Organización de los estados Americanos (OEA)

 Organización de los estados Americanos (OEA)
Presidentes:
- Hernán Camilo Rubio
([email protected])
-Luisa Orduz Santacruz
([email protected])
Greetings delegates, it is an honor to welcome you to the United Nations Fourth
Committee of the General Assembly, the Special, Political and Decolonization Committee,
SPECPOL of GMMUN VI 2013. This Committee was first given jurisdiction over
trusteeship and non-self-governing territories. However, after the dismantling of the
trusteeship system resulting from independence being granted to all the trust territories, and
the now-limited number of non-self-governing territories, that jurisdiction is insufficient to
keep the committee occupied. Consequently, it was merged with the Special Political
Committee, which had been created as the Seventh Committee of the whole to deal with
certain political issues after the General Assembly found that the First Committee
(Disarmament and Political) was too busy. Us, Hernán Camilo Rubio and Luisa Orduz
Santacruz, expect you, delegates, to have a deep preparation on the topics to discuss to
create an active and dynamic debate. Last but not least, welcome to the Model of United
Nations GMMUN IV.
TOPIC B : Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory on the northwest coast of Arica, bordered by
Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania. This Spanish colony is a part of the list of non-selfgoverning territories of the United Nations since a Moroccan demand in 1973. Since then,
the UN General Assembly took action in the dispute by asking the Spanish government to
Gimnasio Moderno ModelUnitedNations - Modelo de Naciones Unidas del Gimnasio Moderno / April 19th to 22th, 2013 /
[email protected] / (57 1) 540 1888 Ext. 138 / Carrera 9 # 74 – 99 Bogotá Colombia
decolonize the area in 1965. After
Spain gave up the territory and
retired in 1976, Morocco took
control of most of the territory,
including all the major cities and
natural resources in 1979. A
guerrilla war with the Polisario
Front fighting over this land, and
contesting Morocco’s sovereignty
ended with an UN-sponsored
ceasefire agreement and the
establishment
of
a
UN
peacekeeping mission called the
MINURSO
(United
Nations
Mission for a Referendum in
Western Sahara) in 1991. Since
then, Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, supported by Algeria, have
controlled most of the territory.
To make the situation democratic, the UN offered the people to choose between
their independence (an idea supported by the Polisario Front), and integration to Morocco.
Ethnic tensions in Western Sahara generated several violent uprisings requiring a Moroccan
security force response. A wall built by Moroccans between 1980 and 1987 separates the
opposing forces with Morocco, which controls about 80% of the land now. The UN has
come up with several agreements and plans that will solve the situation and suit both
parties, but both will to resist the victory of the other, leading to these agreements’
rejections. The latest massacre took place in November 2010 when a lot of Sahrawi were
killed in violent clashes between Moroccans and protesters near Laayoune, causing new
UN meetings to solve this problem. Both sides have violated the rules set by the UN,
especially Morocco, but there has not been a hostile action from neither the parties since
1991. For the last three decades, tented camps have been home for Western Sahara
refugees, most of them being Sahrawi or members of the Polisario Front, which has it’s
headquarters in Algeria. It is the Fourth Committee’s labor to help those in danger and end
the dispute over territory.
Gimnasio Moderno ModelUnitedNations - Modelo de Naciones Unidas del Gimnasio Moderno / April 19th to 22th, 2013 /
[email protected] / (57 1) 540 1888 Ext. 138 / Carrera 9 # 74 – 99 Bogotá Colombia
Questions:
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ü
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ü
What is your country’s position regarding the situation in Western Sahara?
Has your country acted or stated something during the conflict?
Is your country in favor or against Western Saharan independence? Why?
How would your country solve and avoid violent uprisings and violations to the
UN’s statements?
ü What needs to be done with this territory?
For further preparation please consult these and other sources of information:
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14115273
http://maic.jmu.edu/journal/11.2/profiles/mccoull/mccoull.htm
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/wi.html
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/westernsah
ara/index.html
The debates will be held only in English so please be prepared. Thank you, and Welcome
again.
Gimnasio Moderno ModelUnitedNations - Modelo de Naciones Unidas del Gimnasio Moderno / April 19th to 22th, 2013 /
[email protected] / (57 1) 540 1888 Ext. 138 / Carrera 9 # 74 – 99 Bogotá Colombia