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VYMUN 2016 U N I T E D IN D I V E R S I T Y DREAM REAL ITY OR THE UNITED NATION

VYMUN 2016 U N I T E D IN D I V E R S I T Y DREAM REAL ITY OR THE UNITED NATIONS ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL COUNCIL Your guide to ECOSOC Committee WELCOME LETTER Welcome delegates to the ECOSOC Committee of VYMUN 2016! This year’s committee takes into consideration two of the most pressing issues on the international stage: informal settlements and drug control. The first topic of this year's committee focuses on the question of securing socio-economic and cultural rights for population groups that are currently living in different forms of informal settlements. According to UN-Habitat, by 2050, more than two-thirds of the world population will be living in urban areas/cities. As the influx of people into urban areas increas- es, the capacity of these areas to provide urban dwellers with basic neces- sities such as housing, basic sanitation, water, nutrition, education,.. is diminished. Therefore, the number of slum dwellers and those living in other forms of informal settlements has not only increased, but those living in informal settlements are also stripped of basic human rights. This topic is, therefore, of high importance to stabilizing the socio-economic situation both regionally and internationally. The second topic takes international drug control mechanisms into consideration. Even though past treaties, programs and bureaucracies have achieved commendable results in the combat against illicit drug manufac- ture, distribution and trade both on the regional and international level, the global fight against drugs has shown signs of regressions into stagnancy. To exacerbate the situation, illicit drug trade has been increasingly utilized by terrorist and extremist groups as a means of financing their operations, making drugs a malady not only to public health but also international peace and security. We welcome you to this year's conference, hoping that all delegates will garner extensive knowledge and experience of not only Model United Nations, the United Nations itself, but also of current affairs that are perti- nent to the wellbeing of citizens all over the globe. CHAIR INTRODUCTION Hello delegates! I am Vu Son Tung, and I have just finished my freshman year at Vassar College with intended majors of Interna- tional Studies and Economics. Having been involved in Model UN since 2014, I have had experiences both as a delegate and as a committee chair. VYMUN 2016, however, is the first conference in which I have the chance to prepare the background guide for dele- gates, directly engaging myself with the materials and the topics being discussed. I welcome you to VYMUN 2016 - ECOSOC Com- mittee, and I hope that you all will have an intellectually engaging and fun experience with our committee. Hi. My name is Nguyen Tien Thanh and I just finished my senior year at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School, specializing in English. My background in MUN is perhaps among the humblest here. Having gone to 2 conferences and chaired at 1, I still feel chal- lenged by the prospect of acting as a co-chair at VYMUN 2016. With specific regard to this conference, after learning about VYMUN 2014 a few days too late and wistfully looking on as VYMUN 2015 passed by since I was abroad at the time, I seriously cannot wait for VYMUN 2016, unlike you. No, it's actually because we have to prepare for a lot of stuff so that you all have the most enriching and fun experience. Welcome to ECOSOC. First and foremost, I would like to send my warmest of welcomes to all of you delegates. Secondly, let’s talk about one of my favorite topics: Me. My name is Le Thanh Trung (however, you can call me John) whichever you prefer, although you have to call me Chair whenever we are in session, of course. I’m a student at HUS High School for Gifted Students, a Chemistry major, currently in grade 10. I have been both the delegates and chairs of numerous MUN conferences, however every conference was so different that it helped create a lot of memories. Therefore, I hope the streak still continues, meaning I entrust all of you in the quest of creating heated debates, a joyful experience and a memorable time. ABBREVIATIONS ATS Amphetamine-Type Stimulants CND Commission on Narcotic Drugs CRPD Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child ECOSOC United Nations Economic and Social Counchil FARC Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Habitat I The First United Nations Conference on Human Settlements Habitat II The Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements Habitat III The Third United Nations Conference on Human Settlements ICERD International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination ICESCR International Covenant on Ecomic, Social and Cultural Rights MDG Millennium Development Goals PWID People Who Inject Drugs SGD Sustainable Development Goals UN United Nations UN-Habitat The United Nations Human Settlements Programme UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNGASS United Nations General Assembly Special Session 1 COMMITEE OVERVIEW HISTORY 2 The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the principal organs of the United Nations (UN), responsible for coordinating the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, their func- tional commissions and five regional commissions. The council is at the heart of the UN system, charged with the advance of the three dimensions of sus- tainable development: Economic, Social as the name stated, as well as Hu- manitarian and Cultural. Being the central platform to the UN system, ECOSOC is the council that fosters substantive debate and innovative think- ing, forging international consensus on ways forward, and coordinating efforts to achieve internationally agreed goals. Alike the other main organs of the UN, ECOSOC was established in 1946. However, the system consisting of 54 Member States as it is right now has varied greatly in time. Initially, the council was established with 18 Member States. Then, membership expanded from 18 to 27 in 1965 and again to 54 members in 1973. Due to the complex nature in of the governance of the multilateral system, thus the limited the capacity of the ECOSOC to influence interna- tional policies in trade, finance and investment, there has been numerous reform proposals aim to enhance the relevance and contribution of the coun- cil. One of the major reforms was based on the proposals submitted by Sec- retary-General Kofi Annan and was subsequently approved by the 2005 World Summit. The Summit aimed to establish the ECOSOC as a quality platform for high-level engagement among Member States, international financial institutions, the private sector and civil society on global trends, poli- cies and action. With its high-level segment responsible for reviewing trends in international development cooperation and promote greater coherence in development activities, the Council was to hold biennial high-level Develop- ment Cooperation Forums at the national-leadership level. Additionally, it was also assigned to hold annual ministerial-level substantive reviews to assess progress in achieving internationally agreed development goals, par- ticularly the expired Millennium Development Goals and the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals. MANDATE MEMBERSHIP 3 Being one of the six main organs of the UN, ECOSOC follows the pur- poses and principles of the UN, which was established in the first chapter of the UN Charter 1945. Accordingly, the Council serves to foster international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion. Unlike its twin – the Security Council – ECOSOC enjoys little authority in international policymaking. However, the Council is the princi- pal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on aforementioned fields, as well as for implementation of the internationally agreed development goals; it has also been strengthening its working meth- ods, giving special attention to the integrated and coordinated implementation of, and follow-up to, the outcomes of all major UN conferences summits. The Council has 54 member states out of the 193 UN Member States, which are elected by the UN General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms. Seats on the Council are based on geographical representation with 18 allocated to African states, 13 to Asian states, 8 to East European states, 13 to Latin American and Caribbean states and 13 to West European and other states. Since 2010, all five permanent members of the Security Council have been continuously reelected because they provide funding for a large share of the budget of ECOSOC, which is the largest of any UN subsidiary body. Deci- sions are taken by simple majority vote. The presidency of ECOSOC changes annually. ECOSOC engages a wide variety of stakeholders – policymakers, par- liamentarians, academics, major groups, foundations, business sector repre- sentatives and 3,200+ registered non-governmental organizations – in a pro- ductive dialogue on sustainable development through a programmatic cycle of meetings. The work of the Council is guided by an issue-based approach, and there is an annual theme that accompanies uploads/Geographie/ ecosoc-background-guide 1 .pdf