General Assembly 3 (GA3) - SOCPOL

The Third Committee of the Sri Lanka Model United Nations General Assembly is
chaired by for its 8th annual session.
Membership includes all member states of the UN, who have equal representation
as there is only one vote for each country. The General Assembly votes on
resolutions brought forth by members and passed if a two-thirds majority of those
present and voting are in favor. Resolutions are non-binding due to the lack of the
Assembly being able to enforce them however they create political pressure on
individuals, organizations and countries.
This Committee usually deals with social, humanitarian and human rights (SOCHUM)
affairs, however the committee mandate has been amended this session to address
pressing social and socio-political (SOCPOL) issues at the discretion of the
Secretariat, with unanimous approval of member states.
SOCPOL this year will be dealing with issues that are unique to the 21 st century that
have an significant impact on society such as climate change, technology,
demographic change, health care, and democracy. In this unique session delegates
are expected propose and revise modern solutions to tackle these growing
problems.
Agenda

GENERAL
ASSEMBLY 3
Topic

Conference Major

Deepening democracy,
promoting good
governance and ensuring
the rule of law

Conference Minor

Addressing youth
reproductive rights to

Date

achieve a sustainable
demography
3rd Practice Debate

Discussing the issues of

mental health care, with
specific emphasis on PTSD
in post-conflict societies

2st Practice Debate

Evaluating the social

consequences of climate
change

1st Practice Debate

Addressing the impacts of

modern technology on
social development.

Table of contents
i. Message from the President of the
Third Committee
ii. Study guide for Practice Debate 1
(Addressing the impacts of modern
technology on social development)
iii. Study guide for Practice Debate 2
(Evaluating the social consequences of
climate change)
iv. Study guide for Practice Debate 3
(Discussing the issues of mental
health care, with specific emphasis on
PTSD in post-conflict societies)
v. Study guide for Conference Major
Topic (Deepening democracy,
promotion of good governance and
ensuring the rule of law)
vi. Study guide for Conference Minor
Topic (Addressing youth reproductive
rights to achieve a sustainable
demography)

Practice Debate Topic 1: Impacts of modern technology on

social development
Overview
Humans today cannot function without technology. The rapid changes in technology
provide people with numerous benefits such as fast communication, rapid spread of
information and data and efficient completion of tasks. However, there are
implications of modern technology and we want delegates to examine, discuss and
debate these benefits and implications and also the impact modern technology has
on social development.
Social development is putting people at the centre of development. It promotes
inclusion, cohesion, resilience, citizen security and accountability as per the
operational principles that define socially sustainable development. Social
development promotes better growth, and quality of life through the incorporation
of development projects that address a comprehensive range of social
opportunities, which includes the poor and takes into consideration the complex
relationship between communities.
Key issues
Among the many strategies to facilitate and ensure social development, we want
delegates to examine the use of societys most useful and effective tool:
technology, as a means of sustainable development. A cornerstone of social
development is to recognize the way people interact in society and the norms that
facilitate such interactions, shape development processes. Social development
implies a change for the better in society, and technology being the main medium
for interaction could be the much-needed weapon for change.
Progress towards an inclusive society could be in the horizon if technology is used
for societys advantage. And we want the delegates of SOCPOL to show us how your
countries plan on doing so.
.

Practice Debate Topic 2: Evaluating the social consequences of

climate change
Overview

Climate change is the shift in regional or global climate patterns while global
warming is the gradual increase in the earths surface temperature.
The Inter-governmental panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated in their 2007
4th assessment report that climate change occurring is unquestionable,
however modern day climate change is most likely due to human activity,
such as the large scale combustion of fossil fuels releasing increasing
amounts of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere.
Research and development into methods to limit the social impacts of climate
change is inadequate due to the focus on concluding the causes of climate
change rather than improving adaptation practices and population adaptive
capacity.

Key Issues

The costs and benefits of climate change Some countries are likely to
face costs, such as the Maldives, like coastal flooding while countries, such as
Russia will benefit, from more arable land in the north. States must limit the
negative impacts and exploit the positives in order to adapt to the effects of
climate change on society.
Adaptation or mitigation States must provide adaptive and mitigating
solutions to tackle climate change. While adaptive techniques help in the
short term, mitigation through reducing harmful human activity has to also
take place to limit the impact on society in the long run. A combination of
these practices is required, ensuring they are inclusive and do not conflict in
order to ensure their effectiveness.
Health,
housing and transport- These are key issues affecting
societies as a result of climate change that must be addressed. Health issues
include the spread of infectious diseases such as diarrhea and deaths by
hazards like heat waves. Housing issues include the displacement of people
due to rising sea levels, especially in areas of reclaimed land such as in Hong

Kong. Transport issues such as the destruction of railway lines due to the
destruction by natural hazards will exacerbate poverty in areas of
inaccessibility.
Climate change justice- 50 of the least developed countries contribute to
1% of world wide greenhouse emissions. States that contribute the least to
global warming are the most at risk; this is especially the case in the
continent of Africa. This increases the social impacts due to the vulnerability
of these LEDCs to natural hazards trapping them in a cycle of disaster and
recovery. Delegates of these vulnerable countries must seek justice against
those responsible through methods such as compensation in order to protect
their people.
Delegates must
Focus on the social impacts and their solutions to climate change rather than
the causes, however are encourage to seek climate change justice in their
resolutions
Address all the key issues and may address other relevant social issues
related to climate change

Practice Debate Topic 3: Discussing the issue of mental

healthcare with specific emphasis on PTSD in post conflict
societies.
Overview
PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) is a common anxiety disorder/ mild
psychosis that develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which
grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Family members of victims
also can develop this disorder.
PTSD can have many negative impacts on society due to its concealment,
thereby increasing rape, crime rates and domestic violence while remaining
dissembled.
An estimated 3.6% of the world's population has suffered from post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD).The main issue of PTSD prevails in war veterans and
other military personnel due to inadequate debriefing and mental health care
being underprovided due to neglect and social stigma associated with mental
health care. Delegates must understand that the PTSD situation in Sri Lanka
is still contemporaneous and delegates should draw attention to developing
countries whilst debating.
Key Issues

Anti-anxiety Drugs - The most prominent of anti-anxiety drugs for the

purpose of immediate relief are those known as benzodiazepines, this
includes drugs such as Xanax. The WHO claims that these should be used
with extreme care but admits they have their advantages. They lead to
complications such as liver failure and dependency. MDMA was used for

treating PTSD before its worldwide criminalization. Delegates must debate

on the use of this method to treat PTSD and may propose non-drug
alternatives such as using a Low Energy Neuro feedback System.
PTSD and Children- PTSD can affect children as well as adults. Children
with the condition can have similar symptoms to adults, such as having
trouble sleeping and upsetting nightmares but they uniquely experience
bedwetting for example. A study in Palestine indicates that 77.4% of the
children living in Hebron show symptoms of moderate-to-severe PTSD.
Delegates will need to debate the issue of PTSD in regard to its
effect on children as well as solutions such as psychological care
offered in schools.
Treatment gap - Is the difference between number of people needing
treatment for mental illness and number of people receiving such treatments.
This is especially wide in post conflict countries that have experienced the
destruction of large amounts of resources; therefore funding is diverted
towards primary health care. Delegates must discuss cost effective
ways to close this gap in developing countries.
Difficulties in obtaining data and research - Mental health research and
resources are difficult to assess in post-conflict countries like Sri Lanka due to
many different challenges. Aside from the many gaps in the published
literature, there are challenges with recruiting, assessing, evaluating, and
intervening in post-conflict areas. Affected communities would be less likely
to feel the need to participate in mental health studies as their first priority
would be survival. Delegates must find ways to overcome these
sampling problems in post conflict areas.
Delegates must
Use specific case studies and psychological studies when debating such as
Noris ET. al (2002) - research on PTSD psychosis development.
Propose solutions that are applicable to post conflict developing societies.

Major topic: Deepening democracy, promotion of good

governance and ensuring the rule of law
Overview
Government is the governing body of a nation, state, or community who represent
the views of its citizens while governance is the action or manner of governing.
Government often refers to the governing body itself, while governance often refers
to the act of governing. So members of a government are engaged in governing.
The rule of law is a principle that all people and institutions are subject to and
accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced. Through the free and fair
election of a democratic government that practices good governance; the rule of
law prevails which ensures that all of society enjoys their inherent human rights,
granted by the UNDHR, to the fullest extent.

Governments are meant to be of the

people, by the people, for the people.
However some critics claim that certain
governments have now become oligarchies,
where a small group of people have complete
control of the country. A study carried out by
Princeton University Prof Martin Giles and
Northwestern University Prof Benjamin states
that if policymaking is dominated by
powerful business organizations and a small
number of affluent Americans, then
America's claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened. Through
deepening democracy we ensure that governments are truly representative of
the people.
Good governance is when a government is accountable to its actions, fair in its
treatment of citizens, and effective by allocating resources efficiently which is done
through policies and empowering national and local authorities. For example, Sri
Lanka has been suffering from bad governance for decades due to the lack of
interest of the general public in politics creating a spiral of decline. The state has
attempted to tackle this through a series of constitutional amendments;
however this has largely failed due to a lack of awareness amongst the general
public and enforcement by state agencies.
Establishing respect for the rule of law is fundamental to achieving a durable
peace in the aftermath of conflict, to the effective protection of human rights, and
to sustained economic progress and development. The principle that everyone
from the individual right up to the State itself is accountable to laws that are
publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, is a
fundamental concept which drives much of the United Nations work. In this spirit,
China is trying to achieve this through legal reforms such as local officials no longer
being able appoint judges and only those who are legally qualified can be appointed
in contrast to the past. The separation of state and the elimination of
corruption and bribery of these institutions are vital for the rule of law to prevail.

Key Issues

Electoral reform
Fair elections are the root of democracy. Several UN bodies are
involved with assisting in the democratic process in countries, the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN
systems main provider of technical electoral assistance while
the United Nations Fair Elections Commission provides
international observers to national elections, however
these services are only provided on a countries
request, creating problems as corrupt election
commissions will be unwilling to cooperate with
observers. In order to ensure that elections are free and fair, a high standard has
to be maintained before, during and after an election; which is achieved through
reforms that are enforced to prevent malpractices. Delegates must create and
improve methods to limit fraud and introduce possible changes to the
common electoral system in order to deepen democracy
State and religion
Is relationship between organized religion and the state. There are
different levels of separation ranging from separation
constitutionally promised such as in India to the prohibition of any
other religion such as Maldives which is in violation of the
UNDHR. Many countries are split on the role between religion and
state, for example 57% of Shia Muslims want the law to follow the
principles of Islam while 38% of Sunni Muslims believe that Islam
should play no role. Delegates must discuss if religion plays a
positive role in politics and how big a role it should play in
order to deepen democracy.
Prisoner voting
Felony disenfranchisement is excluding people otherwise eligible to vote from voting
due to conviction of a criminal offence. Many countries withdraw voting rights of
prisoners depending on the seriousness crime they have committed. A UN report
in 2008 strongly urges governments to grant those in prison the vote as it is their
fundamental human right to be able to partake in the democratic process. However
countries such as the UK strongly disagree with the UN and the European court of
human rights as it has refused orders by both groups to allow prisoners to vote.
Enfranchising those in captivity will fundamentally change the electorate in
countries such as the USA where, 7.7% of the adult African-American population is
disenfranchised. Delegates must debate on whether prisoners should be
allowed to vote and should all or some of them be enfranchised in order to
deepen democracy
Sovereign immunity
Is the legal protection that prevents a person or a group of people, often a head of

state, from being sued by domestic courts. For example, American courts denied
lawsuits after the September 11 attacks as the USA had sovereign immunity. When
the crash victims and their families sued the United States, their lawsuits were
dismissed because of sovereign immunity. This resulted in Congress passing the
Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), which states the United States is liable as any
private individual, resulting in sovereign immunity being revoked. Delegates must
question who should be given these immunities in their country and to
what extent are they immune in order to promote good governance and
ensure the rule of law
Police misconduct
this is any action performed by a law
enforcement officer that is unethical,
against established employment
guidelines, unconstitutional, or criminal
in nature. For example social unrest
broke out in Ferguson, Missouri over
widespread allegations of police
misconduct in the death of 18 year old
Michael Brown, who in the rioters view
had not received justice in the court
decision. U.N. High Commissioner for
Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein, raised concerns over institutionalized
discrimination in the U.S. and added that he was unsure about whether the
Ferguson grand jurys decision complies with international human rights law.
Delegates must discuss methods to limit police misconduct with special attention to
brutality to promote good governance and ensure the rule of law.
Judicial independence
Separation of powers is a government where powers and responsibilities are
divided among the legislative branch (Parliament), executive branch (Presidential),
and judicial branch (Courts) and are
independent of each other, such as in the
USA. Each branch checks and balances each
other ensuring no institution can
become too powerful and undermine
democracy. For example in Argentina the
death of a state prosecutor who had been
investigating the president was found dead
in February leading to protests calling for a
judiciary independent of the executive.
Delegates must discuss ways to ensure
the independence of the judiciary in
order to promote good governance and ensure the rule of law

Possible solutions
The age of voting
Is the age at which a person is old enough to vote in public elections, often the
minimum age is 18 but can vary from 16 to 21. Some countries such as Wales hope
to reduce the voting age to 16 while countries like Ethiopia already have it at 17.
Those who argue in favor of lowering the voting age state that the youth are getting
more aware about their rights due to increased access to technology and education
and are able to make mature decisions affecting the country. Delegates must
decide what age is suitable as the minimum, taking into account that in some
countries have relatively low life expectancies and population sizes therefore by
lowering the voting age this may compensate the for limited electorate.
Voter ID laws
A voter ID law is a law that requires some form of identification in order to vote or
receive a ballot for an election. In the USA, 11 percent of Americans do not have
proper photo ID and, as a result, could be turned away from the polls on Election
Day. Those without photo ID are low-income, differently abled, minority, young, and
older voters. However the Republican Party is lobbying for Photo ID laws to prevent
fraud at elections. Developing countries such as India have tackled ID problems by
issuing election ink which prevents a voter from voting more than once but issues
such as during the 2010 Afghan elections the Taliban released threats to cut off
anybody's finger who was marked with ink and during the Malaysian general
election, (2013) voters reported that the ink could be easily washed off with water.
Delegates must evaluate different methods to reduce election fraud such
as these and take into account social factors such as safety, inclusivity
and costs.
Body worn video
Body cameras are recording systems used by law enforcement to record their
interactions with the public to increase both officer and citizen accountability. They
are already being used in countries such as the UK. A University of Cambridge
study found that there was a 59% reduction in use of force by officers in Rialto,
California after the police department began issuing body-worn cameras to officers,
and that complaints fell by 87% compared to the previous year, however some
Police unions have been opposed to body worn video systems, citing privacy and
cost concerns. Delegates must conclude whether to implement this system
with all or some public officials and on what scale.

Statuary limitations
A statute of limitations is a law which sets out the maximum time that parties have
to initiate legal proceedings from the date of an alleged offense. This is to make
sure that convictions occur only upon evidence that has not deteriorated with time.
These statutes can be reduced, extended or removed to ensure a fair trial. The
Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory limitations removes statuary
limitations on war crimes and crimes against humanity. However some
organizations such as Transparency International believe that statuary limitations
should be removed on crimes of corruption, especially in cases of cross border
corruption which are lengthy and that the time period for prosecution will expire
before the end of an investigation. Delegates must debate on what crimes the
limitations should be removed or reduced on in order for justice to prevail.

What we want to see from delegates

In foreign policy statements

Must detail and analyze the political and legal situation in their country
with respect to human rights
May highlight changes that their state is hoping to make to their
policies, laws and system in the future.
In committee
Must discuss key issues and may introduce other problems relating to
their country or another.
Must debate mentioned solutions and may introduce new solutions
that their country is employing or hopes to implement which is
applicable to other states.
In resolutions
Must address methods to promote all three concepts which are
respectful to religions, traditions and cultures
Must adapt solutions successfully practiced to be employed universally
and introduce new policies.
Must use a partnership approach to problems, involving all levels of
government, international organizations and civil society

Minor topic: Addressing youth reproductive rights to achieve a

sustainable demography
Overview
The Youth are those aged between 15 and 24 years according to the United
Nations. Youth rights are the privileges young people have due to reaching a
specific age, while reproductive rights relate to reproduction and reproductive
health. Therefore youth reproductive rights govern the ability of the youth to
engage in sexual activities, reproduce and maintain their reproductive health. Youth
reproductive rights vary from country to country and change over time.
The UN estimated in 2010 that the worlds population would peak at 10.1 billion by
2100 compared to 7 billion in 2010. Population growth varies according to region,
depending on their position in the Demographic Transition Model (DTM). A
stage 1 country such as Afghanistan has a growth rate of 2.4% (2013) while a stage
5 country such as Japan has an ageing and a declining population, giving it a rate of
-0.2% (2013). The DTM indicates that overpopulation solves itself over time,
however not every country may follow this model, such as LEDCs in Africa where
there are phenomena such as AIDS, and there is a danger that population numbers
will
fall more than required, which is
occurring in developed countries,
especially in far east Asia.
Reproductive rights, especially
of the youth, have a key role to
play in manipulating population
numbers in order to achieve a
sustainable size as young people
have the highest fertility rates
and are the most affected by government policies. Through
promoting or restricting youth reproductive rights we can control
population numbers to achieve global as well as local targets.
Key issues

Recognizing the broadness of the term youth

A 15 year old and a 17 year old have very different levels of comprehension
and requirements however are often grouped together in both domestic and
international legislation. Delegates must address each individual youth age
group in policies in order to ensure their effectiveness. Despite the definition
ranging from 15 to 24, those who are most vulnerable are under the age of 18 as
they are children and therefore are not able to represent and express themselves
adequately in comparison to the youth over the age of 18, who are legally adults.
The irony being they are the most affected by youth reproductive right changes
however have the least say. Delegates must ensure the involvement and
acknowledgment of all youth age groups when drafting policies with their
responsibilities and needs facilitated and integrated through the creation of
appropriate mechanisms.
What exactly is the optimum population size?
Is the size that produces the best results according to chosen end targets which can
include preserving cultural diversity to ensuring universal human rights, therefore
the sustainable global population size is controversial. Professor Paul Ehrlick
estimated that the optimum amount is
between 1.5 billion to 2 billion people;
however this outdated, published before the
widespread diffusion of technology in the 21 st
century. Regardless, it still provides us a
notion of what size we must globally strive to
achieve. Delegates must acknowledge that
countries have unique population size
targets which are sustainable, for example
the UKs is 70 million according to
MigrationwatchUK, any larger could be catastrophic for the state, however Migration
Observatory argues otherwise stating that policy must be based on evidence
rather than unscientific estimates.

Population control and human rights

States must ensure
that legislation and
judicial precedent in
their respective
countries relating to
youth reproductive
rights are compliant
with international
human rights laws
such as the United
Nations Declaration on
Human Rights and the
Convention on the
Rights of the Child.
During the 1980s
Asian countries, like India, chose rapid population control measures over the welfare
of women, which led to malpractices such as the improper insertion of intrauterine
devices (IUDS) in girls. When coupled with the inadequate provision of safe
abortions to minors it resulted in more unwanted pregnancies and therefore
increased dangerous backyard abortions. Delegates must ensure that policies
targeting the reproductive rights of youth are carefully drafted, taking into
account the impacts on the physical and mental health of the young,
following countries such as Bangladesh which used a partnership approach to
promoting reproductive rights
The role of religion, culture and tradition
Religion has been claimed to decrease as well as increase birth rates in countries
depending on the religion, the level of secularization and the amount of economic
development. Religious beliefs affect the reproductive rights of the youth as they
influence the voter electorate and therefore laws governing these rights. Islamic
states have exceptionally high population growth rates, on average of 1.12% per
annum. This allegedly has been due to high levels of child marriages and the
reluctant use of family planning measures, according to Paul Kurtz, in Islamic
culture. This raises the question of Should countries and communities make
exceptions to cultural, traditional and religious practices to tackle
modern, pressing population issues? On the other hand, in the USA for
example, it has been claimed that Christianity being promoted amongst the young
has helped combat teen pregnancy rates through condemning sex before marriage.
However this may have also occurred due to an increase in atheists and agnostics,
resulting in more widespread contraceptive use, curbing underage pregnancies. This

raises another question; Can religion be used as a tool to maintain

sustainable population numbers or does it hinder effective policies?
Those who exercise these rights
Members of the
youth who exercise
these reproductive
rights are often
stigmatized and
ostracized by
society. This deters
the young from
exercising their
existing rights and
campaigning to
change their rights due to the fear of being condemned or alienated by their
community. For example El Salvadors ban on abortion has led to increased suicide
amongst teenage girls, often who are victims of rape, resulting in 3 out of 8
maternal deaths being due to suicide of mothers under the age of 19. Delegates
must ensure that their policies do not result in catastrophic social
consequences such as in increase in crime, national deterioration of youth mental
health and greater incidences of gender based violence.
Possible Solutions

The age of consent

Is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent
to sexual acts, which may range from 14 to 18 depending on the country. This
is an important tool in manipulation birth rates among the younger
populations, however the case can be argued the youth rarely adhere to
consent legislation, as well as these laws are poorly enforced so often act as
guidelines.

Abortion
An Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy. Many countries have regulations
regarding minors and abortions, often requiring parental consent for it to be
carried out for girls under the age of 18. Through tightening regulations, birth
rates can be increased, however it depends on the situation of the girl in
question, therefore in legislation exceptions must be made.

Family planning
Contraception is any practice that prevents conception during sexual activity
and a key part of family planning along with sex education. However in many
countries, especially religiously conservative developing nations, access to
what some consider a human right is difficult due to stigmatization of
discussions of sex and reproduction. Therefore the awareness and use of
contraceptive measures are low in developing countries, with young couples
resorting to unreliable, traditional forms of birth control. Through improving
knowledge and availability of family planning methods, birth rates amongst
the youth can be reduced.

Marriage, separation and divorce

This Is the legal union of two spouses. Often marriage is required before
sexual acts and reproducing, especially in developing countries. Therefore by
reducing state regulations such as the minimum age required of the two
spouses or the cost of registration, this could increase birth rates. However
these solutions can cause problems such as increased incidences of domestic
violence with spouses trapped in unpleasant marriages.

What we want to see from delegates

In foreign policy statements

Must detail and analyze current domestic laws and practices relating to
youth reproductive rights in their respective countries.
May highlight changes that their state is expecting to make to their
laws and practices in the future.
In committee
Must discuss key youth reproductive right issues and may introduce
other problems relating to their country or another.
Must debate mentioned solutions and may introduce new solutions
that their country is employing or hopes to implement which are
applicable to other states.
In resolutions
Must address youth age groups, genders and regions specifically in
solutions in order to ensure inclusivity.
Must attempt to solve youth reproductive right issues on all scales,
both domestically as well as internationally
Must adapt solutions successfully practiced to be employed universally
and introduce new policies.
Must use a partnership approach to problems, involving all levels of
government, international organizations and civil society
Must address short term as well as long term youth reproductive right
issues, understanding that the issue is dynamic.