GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1
The first committee of the General Assembly deals with disarmament, global challenges and threats to peace that affect the international community. The committee covers 7 seven thematic areas, including; nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, outer space (areas relating to disarmament), conventional weapons, regional disarmament and security, other disarmament measures and international security, disarmament machinery.
The committee is structured into 3 distinctive stages which are: general debate, thematic discussion, and action on drafts
The topics before the committee are:
- Preventing the Acquisition of Weapons of Mass Destruction by Terrorists.
- The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for International Security.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2
The second committee of the General Assembly is the Economic and Financial committee. It deals with issues relating to economic growth and development including; macroeconomic policy, globalisation and interdependence, financing for development, human settlements, eradication of poverty, food security and nutrition, agriculture development, operational activities for development, information and communications technologies for development, global partnerships.
The committee establishes resolutions that address socioeconomic inadequacies
The topics before the committee are:
- Promoting Economic Recovery Post COVID-19
- Addressing Financial Inclusion through Regulation of Emerging Financial Technologies (FinTech).
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 3
The third committee of the General Assembly deals with Social, Humanitarian and Cultural issues. The committee discusses issues around the protection of children, the advancement of women rights, indigenous rights, elimination of various forms of discrimination, right to self determination, persons with disabilities, youth empowerment, crime prevention and criminal justice, response to disasters, the international drug trade and related issue, the committee’s mandate is broad in that it addresses multifarious and incidental issues that affect human rights.
The topics before the committee are:
- Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, Xenophobia and other related intolerances
- Intensifying efforts to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls
UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR)
The UNHCR serves as the UN Refugee Agency. It is a global organization which is dedicated to saving lives, protecting human rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced persons and stateless persons globally. The agency’s operation is targeted at ensuring that everybody fleeing home on grounds of violence, prosecution, war or disaster has the right to seek asylum and safe refuge elsewhere. The UNHCR’s operations have touched over a million lives globally.
The topic before the committee is:
- Protecting the rights of Refugee Women
- Supporting the Social Inclusion of Refugees
DEVELOPMENTAL DEPARTMENT COMMITTEES
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation is an intergovernmental organisation that is charged with contributing to achieving peace and security by cooperating with member states on achieving scientific discoveries to make the world a better place as well as promoting education and protection of culture of various nations.
The Organization has been actively engaged in exploring more deeply the concept of public service by specifying the functions, particularly in the fields of education, science and culture, which it is meant to perform, and the means required.
The topics before the committee are:
- Education For All: Strengthening Rural Education.
- Protection Of Cultural Sites and Property In Times Of Armed Conflicts.
Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO)
The Food and Agriculture Organization exists with a mission to create a world without hunger through cooperation by creating access to nutritious and safe food. The FAO also intends to eliminate poverty because it’s believed that poverty is one of the main causes of hunger. Elimination of poverty especially in rural areas is one of its objectives. FAO also aims to create environmentally sustainable food and agricultural systems, by intensifying production to keep pace with population growth and other vices. The FAO generally is pro-availability of food to everyone anywhere in the world.
The topics before the committee are:
- The Effects of COVID-19 on the Availability and Effective Distribution of Food.
- Investing in Agriculture for Food Security and Economic Growth.
United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA)
The United Nations Environmental Assembly is the main governing body of the United Nations Environment Program. It is charged with ensuring that the environment is in the best condition at all times. The United Nations Environment Assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. It addresses the critical environmental challenges facing the
world today. Comprehending these challenges and preserving and rehabilitating our environment is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The topics before the committee are:
- Promoting The Responsible Disposal of Hazardous Waste.
- Curbing the Increase In The Spread of Wildfire.
PEACE, SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEES
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
UNICEF is primarily concerned with advocating for the rights of children worldwide. The goal of UNICEF is to protect the rights of children, meet their basic needs and create opportunities for them. UNICEF works with the United Nations, governments, civil societies and other organizations to ensure that every child, regardless of their situation or circumstance has an education, has access to healthy nutrition, is physically and mentally healthy, protected from violence, has a safe environment and is free from discrimination. The work of UNICEF is centered around the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which guarantees the rights of every child. In addition, UNICEF is working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for every child and eliminate inequality against children in every sphere.
The topics before the committee are:
- Addressing Sexual Violence Against Children
- Children in Armed Conflict: Rehabilitation and Reintegration
United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
The Security Council has the primary responsibility of maintaining international peace, security and stability. Besides this, the mandate of the Security Council includes maintaining friendly relations among nations of the world, solving international problems and promoting human rights. The Security Council is currently the only United Nations body whose resolutions and decisions are binding on all Member States. To achieve its objectives, the Council settles disputes among Member States, investigates disputes, invokes military intervention and issues sanctions, where the need arises.
The topics before the committee are:
- Improving Cyber Security around National Defence Systems
- The Use of Chemical Weapons in Conflict and Non-Conflict Situations
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
UNHRC is the United Nations body which has the mandate to protect and promote human rights worldwide. UNHRC plays an important role in the UN system due to its ability to discuss urgent human rights issues, as they occur – throughout the year. The UNHRC is also empowered to address situations of violations of human rights, and make recommendations. The Council achieves its goals through a number of ways including the Universal Periodic Review mechanism which assesses the human rights situation in every UN Member State, and the Complaint Procedure which enables individuals and organizations to bring human right
violations to the attention of the UNHRC. The work of the Council spans a number of human rights issues including freedom of expression, LGBTQ rights, rights of persons with disability, minority rights, freedom of belief and religion, women’s rights, amongst others.
The topics before the committee are:
- Combatting Terrorism and Violent Extremism
- Ensuring the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Conflict Areas
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
UN Women is dedicated to the promotion of equality and empowerment for women, in all spheres of life. The priorities of the Entity include the promotion of women in leadership and government, freedom from violence and oppression, economic freedom and decent work for women, and the inclusion of women in peacekeeping and peace-building efforts. UN Women works to achieve the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals for women all over the world. UN Women supports UN and other intergovernmental bodies such as the CSW in formulating policies and standards for gender equality. Also, the Entity works with Member States, providing technical and financial aid to implement these standards. Internally, UN Women ensures that these standards are met within the UN system.
The topics before the committee are:
- Addressing Gender Pay Gap and other forms of discrimination against women in the work place.
- The Balance between the Decriminalisation of Sex Work and War Against Sex Trafficking