Committee: ​SPECPOL (The Special Political and Decolonization Committee)

Issue: ​The question of ensuring that war affected zones are adequately habitable for civilians
Name: ​Kanav Patel​ ​& Isha Banerjee
Position:​ ​SPECPOL Chair

Introduction

The right to an adequate standard of living

requires, at a minimum, that everyone shall
enjoy the necessary subsistence rights:
adequate food and nutrition, clothing, housing
and the necessary conditions of care when
required. The essential point is that everyone
shall be able, without shame and without
unreasonable obstacles (equal rights for all), to
be a full participant in ordinary, everyday
interaction with other people. Thus, people
should be able to enjoy their basic needs in conditions of dignity. No one should have to live in
conditions whereby the only way to satisfy their needs is by degrading themselves or depriving
themselves of their basic freedoms, such as through begging, prostitution or forced labour. It is
now up to the SPECPOL committee to decide what action must be taken.
Definitions of Key Terms

Civilian​ - A person not in the armed services or the police force

War Affected Zones​ - An area in which a battle; war; a conflict between two parties is or has
occurred

Habitable​ ​- A stable place suitable to live in

Adequate​ - Satisfactory or acceptable in quality or quantity.

Displaced Person​ - A person who is forced to leave their home country because of war,
persecution, or natural disaster; a refugee.

Human Rights​ - As stated in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ‘all human
beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights’. Whatever the nationality, place of
residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language or any other statues everyone is
entitled to the inherent universal rights for simply being a human being.

Refugee​ - According to the UNHCR, “refugees are persons fleeing armed conflict or
persecution. These are people for whom the denial of asylum has potentially deadly
consequences”.
Major Countries and Organizations Involved

Civilians in Conflict​: a project/organization that is focused on understanding why institutions

fail to protect civilians; and attempts to ensure that individual states and organizations are able to
effectively prevent and respond to violence against civilians.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)​: ICRC works to help protect civilians in
conflict both on their own as an organization and by working with various bodies such as MSF.

Switzerland​: Since the First Geneva Convention in 1864, Switzerland has committed itself to
providing assistance and protection to victims of conflicts – as state party to the Geneva
Conventions and its own actions of supporting humanitarian organizations, such as the Swiss
Red Cross and the ICRC.

Syria; Haiti; Libya; Sudan and South Sudan; Afghanistan; Somalia; Democratic Republic
of the Congo; Central African Republic; Myanmar/Burma; Kyrgyzstan; Yemen​: The
primary nations in which civilians are being harmed due to military conflicts.

UN Security Council (UNSC)​: The UN Security Council has played an active role in trying to
combat and urging nations to accept asylum seekers.

Médicos Sin Fronteras (MSF)​: MSF is a medical NGO, whose mission is to give assistance to
populations in crisis without regard to race, religion or political ideology. MSF has played a
fundamental role in aiding displaced civilians and in lending a hand to those citizens in conflict
regions.

Human Rights Watch (HRW)​: HRW is a nonprofit, nongovernmental human rights

organization, which meet with governments, the UN, regional groups, like the EU to press for
changes that promote human rights and justice worldwide. The HRW has been pivotal in helping
civilians in conflict regions, while simultaneously advocating for the root of these human rights
violations to cease.

UNHCR​: UNHCR is the UN agency for Refugees. The UNHCR has attempted to fund and
provide safety for civilians in conflict regions, refugees and displaced persons. The UN branch
has created numerous annual reports on current situations involving refugees, such as The World
At War 2014 UNHCR Report (cited in the bibliography).
Relevant UN Treaties and Events

The Geneva Conventions​: The Geneva Conventions are a series of treaties on the treatment of
civilians, prisoners of war and soldiers who are otherwise rendered hors de combat, or incapable
of fighting (Geneva Conventions).

​ /RES/2222​: This resolution was submitted by the Security Council on the protection of
S
journalists that focused on the need to combat impunity for attacks against them.

​ /RES/2150​: This resolution was submitted by the Security Council and called on all states to
S
prevent and fight against genocide and other serious crimes under international law, reaffirming
the principle of responsibility to protect populations from war crimes, ethnic cleansing.

S/2012/376​: This was the Secretary General’s 9th report on the protection of civilians in armed
conflict. - S/2013/689: This was the Secretary General’s 10th report on the protection of civilians
in armed conflict.

​S/2011/278​: This was a report of the Secretary General on the protection of civilians in Chad.

International Humanitarian Law – Rule 156​: Definition of War Crimes (Customary IHL -
Rule 156. Definition of War Crimes)

Possible Solutions
 One could implement proposed action programs that could assess and help to the extent
of the needs of the citizens. For instance, following ICRC’s protection action plan steps: 1.
Problem analysis and setting of priorities; 2. Definition of goals and strategy; 3. Definition of
objectives and plan of action; 4. Implementation; 5. Monitoring and evaluation (Enhancing
Protection for Civilians in Armed Conflict). In addition it should be made sure that organizations
and governments carry out activities to prevent and putting an end to the continuous harm that
happens to civilians in conflict regions. Such protection activities should address the treatment of
people by the authorities and the way force is used in the conduct of hostilities and in law
enforcement during armed conflicts and other situations of violence.

All member states should be further urged to follow and abide by the Geneva
Conventions in accordance to the protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War published in
1949. Denial of amnesty for serious crimes should also be urged among all member states; since
recently former or current heads of States have allowed prosecutors to further penetrate the
shield of immunity, therefore by denial of amnesty this would not be allowed to continue
occurring and further disrupt the abuse of civilians in conflict regions (Secretary General's
Reports on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict). Moreover, all member states should
permit extradition of those accused by international organizations, such as the International
Criminal Court (ICC), so those accused can be tried.

Member States should also be encouraged to introduce or strengthen domestic legislation

and arrangements providing for the investigation of those responsible for systematic violations of
international criminal law. In addition the Security Council should be encouraged to conduct
more frequent fact-finding missions to conflict areas with a view to identifying the specific
requirements for humanitarian assistance and in particular obtaining safe access to
vulnerable/weak populations (Secretary General's Reports on the Protection of Civilians in
Armed Conflict).

Bibliography and Useful Links

"Center for Civilians in Conflict." Tracking Civilian Harm. Web. 2 May. 2018.

"Customary IHL - Rule 156. Definition of War Crimes." Customary IHL - Rule 156. Definition
of War Crimes. Web. 2 May. 2018.

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015. . "Geneva Conventions." Geneva

Conventions. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May. 2018.

International Committee of the Red Cross. Enhancing Protection for Civilians in Armed Conflict.
PDF. ICRC. 2008. Web. 2 May. 2018.

"International Efforts to Protect Civilians in Central African Republic Failing to Stop Slaughter."
MSF USA. N.p., 17 Feb. 2014. Web. 1 May. 2018.

"Protecting Civilians." International Committee of the Red Cross. N.p., 28 July 2014. Web. 1
May. 2018.

"Refugees." UNHCR News. Web. 1 May. 2018. .

"Secretary General's Reports on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict." ICRC. Web. 1
May. 2018.