The In Case You Missed It Series highlights news articles from the United Nations that are relevant to the topics being simulated at AMUN 2017. This AMUN Accords post covers selected news from the week of 23 October.

The General Assembly Plenary will be discussing the Review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture. The UN Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has been in place since 2014, and recent violence in the region threatens the stability gained from the peacekeeping action.  Three peacekeepers died and two were injured in an attack on a convoy from the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) which was strongly condemned by Secretary-General Guterres. Recognizing the work done by Peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, Secretary-General António Guterres visited the mission and paid his respects to wounded and fallen peacekeepers.

The General Assembly First Committee will be discussing Women, disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. Speaking at the behest of Secretary-General Guterres, Chef de Cabinet Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti addressed the UNSC stressing the important role that women play in promoting peace and security. Viotti stressed the need to “focus on women’s rights violations [and] we will tackle the structural and root causes of crisis, including gender inequality.”

The General Assembly Second Committee will be discussing Sustainable Development: Disaster Risk Reduction. At a special meeting of the Economic and Social Council, Member States discussed the aftermath of the Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, and Maria. General Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák challenged the Members present to ensure that the international response “match the magnitude and urgency of the situation.”

The General Assembly Third Committee will be discussing The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. Hygiene kits comprised of containers of water, soap, undergarments and other small personal items are being distributed to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). But efforts are unable to meet the needs of the 800,000 plus refugees fleeing the conflict. Thankfully, donors have been quick to pledge money to relief efforts meeting 80% of the projected $434 million needed to meet the crisis. Additionally, the IOM has transported more than 740,000 liters of water to the refugees where it often has to be carried by hand up steep hills to get it to the elderly and children.

The Conference of States Parties of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is discussing Implementation of Article X: Assistance and protection against chemical weapons. A veto by the Russian Federation will put an end to the joint United Nations – OPCW investigation into the use of chemical weapons attacks in Syria. The mandate for investigation which had been established unanimously is set to expire on 17 November.

The ongoing Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a possible topic for the Contemporary Security Council. Escalating violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has displaced more than 420,000 in the last three months bringing the total number of displaced peoples to more than 3.9 million across regions in the DRC. Addressing the Situation in the Central African Republic, Secretary-General Guterres stressed the need for the international community to support and help in the region where conflict and a religious divide still impede a safe and prosperous future for the CAR. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein addressed the Situation in Syria highlighting the abject conditions of more than 350,000 civilians, describing their current conditions as “an outrage.”

The Situation in Myanmar/Bangladesh continues to worsen, and Yanghee Lee, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights, says that the “crisis in Rakhine state has not only been decades in the making but has for some time gone beyond Myanmar’s borders.”

Finally, bringing attention to the Situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the DPRK, Tomás Ojea Quintana, warned reporters that States should not become so focused on the security implications of the situation in the DPRK that they lose sight of the human rights violations on the ground, of which there are many “grave violations.”

Other UN News of note this week:

• In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, eleven refugees were allowed to register their birth with the Ethiopian government as officials roll out a historic program allowing the more than 883,000 refugees to register significant life events. More than 70,000 refugee children born in camps within Ethiopia will be able to register their births for the first time.
• Hilal Elver, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right of Food has pointed out that famine could be considered a war crime if the cause of the famine was either as a “weapon of war” or from a “deliberate action of the State or other players.”
• Kate Gilmore, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights said in an interview that healthcare should be viewed as a human right and that much should be done to protect medical professionals in conflict regions.
• As a result of efforts within the last year, more than 400 million children worldwide received the polio vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) is optimistic that the end of polio may finally be in sight, telling journalists, “So far in 2017, a total of 12 cases of polio had been reported, in two countries, fewer cases than ever before [and] innovative methods have put eradication within reach.”
• Luis Gustavo Cavalheiro Silva, a Brazilian student, received an award for his submission to the Tokyo UN Global Goals photo contest at a ceremony in the UN Information Centre in Tokyo. The contest allowed students worldwide to highlight the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• One of the great mysteries of the 20th century may be one step closer to being solved as findings from Judge Mohamed Chande Othman, of Tanzania, lend significant weight to the theory that former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane crash may have been an assassination. Othman was appointed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after a General Assembly resolution requesting that an “eminent person,” review the findings from previous crash reports. This new information has pushed Secretary-General Guterres to request additional information about the crash from Member States.
• Learn more about the role of a UN Police Officer (UNPOL) and the conflict in the Central African Republic from this feature on UN Police Officer Gladys Ngwepekeum Nkeh, attached to the UN Peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic.

Check back in to the AMUN Accords in the future as we keep you up-to-date on UN News that affects the simulations at the 28th Annual American Model United Nations Conference. If we missed some news of note, let us know on our Facebook page or Twitter feed and share the news with other upcoming attendees to the Conference.