YMCA Southeastern High School Model United Nations Special Political and Decolonization Dear Delegates, YMCA Southeastern High School Model United Nations Special Political and Decolonization Dear Delegates, My name is Christopher George, but I go by many things: a Wyldlife Leader for Young Life, an Ole Miss football fan, a Minnesota Vikings fan, a Golden State Warrior and Stephen Curry fan (Dub Nation!), but most importantly and my favorite title, Chair of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (a.k.a. the best committee) for SHSMUN 2016. My hobbies other than researching and writing topic guides for you all include Mock Trial, lifeguarding, ranting about why the Warriors are the best team in the NBA, and watching House of Cards, Burn Notice, and The Office. Some final interesting factoids about me are that I play 5 instruments (trombone, baritone, tuba, guitar, and piano), my family owns the Acropolis Grill, and that I dab better than the EcoFin chair, Rishab Jain. My first topic was something that really started out as a microcosm of the overarching theme of a pathway to independence. I thought that I was going to write just about Taiwanese independence, but then I decided to inspire and invoke a much larger multinational issue. I wanted to bring light to and new perspective to the fact that new countries are still forming today, but they don’t have a clear enough path to join the UN. My second topic however, was an idea I wanted to do forever. I wanted to write about the South China Sea because it is a ticking time bomb for that region. When I first started writing my third topic, I was really intrigued by how little writing there was about something so ubiquitous and interesting. The third topic to me, Irredentism, is both current and urgent, but also a problem that’s been around since the days of Rome (hence the origin the word). If I were to pass along any words of inspiration or encouragement, I would have to say that when you speak, speak as if everyone in the room is hanging on to the next word you say. Speak as if what you are about to say is the most important factor to the debate. Speak like this because all of that is true. To the first time delegates, do not be afraid to speak up because you have as much to say as everyone else does. I was in your shoes two years ago and with a little of help from my mentors I was able to form into the delegate and the chair that I am today. So take pride if you mess up because as my favorite athlete and basketball star, Stephen Curry says, “If you don’t fall down, how will you know what getting back up feels like?” To the experienced delegates, don’t let your guard down, time is always trying to fly by. I still remember my first speech in my first SHSMUN committee session in General Committee 2014. With all that said do NOT hesitate to ask me about anything you come across that stumps you or causes you confusion. Peace be with you, Christopher George Email: [email protected] Phone: (423)-544-5968 YMCA Southeastern High School Model United Nations Special Political and Decolonization History of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee When the United Nations Charter was ratified by the permanent members of the Security Council in 1945, the Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly only dealt with matters of decolonization. In the volatile political climate that followed World War II, it was the Fourth Committee that was tasked with easing the burdens of the colonies of weakened imperialist nations and protecting those that had recently obtained independence. Entirely separate from the Fourth Committee was the Special Political Committee (SPC), the Seventh Committee at the time, which dealt with political matters and peacekeeping after the United Nations Troop Supervision Organization, the first real peacekeeping operation, was formed in 1948. The Special Political committee was created in lieu of the political aspect of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), originally called the Disarmament and Political Committee; however, the first committee was overwrought and was forced to focus solely on disarmament and the issues that accompanied it. Thus, the Seventh Committee of the General Assembly was formed. Both committees stayed separate for nearly fifty years before General Assembly Resolution 47/233 brought them together as the Special Political and Decolonization Committee in 1993. Like its predecessors, the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly grapples with issues concerning colonization, decolonization, and general politics. Besides this, the Fourth Committee has also accumulated a host of other topics over which it has jurisdiction. These include conflicts in outer space, Palestinian refugees, all forms of mine removal, public information, peacekeeping, atomic radiation, land claims throughout the world, and the University for Peace, a graduate university that is located in Costa Rica. While the Fourth Committee does not have the power to create resolutions with compulsory components, the decisions made by the committee hold a considerable amount of weight in the international community and establish precedent for future United Nations actions. The Fourth Committee of the General Assembly works to combat political instability in member nations, establish international cooperation, and promote and protect the inalienable right of self-determination. YMCA Southeastern High School Model United Nations Special Political and Decolonization Topic A: A Pathway to Internationally Recognized Independence “Inadequacy of political, economic, social or educational preparedness should never serve as a pretext for delaying independence.” - Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples Introduction In 1945, representatives of fifty countries met at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draft the Charter of the United Nations. This document, signed on June 26, 1945, symbolized the official creation of the United Nations.1 Since its inception, the United Nations has recognized a total of 193 independent states, along with two permanent observer states.2 While observer states can be identified as independent by requisites such as economic stability, political structure, and sometimes, a standing army, the United Nations has to formally recognize a state’s independence in order for it to receive an official seat in the United Nations.3 Nations such as Taiwan, Palestine, The Holy See, and Scotland are not officially recognized as independent and sovereign.4 Recognizing a state as completely independent requires a set of guidelines: a pathway, of sorts, to be followed. These guidelines must improve and develop upon qualities of the current subpar, practically non-existent guidelines. Currently, observer states are seeking full independence from and recognition by the United Nations and the rest of the international community, but there is yet to be a series of steps that would ensure this recognition.5 As the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, we must seek to draft these guidelines to ensure equal participation and representation from the entirety of the international community. Background Facing an increased desire to weaken colonial rule, the United Nations has entertained proposals of self-determination for non-self-governing territories since 1952, but even then, such proposals went no further than simply “promoting” self-determination; indeed, governing states were still claiming that their non-self-governing territories were part of their internal jurisdictions, rendering the push for self-determination meaningless.6 There has been, however, one key resolution - in that it carried binding legal obligations - concerning the granting of independence to a state or a group of people. Resolution 1514, written and reviewed by the 1 “History of the United Nations,” United Nations, accessed August 6, 2016, http://www.un.org/en/sections/history/history-united-nations/index.html 2 Ibid. 3 “United Nations Main Organs,” UN News Center, accessed February 16, 2016. http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/visitors/shared/documents/pdfs/FS_This%20is%20the%20UN%20_2013.pdf 4 “Map of Countries Which Recognize Palestine,” The Washington Post, accessed February 14, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/11/07/map-the-countries-that-recognize-palestine-as- a-state/ 5 “Observer States of the UN,” The Telegraph, last modified September 23, 2011, accessed February 14, 2016, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/8783992/Observer-entities-observer- states-and-full-membership-at-the-UN.html 6 Roberto Laver, The Falklands/malvinas Case: Breaking the Deadlock in the Anglo-Argentine Sovereignty Dispute (2001), 100-2, https://books.google.com/books?id=cNKtX4mYVZUC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=un+resolution+1514+falklan ds&source=bl&ots=iaCkiVUpB_&sig=66C6f-vzW1wacmB7tv- rhJe1hPY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiX0om8yIXOAhWD5CYKHdvNCjAQ6AEIYDAJ#v=onepage&q=un%2 0resolution%201514%20falklands&f=false 1 | P a g e YMCA Southeastern High School Model United Nations Special Political and Decolonization General Assembly fifty-six years ago, describes three ways through which self-determination can be realized: “(a) emergence as a sovereign independent state, (b) free association with an independent state, or (c) integration with an independent state.”7 As this committee’s proceedings will show, Resolution 1514 is much more of a destination than a process that a country can follow. While it set the precedent for a mandated end to colonial rule, the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly must fully develop the process by which an independent country can be fully recognized.8 A prime example of a country fighting for its independence without a clear way forward is Taiwan. Recently, Sunflower Protests have erupted: younger teens have been demanding complete independence from the People’s Republic of China, which has claimed Taiwan since the end of the Chinese Revolution.