to indirectly target minorities, people of di erent
ethnicity, the poor, peoples of di erent religious a liation, and geographic location, in the cause of ful lling an execution
sentence. From this, we recognize Member states who have abolished the death penalty, and is deeply concerned with those
who still implore capital punishment as a criminal sentence. We see the death penalty as a clear violation of the Universal
Declaration of Human Right, and calls for the abolishment of capital punishment on a global scale.

IV. Strengthening cooperation between the World Bank and the Economic and Social Council

In an e ort to create a more e ective and e cient Economic and Social Council, we would like to see a strengthening of
cooperation between the World Bank and the Economic and Social Council. If ties between these two bodies were more closely
related, and they worked closely with each other, they would be much more e ective at relieving problems such as poverty and
development. We believe that if cooperation between ECOSOC and the World Bank were increased, the two organizations would
achieve greater actions and results. No sole agency can take on an issue entirely by itself and expect results; with partnership
comes strength and e ciency. In general, our country rmly believes that an enhanced partnership between the Economic and
Social Council and the World Bank will be bene cial to both organizations on the whole, and also be more bene cial to the
developing world community in which they are intending to serve.

Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS

I. The HIV/AIDS crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa

Nowhere can the devastating e ects of AIDS be seen as well as in Sub-Saharan Africa. This part of the African continent ghts for
survival against an epidemic of one of the deadliest viruses in human history. The African countries still face their usual ailments:
poverty, disease, famine, civil war, and illiteracy. As the IMF and the World Bank show e orts to alleviate these problems, we
must take a skeptical stance and realize that those e orts would be a waste if the African continent politically and economically
disintegrates as a result of the epidemic. Whereas certain diseases can spread in poverty and some, like asthma, may be more
prevalent in developed Western societies, AIDS does not discriminate. Certain groups may be more at risk for getting infected,
but the virus can spread to anyone. The AIDS epidemic in Africa not only a ects the poor and uneducated, but also the
individuals desperately needed for the functioning of a civilized state: teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc. If AIDS is not contained, the
little political stability there is will vanish. We support the international e orts led by the World Bank to provide loans and grants
for the African nations. We applaud the intentions of pharmaceutical companies to provide a ordable antiretroviral drugs. At
the same time we are seeing the debilitating e ects of AIDS rsthand, as the disease prevalence increases among Eastern
European countries. After the fall of communism, the economy and the health care system have further declined, and our nation
is classi ed in the second category of AIDS alert by the UNAIDS, meaning it is trailing only Sub-Saharan Africa in HIV prevalence
growth.

II. Education issues and HIV/AIDS

A great degree of controversy surrounds AIDS education. At what age is it appropriate to teach children on AIDS? Who should
receive more attention: boys or girls? What topics should be covered? These questions become even more di cult as certain
cultures may exhibit an inherent secrecy toward such matters as drug use, homosexuality, and even heterosexual relationships.
Our country, in general, does not exhibit such stigma. Therefore we support funding of AIDS education programmes that deliver
results, such as those in Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, and Malawi. Nevertheless, we call for a better assessment of the appropriate
use of those funds. AIDS education should be e cient in containing the spread of disease. Cooperation is needed from the
African governments, especially those which deny that AIDS is spread through the HIV virus.

Support AMUN to accelerate the development of future leaders

AMUN is a non-pro t that continues to grow with the help from people like you!

DONATE

Contact Us
American Model United Nations International
1212 N. Columbian Avenue
 Oak Park, IL 60302

Phone: 773-777-AMUN (2686)

E-Mail: mail@amun.org

© 2020 American Model United Nations   Privacy Policy