Role of Women Against ISIS-UNWOMEN Study Guide
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STUDY GUIDE UNITED NATIONS ENTITY FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN (UNWOMEN) THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ISIS Dear delegates, I am thrilled to welcome you to the first Villa Maria Model of United Nations. With a lot effort, we have managed to present you an amazing opportunity. My name is Andrea Valdivieso and I will be your director in this committee. I am 19 years old and I study Economics at Universidad del Pacífico. Since my last year of school, I have been interested in MUN experiences. Last year I joined Peruvian Debate Society and since then I have participated in two international models. Not only did I get to meet amazing people from all around the world and learn a lot from distant nations, but I also travelled alone and it was a new experience for me. The fact that you, at your different ages, are interested in global topics that include not only international cooperation but also a large range of knowledge thrills me even more. That is why I also have the pleasure to welcome you to the UN Women Committee in which we will be discussing the topic of the Role of Women in the Fight Against ISIS. Recently women have been gaining participation in the activities coming from ISIS and the international community has just started to take measures in the issue. For this topic it is important for you to investigate about the sovereignty of your nations in respect to the issue and also to take into consideration the policies that the nations have in regard to ISIS. Keep in mind that a good way to tackle all the problems regarding this topic is to separate the different roles that women have in ISIS and place solutions for each role. For me it’s not an easy topic, it is very complex so please, if you have any other doubt, just send me an email. Hope to see you soon. Best regards, Andrea Valdivieso Director of UNWOMEN Villa Maria Model of United Nations 2015 [email protected] Dear delegates, It is my honor to welcome you to the UN Women Assembly to address The Role of Women in the Fight against ISIS. My name is Gabriela Bellido Ludowieg and I will be serving as one of the directors of your committee at VMMUN. I finished high school at Villa Maria in 2013 and I am currently a student of "Estudios Generales Letras" at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru. My MUN career began in July 2014 with the Peruvian Universities team, which I represented at Harvard National Model United Nations 2015 in the Human Rights Council, where I obtained an Honorable Mention debating about Statelessness. I have also participated in other MUN conferences such as IDPMUN 2014 at COP 20 debating about the Millennium Development Goals and USIMUN 2014 at the United Nations Development Program debating about informal jobs. In addition, this year I will be serving as the Logistics sub-director at LiMUN 2015. Leaving the Harvard experience at HNMUN 2015 made me realize how much I enjoy debating in different MUN conferences, that is why I recently joined the Acción AENU team, where I am going to spend my free time giving MUN Workshops. I am ecstatic to see you at VMMUN and hope to meet you soon, if you have any doubts regarding the committee do not hesitate to ask! Sincerely yours, Gabriela Bellido Ludowieg Director of UNWOMEN Villa Maria Model of United Nations 2015 [email protected] Dear delegates, We’re María Paz Azula, Valeria Castro and Ivana Noriega, and we will be the assistant directors for the UNWOMEN committee during this year’s VMMUN conference. We are all extremely honored to partake in this amazing experience as part of the chair for the first time, and to be able to share it with all of you. We find the topic of this committee to be very interesting and controversial, one that is going to generate different opinions, ideas and possible solutions to the problem. We hope that your experience in this conference will be as pleasant as possible, making sure to respect each other’s policies and ideas to reach a solution to this imminent situation in a peaceful and dynamic way. Make sure to come prepared for the debate, doing prior research about you countries policy and position regarding the topic and with an open mind for other possible solutions that your fellow delegates may have to offer. Finally we’ll like to welcome you all to this amazing experience that is going to be VMMUN. See you soon! Good luck to each and every one of you. Best regards, María Paz Azula, Valeria Castro and Ivana Noriega Assistant Directors of UNWOMEN Villa Maria Model of United Nations 2015 I. INTRODUCTION processes. The organization of UN Women consists on the functions of: the Office of “I shall put terror into the hearts of the the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and disbelievers, strike above their necks and Advancement of Women, the Division for strike their fingertips” – Koran 8:12 the Advancement of Women, the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women. This entity leads and promotes the work that the United Nations has placed into achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment that is why it enhances (not replaces) the efforts from other organs such as UNICEF, UNDP or UNFPA1. The main goals of UN Women include: The violence that ISIS has placed around • Elimination of discrimination the world has become one of the most against women and girls relevant issues at an international level. • Empowerment of women The rates of terrorism, casualties, rapes, • Achievement of equality between attacks, within others, coming from the women and men as partners and Islamic State have increased at a worrying beneficiaries of development, rate. Many organizations, for instance the human rights, humanitarian United Nations, have lately started to action and peace and security propose solutions and campaigns for the issue. The most terrifying aspect in the Within the main roles that UN Women fight against the Islamic State is that it not considers of much importance, they are in only involves the terrorist and resistance charge of supporting inter-governmental groups, it also affects the social bodies in the formulation of policies, global environment, education, the economies, standards and norms; helping Member cultures, national heritage, governments States on achieving the standards by and mostly innocent people that cannot providing technical and financial support live a normal life because of the insecurity and by forging effective partnerships with caused by ISIS. civil society and leading the UN system´s work on gender equality and to promote II. ABOUT THE COMMITTEE accountability through regular monitoring of system-wide progress. Created in July 2010, UN Women is a United Nations organization dedicated to III. DESCRIPTION OF THE TOPIC AND ITS gender equality and empowerment of PROBLEMS women. Gender equality is not only a human right but its achievement has ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and enormous socio-economic ramifications as Syria and it is and extremist rebel group it impulses the economies and growth of controlling territory in Syria, Iraq and nations. The most common social problems Lybia2. It also operates in Lebanon, Nigeria, regarding gender inequality are that women lack access to decent work and 1 UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund. face occupational segregation; they are UNDP – United Nations Development denied their right to basic education and Programme. UNFPA – United Nations health care; they suffer violence and Population Fund. 2 discrimination; they are under-represented In Image 1 you can find the exact territories in the Middle East that have been taken by ISIS in in political and economic decision-making the last years. Egypt and other areas of the Middle East, reporting that ISIS new sympathizers are North Africa, West Africa, South Asia and from Indonesia. Southeast Asia. Lately, ISIS has been called a caliphate 3 which not only includes Recent reports from the Philippines geographical territory but also claims Islamist militant groups have issued a religious, political and military authority warning to the governments of Germany over all Muslims amongst the world (As and the Philippines to stop supporting the you can appreciate in IMAGE 1). U.S. in the killing of the ISIS militants. Australia had been also attacked by ISIS What is the Islamic State? What are their and as respond they had implanted Anti – intentions? Questions like these must Terrorism raids, the population is afraid of always follow every person regarding a ISIS kidnaping, kills and child recruiting, as topic like ISIS. For many countries a measure they are supporting the U.S. – understanding the Islamic States led campaign of airstrikes against ISIS and movement and the war they fight creates a has sent warplanes and military personnel lot of confusion, but it’s really important to to the region. be clear that Al – Qaeda4 is different from ISIS. The members of ISIS, better known as Another important ISIS event has been Jihadists, support Osama bin Laden’s ideas, produced by Boko Haram5. The last year, and many of Al – Qaeda’s principles, but Boko Haram abducted 246 girls. 50 of them they have their own particular beliefs could escape, yet the rest is still regarding the most important day for an unreleased. Negotiations to exchange the Islamic person, which is the Day of kidnapped girls for a monetary reward are Judgment. The Day of Judgment is when still taking place but the terrorist group has they prove their missions as good persons even released information expressing the seeking for equality and peace on earth to intention of selling the girls into sexual Ala.