Unrepresented Nations And Peoples Organization Background Guide Table of Contents Letter from the Chair Expectations & Awards Introduction to the Committee Topic 1: State Violence and Intimidation Tactics State Violence Intimidation Questions to Consider Topic 2: Preservation of Minority Culture and Language The Problem Possible Solutions Questions to Consider Bibliography Staff of the Committee Chair Rachel Kubrick Vice Chair Harmela Anteneh Under Secretary General Branden Alberts Taylor Cowser, Secretary General Neha Iyer, Director General 2 Letter from the Chair Dearest Delegates, My name is Rachel and I am ecstatic to be chairing the Unrepresented Peoples and Nations Organization for BosMUN XIX. This will be my last BosMUN and my last conference as a chair, as I am graduating from Boston University this May. Although I am excited to begin my life in the ‘real world,’ I am certainly sad to be leaving college and especially Model United Nations. I am therefore hoping to make this last committee the best one yet (but no pressure)! Like you, I started my Model UN journey in high school. As an active member of the Long Island MUN circuit, I competed at over 20 conferences and chaired twice. When I started college, I immediately searched for an opportunity to continue my involvement in MUN, an activity I adored for its educational yet competitive nature. I found this in the Boston University International Affairs Association, affectionately known as BUIAA. With BUIAA, I have traveled across the US and Canada attending conferences, and have chaired three conferences. BosMUN in particular holds a special place in my heart as I served as the Under Secretary General for ECOSOCs two years ago. I currently hold the position of Treasurer on the BUIAA Executive board. Perhaps surprisingly, my field of study and career path have virtually nothing to do with international relations! While I love politics and IR as a hobby, my passion lies in art history. I intern at the Museum of Fine Arts, the major museum here in Boston, and run an undergraduate art magazine called Squinch. I have no idea what I am doing yet for post grad (maybe by the time BosMUN rolls around I will!), but I hope to become an art museum curator in the future. If any of you are interested in knowing more about life at BU, as a student in Boston, or about college in general, I would love to answer your questions! I have tried to take advantage of everything college has offered me (even studied abroad four times!) and would be happy to share my tips and tricks with all of you. I look forward to meeting you this coming February and working together to create a better world for unrepresented peoples. All the best, Rachel Kubrick 3 Expectations & Awards The dais expects that all delegates will be well researched, well spoken, and well behaved. It is essential that all delegates are respectful to their peers and their staff so that the committee can be both productive and enjoyable for all parties involved. It is expected that delegates come prepared, having read the background guide and researched their position and the topics. While preparation is essential, it is also important that delegates do not break BosMUN policy and arrive “over” prepared, i.e., with prewritten clauses. Most importantly, we expect everyone to come ready to have a great weekend debating, collaborating, and solving world issues! In terms of awards, there are many qualities that make an award winning delegate, and the dais will be looking out for these admirable skills throughout the course of the conference. While there is no specific key to winning an award at BosMUN, we can provide a few tips for becoming an award-winning delegate. The chair will be looking for delegates who are clearly well researched and informed, but also able to think quickly and be flexible in response to the flow of debate. The chair will most admire those who are working collaboratively with others, providing substantial written work and verbal speeches, and uplifting their fellow delegates. Delegates should do their best to represent their assigned unrepresented people or nation while also contributing practical and creative solutions that can help a variety of groups on the topics at hand. Successful delegates will be those who adhere to parliamentary procedure and decorum, and who work to apply their knowledge of the topic. It is important to keep in mind that a “best” delegate is not necessarily the one who is always raising their placard or passing notes. Overall, delegates who win Best, Outstanding, Honorable Mention, or Verbal Commendation awards will be those who make committee better. Finally, it is crucial to remember that winning an award should not make or break your conference experience, and that there is a lot more that one can get out of a committee besides a gavel or certificate. 4 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1 5 Introduction to the Committee What is the UNPO? The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, or UNPO, describes itself as “an international membership based organization established to empower the voices of underrepresented and marginalized peoples worldwide and to protect their fundamental human rights.” UNPO members all lack equal representation in their national governments. Those qualifying as “unrepresented” nations also lack representation in the United Nations. This status prevents these groups from having a voice in the political sphere, often leading to violations of their basic human rights as delineated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These groups may also be subject to acts of violence by majority groups. The UNPO functions through funding by its members, ensuring that member groups have full range to discuss the issues at hand without financial pressures. It includes a General Assembly for collaborative decision making, the body which this committee will mimic, as well as various Foundations conducting secretariat, research, and educational duties. All members must abide by the principles of the UNPO Covenant, namely: ● The equal right of all peoples to self-determination; ● Adherence to internationally-accepted human rights standards; ● Adherence to the principles of democratic pluralism and rejection of intolerance; ● Promotion of non-violence and the rejection of terrorism and violence as instruments of policy; ● Protection of the natural environment. Who are the members of the UNPO? These members come from a variety of nations and peoples who define themselves as “unrepresented” on a national or international scale. At first one may expect for most of the members to be of indigenous or other ethnic groups, when in reality members 6 Cont. come in all different forms. One of the most surprising examples is the District of Columbia, or Washington D.C., which maintains its status as an “unrepresented territory,” or “Federal District under exclusive jurisdiction of Congress,” according to its member profile on the UNPO website. On the UNPO’s website, you can easily find the member profile for the group that you will be representing. I highly recommend that you view your member’s profile webpage and download the Member Profile Brochure as your first step in researching after reading the background guide (https://unpo.org/members.php). This will be your most effective and helpful resource in determining what stance you will take on the issues, and therefore be able to work in the best interest of your delegation. This profile will also alert you to what “status” the member currently holds in terms of being unrepresented. These may include the following: ■ Self-declared sovereign state ■ Autonomous region ■ Ethnic/religious/linguistic minority group ■ Secessionist entity ■ Indigenous peoples ■ State with limited international recognition ■ Occupied territory ■ Unrepresented territory An emphasis on self-determination One of the UNPO’s main goals is promoting the right to self-determination. The UNPO defines the right to self-determination as “the right of a people to determine its own destiny.” This means that they are allowed to decide their political status and have the liberty to pursue economic, social, and cultural development as they wish. Contrary to popular belief, self-determination does not always conclude with an independent nation. Other desirable outcomes may include political, cultural, and/or economic autonomy. For some, the establishment of an independent nation has already occurred, 7 Cont. but they have yet to be recognized as such by the international community. The UN Charter itself ensures this right in Article 1, stating its purpose “to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace.” Nevertheless, many UN member states do not adhere to this directive. Furthermore, the right to self-determination is present in various international declarations and covenants on human rights, such as the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and the International Covenants on Human Rights.The right to self-determination is therefore an integral part of international law. Although we will not be discussing self-determination as its own topic (it would obviously not produce controversy in debate), it remains as a critical aspect of any deliberation by the UNPO, and should therefore be addressed in any draft resolutions passed by this body. History of the UNPO The UNPO grew out of a collaboration between various leaders of movements for self-determination in Estonia, East Turkestan (region of the Uyghurs), and Tibet, as well as the Dalai Lama’s international law advisor, who was its first secretary general.