United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Topic A: Reducing Violence Against Religious Minorities
Minority groups in Southern Asia and the Pacific have been victims of severe physical, political, cultural and social oppression. Despite the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic Religious and Linguistic Minorities, which protects minorities from forceful religious oppression, this issue remains an alarming one in the region. One of the main causes of this violence is the religious differences between the majority of the population and the minority groups, causing the rise of several disputes and long-running conflicts. These disputes have caused the death and harm of many individuals, causing them to seek refugee in different countries where they are not discriminated against, marginalized or forced to conform with the majority’s belief. Additionally, economic impacts cannot be ignored, where this discrimination has led to limited access to education and employment opportunities of minority groups, preventing them from improving and developing in society. Another issue faced by minorities includes the bias of curriculum content, where the history and achievement of religious minorities are being distorted, breeding minority hatred in future generations. The UN has undertaken several initiatives to ease tension between different groups, however, the efforts taken have failed. This is mainly due to the lack of procedural implementations, common ground between the two groups, and constitutional human rights guarantees signed by these countries. Delegates are tasked with presenting clauses regarding required implementations, to first acknowledge, then reduce harm and oppression against such minorities.
Wildlife crime and illegal trafficking of wildlife poses a substantial risk to the biodiversity of Southeast Asia, as the exploitation of species interrupts nature’s circle of life and alters rural areas’ livelihoods. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments, which has provided a framework to protect and regulate international trade of certain species without threatening their survival. However, despite this framework, the regulation and protection of a country’s wildlife varies country to country as do regulation laws. In addition, while CITES does provide an international legal framework for the protection of wildlife, there are many issues with the current system including: insufficient databases, unmanageable trafficking routes, and the lack of available legal discipline. ESCAP nations have adopted a strong rule of law in order to enhance their set environmental laws and efforts of application, however, Southeast Asia is particularly still at risk. Known to be the wildlife hotspot for illegal wildlife trafficking, countries in the region are listed as both suppliers and consumers of wildlife. Sectors of the trade include: traditional medicine, pet trade, food, curios, trophies, skins, and furs, proving the region’s economic reliance on such trade (billions of dollars flow through every year due to illegal wildlife trafficking activities). Therefore, delegates must propose solutions regarding the enhancement of CITES provisions, inter-agency and inter-country co-operation and information management in order to balance wildlife trade and sustain development.