Topics for UNHRC (pick anyone)

1.The Humanitarian Situation in the Gaza Strip

After a few years of almost complete closure, the Gaza Strip – a densely populated piece of land locked between Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea – is witnessing a critical degradation in the primary services for its inhabitants, in terms of availability of food, fuel, medical care, and, very importantly, freedom of movement. Caught in the midst of a 60-year-old conflict, civilians in Gaza are trapped in a situation where they must endure daily hardships due to scarcity and lack of appropriate means of sustenance in addition to the constant threat of Israeli air raids. The political situation is not reassuring either. Even though Hamas has seemed able to restrain itself in the recent months, its record in regards to human rights is not perfect, and as its power is increasingly threatened by the rise of groups tied to Al-Qaeda, the context becomes jumbled up into a potentially explosive mix.

While most discussions approach this topic from the perspective of solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Committee will concentrate of the issues that involve international law in the sub-fields of human rights and humanitarian treaties, both in terms of assuring basic necessities, reducing harmful situations, and setting a framework for the creation of a situation which can aid the Gazans – most of them refugees from previous conflicts – create a better livelihood for themselves in terms of peace, security, and livelihood.

What will necessarily have to be taken into consideration are the demands by Israel and its security issues. Important points will involve giving enough reassurance to Israel for it to loosen up its grip on goods flow into Gaza, as well as bringing in important regional players to provide a less tense environment to negotiate in. Useful documents to be considered include past UN statements and resolutions, findings by human rights groups, and documents regarding the living conditions and necessities of the inhabitants of Gaza.



2. Refugess.

Topic Area A: Food Security and Nutrition of Refugees

It is the host nation’s responsibility to ensure that refugees have access to a sufficient amount of nutrient-rich food and safe water because these elements are essential for health, survival, and the general welfare of life. This right to freedom from hunger and malnutrition is supported by current international initiatives such as the Millennium Developmental Goals, the United Nations humanitarian reform process, the Reinforcing Efforts to Address Child Hunger, and the internationally recognized Right to Adequate Food. UNHCR has striven to improve the nutritional status of refugees, with an emphasis on women and children. UNHCR has also highlighted the improvement of food security and nutrition of refugees as a key objective in the UNHCR’s Global Strategic Objectives for 2008-2012, These efforts to solve the problem of malnutrition in refugee settings have been ongoing and current initiatives have included the distribution of micronutrient blends in refugee populations that are entirely dependent on food that lacks vital nutrients. In addition, widespread distribution of vitamin A and edible oil has also been implemented. Despite these efforts in reducing the level of malnutrition, information from the Health Information System, surveys, and nutrition-related databases show that the number of identified cases in micronutrient malnutrition has remained at a high level. A universal indicator of malnutrition is the measurement of globally acute malnutrition (GAM) and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in refugee populations illustrates this pressing issue. In nations with a high number of refugees, such as Kenya and Tanzania, close to 20% of the population experiences GAM and 5% of the population experiences SAM. Moreover, there is a clear link that exists between nutrition and public health. Mass displacement of refugees often results in a high rate of malnutrition, which often leads to sickness and death. While shortage of food also makes refugees more vulnerable to problems such as sexual abuse, children who receive poor quality diets often display delayed childhood development.

Topic Area B:
The Role of Sustainable Environmental Management on Refugees
It is the UNHCR’s belief that forced displacement should not result in detrimental changes to the environment. In addition to the basic necessities within refugee camps such as safe, clean drinking water and nutritional food, the physical structure and location of refugee camps or settlements could potentially have a negative impact on the local environment because these factors add pressure to the ecosystem and create environmental concerns. In the worst scenario, refugee activities could result in irreversible changes to the ecosystem which include: the extinction of animal and plant species, the destruction of ecosystems, the depletion and/or long-term pollution of ground water supplies within the region, and destructive factors to the economy of the host nation. Thus, strategies and actions need to be implemented to address key environmental issues to prevent environmental degradation from taking place. Moreover, there is also a need to identify environmental changes that could prevent economic and social progress within the host country. If these problems could be addressed, a healthy environment would protect refugees and other members of the community, contribute to sustaining the livelihoods and essential aspects of the residents, and allow the host nations the opportunity to reduce poverty and achieve a high level of sustainable development in their nations. It is also important to note that sustainable environmental management programs cannot maximize their efficiency without the active involvement of refugees or internally displaced people, as conflicts could arise as an increasing number of people compete for a decreasing amount of resources.