General Assembly Committees

'General Assembly Committees' is an umbrella term used by NAMUN XXV to refer to committees that proceed in accordance with UN General Assembly procedures. It does not mean that all committees below are actual committees of the UN General Assembly. 

The Country Matrix, which lets you know which countries are available for the various 'General Assembly' committees, may be accessed here. During Step 1 of your Registration, you will be asked to list your country preferences. 

Disarmament and International Security Committee

Topic 1: Mediterranean

DISEC - Mediterranean Security

The drastic changes that the world has undergone since the end of the Cold War brought about a challenge to the importance of the nation-state as a significant actor of international politics. The general tendency in international politics has shifted towards conflict prevention and management through regional orders. This has certainly been the case in the Mediterranean basin, which is a region characterized by inter-state and intra-state conflicts, in addition to many other sources of instability. Security is no longer solely concerned with political and military threats. Threats have emerged from socio-economic, cultural and even environmental factors which require a comprehensive approach to security. Due to differences in economic development, numerous social problems have emerged including a perception of political Islam as being the largest threat to the existing political system in Europe. Other issues include terrorism, organized crime and drug and weapons trafficking as well as increased military expenditure by regional states and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Topic 2: Reduction of economic dependence on military spending

DISEC - Disarmament Reduction Military Spending

The reduction of military budgets is a pressing topic in today’s world. Unnecessarily large military budgets pose a significant economic cost for individual countries as money is often diverted for military purposes rather than directed towards domestic improvements such as the development and improvement of essential infrastructure. Furthermore, rising military budgets increase the likelihood of confrontation between nations. Rather than approach this issue simply from the standpoint that military spending must be reduced, delegates are advised to delve deeper into the topic and recognize the economic dependence of numerous nations on military spending. Innovative economic solutions will be required in addition to a conventional approach to disarmament. The First Committee will face the task of producing a resolution without imposing upon the rights of importing and exporting states, which have their own respective reasons and defenses for such trade. Creativity, analytical thinking and practicality will all be necessary in devising a resolution that can be accepted multilaterally.


Economic and Social Council

Topic 1: Reconsideration of Millennium Development Goals after the world economic crisis

ECOSOC - MDGs and Crisis

Agreed at the United Nations in 2000, the target date for ending global poverty is 2015. Although there have been numerous successes, particularly in south east Asia; in other regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa and some former Soviet republics, the number of people in poverty has actually risen. The idea of setting fixed goals has been controversial from the start as the Millennium Development Goals were established as global targets but are delivered within individual countries. This has led to claims of distortion in aid allocation. Since the global financial crisis of 2008 it is likely to be much harder than in prior years to persuade donor countries to raise the amount of aid they make available. While economists might invent a new way to measure progress towards such targets that would allow countries more flexibility, the greatest asset of the MDGs is their simplicity and they should not be manipulated. The MDGs have been invaluable in focusing global attention in high level politics and in mobilizing public support and resources. Without renewed and redirected aid and energy, the MDGs will fail. Such a failure not only condemns millions to preventable illness and death, it will also become more difficult to motivate the developed world in renewing its efforts. New concrete plans of action must be developed to eradicate poverty and achieve the MDGs by 2015. Rather than take the global financial crisis as an excuse to break promises, nations must consider the economic crisis as demonstrating a need for radical change in our international financial architecture in order to make it more relevant and equal.

Topic 2: Pandemic disease preparedness in developing nations

ECOSOC - Pandemic disease preparedness

When a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity an influenza pandemic may occur. With the increase in global transportation and overcrowding in certain regions, epidemics are likely to spread more quickly and reach pandemic status faster than ever before. Countries must form partnerships to aid each other in pandemic preparedness and response planning. Should a pandemic occur today, issues include short supplies of vaccines, antiviral agents and antibiotics, strained medical facilities and shortages of emergency personnel. Contingency planning must also be addressed, particularly in developing countries as improving public health infrastructure worldwide through pandemic planning has immediate and lasting benefits, increasing overall response for various threats to public heath. Developed nations must also consider their ability to aid developing nations not just financially. Considerations must include technological and educational support as well as improvements to medical infrastructure.


World Heritage Convention

World Heritage Convention

World Heritage sites and monuments are of great importance to the world today as they constitute historical and cultural landmarks for all of humanity. Currently, the World Heritage List includes 890 properties and more are being added annually. They are not only symbolic for the people from these places, but they reflect a strong commitment to collective ownership and the transmission of cultural and social heritage to future generations. Until the end of 2004, World Heritage sites were selected on the basis of six cultural and four natural criteria. However, with the adoption of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, only one set of criteria is now followed. To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must demonstrate universal value in addition to meeting one of the ten criteria. Delegates in this committee will have the opportunity prior to the conference to propose sites for consideration and will make final decisions regarding which sites will be inscribed on the World Heritage lists during the conference. In addition, delegates will have the opportunity to revise the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention which are regularly revised as the concept of world heritage is one that is constantly in flux.


Human Rights Council

Topic 1: Religion and Freedom of Expression

HRC - Religion and Freedom of Expression

Both freedom of religion and freedom of expression are enshrined as guaranteed rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, the recent passage of a non-binding UN resolution which seeks to make blasphemy a crime as to “protect religion” raises troubling implications for freedom of expression. There remains a tension between the freedom to practice one’s faith and the freedom to express one’s opinion. More noteworthy episodes that highlight this tension would include the Salman Rushdie affair and the allegedly blasphemous depictions of the prophet Mohammad by Danish cartoonists. The issue then becomes whether freedom of expression should be an absolute freedom or whether it should be subject to qualifications where religion is concerned.

Topic 2: Gender Relations and Discrimination of Women in the Middle East

HRC - Gender Relations

Perhaps one of the most sensitive human rights issue in the Middle East concerns gender relations. There is much criticism among human rights activists of the highly patriarchic structure found in the Middle Eastern society in general. It is often thought that women are accorded a lesser legal status in the Middle East and suffer from systemic gender discrimination in many forms including honor killings, enforced dress codes and systemic judicial negligence. Such inequities in gender relations occur everywhere else but the Middle East has received the most attention with regards to this issue. The supposed “cultural particularities” of the Middle East broadly speaking are said to reinforce the gender inequities there. Delegates will discuss the controversial topic of gender relations with reference to UN documents in the hopes of clarifying the norms of human rights while keeping in mind the cultural norms of the Middle East.

Special Committees

'Special Committees' is an umbrella term for committees in NAMUN that involve crisis scenarios.

Security Council 

Open Agenda

Historical Committee: Continental Congress, 1770-1775

HSC-Thirteen Colonies

In today's world that is customarily coined as "the West" many aspects of governance and politics are taken for granted. This cabinet challenges delegates to go back to one of the sources of contemporary politics and diplomacy and test their wits at statecraft. In the course of the debate, delegates will have to not only adhere to the policy in the best interest of the region they represent, but also wear the "cloak" of a figure, giving full consideration to one's family and social background as well as political and economic stance. All put together, the committee promises to be an exciting historical journey, the depth and complexity of which will be for delegates to alter.

Joint Crisis: Yugoslavia, 1991

Yugoslavia

This cabinet aims at plunging the delegates into Europe's worst political and diplomatic nightmare since the World War II. Being far from the Soviet Union or People's Republic of China in terms of Communist indoctrination, Yugoslavia still tried to bear the intellectual legacy of Karl Marx and aspired to fulfill the project that was initially created in the depths of the 19th century South Eastern Europe. The cabinet will resurrect the atmosphere of politics inspired by ethno-nationalism, complicated by the economic downturn and lack of almost any help from the international community to solve seemingly irreconcilable differences. This cabinet will not be like a conventional Model United Nations committee and thus will require delegates to work outside the usual MUN framework of resolutions and structured debate.