UN REFORM S T U D Y G U I D E T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1 ) L E T T E R O F T H E S E C R E T A R Y G E N E R A L 2 ) L E T T E R F R O M T H E C O M M I T T E E C H A I R 3 ) I N T R O D U C T I O N 4 ) H I S T O R Y & O R I G I N 5 ) P A S T R E L E V A N T C A S E S 6 ) D I V I S I O N O F T H E U N S C 7 ) A M E N D I N G T H E U N C H A R T E R 8 ) I N T R O D U C T I O N T O C R I S I S 9 ) Q A R M A S 1 0 ) B I B L I O G R A P H Y 0 1 Letter from the SecGen Dear Delegates and Faculty Advisors,It has not been too long since Casuarinas Model United Nations. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing quarantine that have paused economic and social activities in our country have represented a challenge for the organization and execution of Casuarinas Model UN. However, because of the effort of teachers and students from our school, we were able to adapt our project and systems in order to make an online conference possible. This is why I would like to thank all the directors, assistant directors, and volunteers that offered to willingly share their time with us to host the different committees, developing comprehensive study guides for all the committees, and assisting with the inner organization of the whole conference. Finally, I would like to point out that as an MUN conference we deeply encourage all delegates to participate actively in the debate, and learn as much as possible in these two days. If any delegate has doubts regarding schedules or online meetings, feel free to ask CASMUN staff.We will look forward to having your presence at the Conference! Mickaella Ramos [email protected] 0 2 Letter from the Chair Dear Delegates, My name is Kiyomi Murakuki, It's my pleasure to welcome you all to the Emergency Committee for the Reform of the United Nations! Just to tell you a little bit about myself I`m a first- year Law student at Universidad de Lima and I plan to complement my studies later on with a degree in Psychology. Other than that, I enjoy reading and exploring different types of books while eating my favorite foods. I started doing MUN back in 2017 with my school's delegation and I've participated in different conferences throughout my high school years. I now belong to Peruvian Debate Society where I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico for HNMUN LA 2020 and had an amazing experience. Ever since I started learning about international politics I`ve always questioned the fact that many times the United Nations does not provide solid solutions despite having as the main principle to keep international peace and saving future generations from war, and now that I have the opportunity to share this topic with you I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Remember that the study guide is just the basis of your research and you shouldn't stay with this information only! I have included Suggested Research Material just above the references so 0 3 That your research process is a little bit easier. There are some things that I really don't enjoy during debate which are: lack of content and repetitive speeches. I do enjoy speeches that are different (but that aren't out of line) and passion in every single move that you make (It is completely fine to be disruptive but never go too far). I would be looking for passionate delegates who manage to create and lead solutions with a competitive spirit always keeping in mind the importance of diplomacy and patience towards everyone in the committee. Other than that we will try our best to make the committee as fun, and as dynamic as possible! If you have any doubts regarding the way we will be managing everything, position papers, or literally anything don’t hesitate sending an email. Best Regards Kiyomi Murakuki [email protected] 0 4 Introduction Since the United Nations was established its main goal has been maintaining peace throughout the world, however, we can see that lives are lost every single day to the hands of war and violence. Many citizens call out the inefficiency of the UN regarding issues presented specifically in the Security Council; this organism is the only one that can apply direct sanctions as well as to conduct actions among the international community. If there is a “functioning organism” that works providing aid and maintaining international peace then why do we have little to no action? There is a flaw in the system that clearly keeps the actions from taking place: The unfair balance of power within the chambers of the most important international organism we have. As stated previously, we would be finding a solution that can include the different aspects of international law. The main aim of the committee would be to find a solution that respects the United Nations Charter but at the same time proposes different ideas to amend it and create new mechanisms that can keep the balance of power within the United Nations. 0 5 History and Origin of the Topic When World War II ended the allies decided to proclaim themselves as the “saviors” of the world in which they acquired the status of permanent members (P5'S) of the Security Council granting them the Veto Power. It was consolidated when the United Nations Charter became effective on October 24th, 1949. This means that we have been in this system for over 70 years. The veto power entitles any of the P5's to turn down any “substantive” resolution by voting against, this includes a broad amount of cases: sanctions, military action or any direct action the UNSC might take. One of the most difficult challenges is to find a cohesive way of amending the charter and of course negotiating with some of the most powerful/influential nations in the world. As there is no exact mechanism to balance the power out there is a need to create and fix the UN through a new system. 0 6 To see how the influence of powers plays a role in the UNSC it is important to remember the case of China. When the permanent members were established The Republic of China was recognized as a state, and therefore became a member of the P5, but as the cold war progressed (1974) they managed to change the statehood of the Republic of China and replaced it with the People's Republic of China. In those times, this meant that the USSR would have an ally in the SC and had the opportunity to fight western powers. Unlike other committees in the UN, this one is managed as an emergency session called upon by a world crisis. Due to the lack of unanimity in the Security Council, Resolution 377 (Uniting for Peace) was invoked as there was a need to maintain international peace. In this particular case, many countries in the General Assembly considered revising the powers of the permanent members of the SC, resulting in a possible reform of the United Nations System regarding the distribution of power. 0 7 Past Relevant Cases Syria This year the Syrian War has turned it`s 10th year and most experts on the topic blame the lack of action of the Security Council as the cause of such a long conflict. In a nutshell, the war in Syria has four sides in total and some of them are backed up by international powers such as the USA and Russia, each one of them with their own particular interests. Everything started in 2011 as peaceful protests arose from the Arab Spring against the Dictator Bashar al-Assad. In 2012 the conflict unfolded as a proxy war when Iran and the Gulf States started backing into different groups. In the beginning, there was Iran and Syria (Assad) and then the Gulf States began funding the rebels. After Assad attacked civilians with chemical weapons it turned into a major proxy war with the USA backing up rebels and Russia supporting Assad. Of course, as of today there are more sides to the conflict, which include the Kurds and ISIS, but for the purpose of the 0 8 committee, it is most relevant to understand the division among the P5`s. For instance, in 2018 airstrikes to Syria were sent by a conjoined mission by the USA, UK, and France without the support of the UNSC. This only showed a clear division of the council. The tensions increased when Russia and China opposed humanitarian intervention. The following list portrays the veto's exercised by p5's until 2017: The first series of vetoes (cast in October 2011 and February 2012) blocked resolutions that contained condemnatory statements and threatened sanctions against the Assad regime. In July 2012, a vetoed resolution would have imposed sanctions on the Assad regime if it did not cease troop movements and the use of heavy weaponry in and around population centers.