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HRC Chair Report CUIMUN-HS 2021 The Fifth Session of the Cambridge University International Model United Nations High School Conference will be held on September 18th-19th, 2021. It will be online ONLY. _________________________________________________________________________ Human rights council: TOPIC A: The Question of Human Rights Of LGBTQ community Topic B : The Question of Human Rights in the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen 1 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRS Honorable Delegates Welcome to the United Nation’s Human Rights Council. We are excited and pleased to have you here. The topics we have chosen, while at times have an ideological component to them, ultimately have a human rights issue at their core. In this committee, we strive to cut through “political correctness” ideologies to get to the issue at hand: is there a human rights violation present? Regarding our topics of The Question of Human Rights Of LGBTQ community, while in some nations they are accepted, punishments as extreme as the death penalty are still in place for members of the LGBTI community. Is their right to express themselves, to love whomever they want, a dignified human right under all circumstances? Can a country regulate how people carry out their lives in this regard? Must nations comply with lifestyles that go against their institutionalized religion? While most times these questions seem to have simple answers, in the fabric of a nation that venomously opposes homosexuality it becomes your job to defend your sovereignty for your political and diplomatic agenda. In regards to the topic, The Question of Human Rights in the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen we will give you background information on the topic. However, we expect you to conduct your own research on the more specific aspects of this topic to prepare you for debate on the days of the conference. All this and so much more will be discussed in our passionate Human Rights Council where we will try to decide where and how human rights are being violated. From this, we will propose comprehensive solutions to achieve the advancement of international human rights. Be ready to defend your country’s position, learn where you can compromise, listen to other delegations, and above 2 all, enjoy the experience. While this study guide will help guide your preparation for the committee, it is ultimately up to you to finish the research. We look forward to meeting every one of you! INDEX 1. Introduction of the committee ( p.4) 2. The history of the united nations human rights council (p.5) 3. History of the topic (p.6) 4. Current state (p.8) 5. Past UN resolutions (p.11) 6. Important questions (p.12) 7. Bibliography(p.12) 8. Introduction to the topic (p.13) 9. brief historical context (p.13-14) 10. timeline of events (14-15) 11. possible solutions (15-18) 3 INTRODUCTION OF THE COMMITTEE “It is important that we have institutions like the Human Rights Council which can monitor the state of human rights in the world and ensure all are protected.” -Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate – at 1st session of the Human Rights Council, June 2006 What are Human Rights? Before diving into the topics at hand, we first want to discuss what exactly makes up a human right. These rights have been accepted as universal, transcending time and culture. However, “Human Rights” are constantly used to defend any type of political ideology both for and against most topics. Each one contains complexity and depth that have ramifications affecting every aspect of human society. Let’s take the Right to Life for example Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”.1 Simple, right? But what does it mean? What is life? When does it begin? When does it end? Is there a legitimate reason to restrict that right? Can you voluntarily give it up? What does liberty mean? Does it mean I’m free to do as I please? Can I kill someone else? Where do my right to life and my right to liberty begin and end? While we could go on to write an entire dissertation on each of the 30 rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that is not what this committee is all about. To understand a bit more of what Human Rights are and where they came from, we have to look no further than the Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (a document we highly recommend reading in preparation for this committee) UN General Assembly. "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." United Nations, 217 (III) A, 1948, Paris, art.3, http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/. UN General Assembly. "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." United Nations, 217 (III) A, 1948, Paris, art.18, http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/ UN General Assembly. "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." United Nations, 217 (III) A, 1948, Paris, art.8, http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/. So, what does it mean to be part of the Human Rights Council? It means that you are one of 47 countries tasked with promoting and protecting Human Rights around the Globe. It will be your job to determine where the line between the people’s rights and the government’s rights is. 4 THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL The Human Rights Council was founded in 2006 by UN GA Resolution 60/251 succeeding the United Nation’s Human Rights Commission established in 1946. The Human Rights Council has been tasked with the promotion and protection of Human Rights around the globe by addressing “situations of violations of human rights, including gross and systematic violations, and make recommendations thereon.” The Council is meant to serve as a forum for dialogue among states. The Council may issue a resolution calling on a state or states to implement certain actions or uphold certain principles as well as create mechanisms to investigate or monitor questions of concern. While decisions made by the Human Rights Council are not legally binding, the committee does include a series of subsidiary bodies that monitor the Human Rights situation around the globe. In addition, the committee is charged with monitoring specific instances of Human Rights violations creating a Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights situations for all members of the United Nations, and submits to those countries a series of recommendations that, if accepted by the state, are expected to be enacted. The Human Rights Council also has a Complaint Procedure geared towards victims, giving them a voice in Human Rights violations around the world. With these procedures among others, along with advisory committees and other working groups, the Human Rights Council works to achieve its goal of protecting and promoting Human Rights around the world. UN General Assembly. "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." United Nations, 217 (III) A, 1948, Paris, preamble, http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/ General Assembly resolution 60/251, Human Rights Council, A/RES/60/251 (3 April 2006), available from https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N05/502/66/PDF/N0550266.pdf?OpenEl ement. International Justice Resource Center. Human Rights Council. https://ijrcenter.org/un-human-rights-council/ 5 TOPIC: The Question of Human Rights Of LGBTQ community HISTORY Documented forms of homosexuality date back to ancient Egyptian and Greek societies, and attitudes towards homosexuality have always been controversial. The rise of Christianity in the early First Century AD led to greater condemnation of homosexuality, followed by differing attitudes throughout the later centuries. It was not until after World War II that institutions were created on behalf of the LGBT community. LGBT movements during this time took place primarily in the United States of America and Europe. Greater awareness of homosexuality, as a product of post-World War II globalization, brought to light “political demands for fair treatment in mental health, public policy, and employment”. The 1960s Civil Rights Movement in the US marked a turning point with its Stonewall Revolution, during which homosexuals resisted police raids in New York City. This period was followed by the 1970s gay liberation movement, during which groups organized advocacy organizations and planned public demonstrations. The 1900s and 2000s overall yielded the greatest advancement for LGBT people, but inequality between groups based upon sexual orientation continues. The issue of LGBT rights has never been addressed by the UN until December 2008, when a Dutch/French-initiated, European Union-backed statement supporting LGBT rights was presented to the United Nations General Assembly (UN GA). That statement was sponsored by 96 UN Member States and prompted an Arab League-backed statement opposing it. Until today, none of the statements have been officially adopted by the UN GA and both are still open for signature. In 2003, numerous European countries put forward the Brazilian Resolution within the UN HRC, stating the intention that lesbian and gay rights should be considered as fundamental as the rights of all human beings. Following the steps of the European countries, all 34 member countries of the Organization of American States unanimously approved a declaration affirming that human rights protection also extends to sexual orientation and gender identity. On December 15th, 2011, the UN HRC passed its first report on the human rights of LGBT people, describing how people around the world are killed or endure hate-motivated violence, torture, detention, criminalization, and discrimination in employment, health care and education because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. 6 The map shows all GREEN Countries which have signed General Assembly declarations on LGBT rights and/or sponsored the Human Rights Council 2011 resolution on LGBT rights (96 members).
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