Backwaters Committee

IIM Kozhikode
IIMK Campus P.O.
Kozhikode 673 570

Web: www.backwatersiimk.com
Email: backwaters@iimk.ac.in

COMMITTEES
1. United Nations Human Rights Council
2. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

1. INTRODUCTION TO UNITED NATION HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system
responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe
and for addressing human rights violations and making recommendations on them. It has the
mandate to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention
throughout the year. It consists of 47 member states and meets at the UN Office at Geneva. Its
focus is to help member states meet their human rights obligations through dialogue, capacity
building, and technical assistance. The Council addresses specific country situations or thematic
issues through a system called special procedures. Currently, there are 33 thematic and 8
country mandates.
Agenda European Refugee Crisis Stemming from Violence in Iraq and Syria
Europe is seeing its worst refugee crisis after World War II. Refugees from war hit countries
like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan are entering EU borders in their thousands every day. More than
10 million people have been forced to flee their home countries due to war, prosecution, and
everyday thousands more are joining them. These people seek to take refuge in Western Europe
making the crisis more acute. Four million people, nearly a fifth of Syrias population have fled
the country since the war began in 2011. Most of these Syrian refugees have ended up in
underfunded and crowded camps in neighbouring countries. Seeing no future in the camps, and
losing hope of returning home, they are risking their lives in rickety boats and cramped lorry
containers taking a dangerous and uncertain journey for better life in Europe. The dead body of
3 year old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi washed away in a Turkish beach gives an idea of how serious
situation has become.
Austria and Germany have agreed to allow thousands of migrants into their country. Other
European nations have not however been as welcoming of the refugees. Thousands of refugees
are stranded in Hungarian borders while European leaders decide on how to solve the current
crisis. The apathy of Gulf countries and other nations needs to be taken into consideration.

Backwaters Committee
IIM Kozhikode
IIMK Campus P.O.
Kozhikode 673 570

Web: www.backwatersiimk.com
Email: backwaters@iimk.ac.in

LIST OF COUNTRIES FOR UNHRC

Major Stakeholders
Syria
Afghanistan
Eritrea
Iraq
Germany
Hungary
Greece
Turkey
Lebanon
Jordan
Saudi Arabia
France
UK
Qatar
UAE

Relevant
Stakeholders
Serbia
Crotia
Italy
Bulgaria
USA
Australia
Sweden
Spain
Poland
Libya
Austria
Russia
Pakistan
Japan
Macedonia

Other
Stakeholders
Netherland
Bosnia
Iran
Egypt
Czech Republic
Norway
Solvenia
Romania
Belgium
Portgual
India
kuwait
China
S. Korea
Brazil
Sudan
Israel
Nigeria
Burma
Colombia

2. INTRODUCTION TO UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON

CLIMATE CHANGE
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international
environmental treaty that was opened for signature at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro
in 1992 and which came into force in 1994. The ultimate objective of the Convention is to
stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent
dangerous human interference with the climate system. It states that "such a level should be
achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate
change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development
to proceed in a sustainable manner. 194 countries signed the UNFCCC showing near universal
agreement that there is a problem and that action is required against climate change.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the "supreme body" of the Convention, that is, its highest
decision-making authority. It is an association of all the countries that are Parties to the
Convention. The COP is responsible for keeping international efforts to address climate change
on track. It reviews the implementation of the Convention and examines the commitments of
Parties in light of the Conventions objective, new scientific findings and experience gained in

Backwaters Committee
IIM Kozhikode
IIMK Campus P.O.
Kozhikode 673 570

Web: www.backwatersiimk.com
Email: backwaters@iimk.ac.in

implementing climate change policies. A key task for the COP is to review the national
communications and emission inventories submitted by Parties.
Agenda Deliberations between Developed and Developing Nations to Reach a
Settlement on Limiting Global Temperature Rise
UNFCC in its Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty commits State parties to reduce the
greenhouse emission based on the premise that global warming is a reality and man-made CO2
emission is its principal cause. 192 countries became party to this agreement in a commitment
to reduce current levels of greenhouse gas emission by 2012. A second commitment period was
agreed in 2012 in accordance with the Doha Amendment to the protocol in which 37 countries
have agreed to binding targets. The Doha amendment has been accepted by only 36 countries,
while it requires the acceptance of 144 nations. Major countries with maximum greenhouse gas
emission like the USA have refrained from taking new targets. The USA has not ratified the
Protocol and Canada withdrew from the Kyoto protocol in 2012.
Negotiations among developed and developing nations need to take place to limit the
greenhouse gas emission to 2 degree Celsius above current levels. Developing nations like China
and India are reluctant to ratify any treaty which legally binds them to limit CO2 gas emissions.
The objective of the Conference of Parties 21 is to achieve legally binding and universal
agreement on climate from all the nations in the world.

LIST OF COUNTRIES FOR UNFCCC

Major
Stakeholders
USA
UK
Russia
Germany
Japan
France
Norway
Finland
Australia
Denmark
Canada
India
China
Brazil
South Africa
Singapore
Maldives
Jamaica
Fiji
Switzerland
Iceland
Backwaters Committee
IIM Kozhikode
IIMK Campus P.O.
Kozhikode 673 570

Relevant
Stakeholders
South Korea
Mexico
New Zealand
Nigeria
Indonesia
Bangladesh
Burma
Madagascar
Ethopia
Turkey
Qatar
UAE
Kazakhstan
Philippines
Iran

Other
Stakeholders
Pakistan
Sweden
Portugal
Poland
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Austria
Greece
Ukraine
Spain
Argentina
Chile
Srilanka
Mauritius

Web: www.backwatersiimk.com
Email: backwaters@iimk.ac.in

STANDING COMMITTEE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

President IIMK-MUN: R L Laxmi Prasanna

Chief Convenor IIMK-MUN: Ankur Chandra ( UNHRC) , Sanjeet Kumar ( UNFCCC)
Vice-President IIMK-MUN: Atibhi Lehakra, Poornima S
Secretary General: In the process of appointment (Chair)
Deputy Secretary- In the process of appointment (Vice-Chair of UNSC)
Under-Secretary-General for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Jitendra Sahu
HRC director-general- In the process of appointment
Deputy directors-general of HRC - Would be appointed internally
United Nations Special Rapporteur- Two representatives will be appointed

PRIZE
Best Delegate
Runner-Up Best Delegate

:
:

Prizes worth Rs. 10,000

Prizes worth Rs. 5,000

DELEGATE APPLICATION
1. Please click here to register.
2. Also note that the form just takes your preference. Final decision for country allocation will be
taken by the executive committee based on your prior MUN experience.

IMPORTANT DATES
Launch Date:
Registration Date:
Nomination Deadline:
Shortlist:
Final Round:

30th September, 2015

30th September, 2015
7th October, 2015
9th October, 2015*
30th October-1st November, 2015

14:00:00 hrs
14:00:00 hrs
23:59:59 hrs
23:59:59 hrs
IIM Kozhikode Campus

* Exact date will be communicated in due course of time

Backwaters Committee
IIM Kozhikode
IIMK Campus P.O.
Kozhikode 673 570

Web: www.backwatersiimk.com
Email: backwaters@iimk.ac.in

Backwaters Committee
IIM Kozhikode

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Backwaters Committee
IIM Kozhikode
IIMK Campus P.O.
Kozhikode 673 570

Web: www.backwatersiimk.com
Email: backwaters@iimk.ac.in